School is just starting and you're already wondering how you'll manage to prepare more than a hundred lunches? Discover our tips for easy, efficient, and equally nutritious and tasty lunches!
Fresh food ready to assemble at any time
A large piece of meat or poultry already prepared in thin slices, various vegetables cut into raw vegetables, already washed fruits, already cooked pasta or rice; take a moment each week when you return from the grocery store to cook and prepare the foods needed to make fresh, nutritious and easy-to-assemble lunches.
A well-stocked pantry
Always having essentials available in your pantry will ensure you're never caught off guard! Make sure to always keep cans of tuna and legumes, noodles and jars of various sauces and crackers, for example, which will give you everything you need for a quick and easy lunch on busy mornings!
Proper use of the freezer
The freezer is the perfect ally for planning and preparing meals, and even lunches! Store not only breads of different sizes (to vary the presentation of the traditional sandwich!), ready-to-use and cooked meats and various cheeses, but also individual portions of prepared dishes, such as shepherd's pie or lasagna, which will allow you to prepare a complete and tasty lunch in just a few minutes.
Don't forget the snacks
Get into the habit of baking and freezing muffins, cookies and pancakes that will serve as a nutritious and waste-free snack or dessert. For those mornings that are a bit more rushed, make sure you always have individual or pre-portioned snacks (such as cereal or dried fruit in small individual jars) in the pantry, which will be ideal for easily satisfying children's cravings.
Involving children
From a certain age, children are able to help concretely prepare their lunch. Go step by step: first ask them to simply put in their lunch box what you have prepared for them, then quietly prepare the different components of their lunch until they are able to do it completely alone.
Some essentials that will make preparing lunches easier
With its different compartments, the Munchbox bento box allows you to control portions for a balanced diet.
The Les Belles Combines lunch box label allows children to easily get involved in preparing their daily lunch box!
Created by the Quebec company Micasso & Co, the reusable snack bag duos are a superb ecological alternative to regular plastic bags.
Finally, if you need a little help to vary your meals, the sandwich fillings and lunch ideas to assemble for children to download and print will certainly come to your rescue!
Cover photo credit: Camylle Messier
