This school year, our oldest started kindergarten. Packing lunches every day was a new experience for me; one I was dreading. I was so used to daycare and preschool providing balanced meals. But now it was my turn. I just needed a plan. An easy plan.

I was used to meal prepping lunches for myself. So I decided to meal prep for my kindergartener as well. And to my surprise, it only took me about an hour. And I have enough lunches for a couple of months.

Here’s what I did: I used one loaf of bread and made as many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as possible. If you’re at a nut-free school, you could use a number of alternative spreads for this. I cut them all in half and put them in a large bag and popped them into the freezer.

Then I made half a dozen quesadillas. I cut all those into fourths. I used a pack of Hawaiian rolls and made turkey and cheese sandwiches. And last but not least, I made a large batch of protein pancakes.

I froze everything in separate containers. Now every morning, I can grab something out of the freezer and throw it in the lunch box. It will be totally thawed out and ready to eat by lunch time.

All you have to do is just add in a fruit, a vegetable and a couple prepackaged snacks to go along with it.

I hope this helps your mornings run a little smoother! What are some tips you have to make packing lunches easier for your family?

We’re also looking for ways to make life easier.