There are far worse things than packing school lunches. In fact, I kind of like it — at no other time of day do I feed a captive, hungry audience with no other options who also can’t ask me, ever so politely, if they can have something else. If I didn’t want to do it, I’d have my children do it; they’re in eighth, fifth and third grade and they’re capable. Instead, I choose to load the boxes — and once I identified, and largely eliminated, the things about the process that I hated, our mornings (and my evenings) improved.
1. The 10 p.m. OMG moment. Regardless of school buying options, some child in my house needs some form of lunch or snack packed every single day. Many people are able to remember details like this; I do not, nor am I capable of making the smallest of decisions after bedtime (or, worse, before breakfast). Now I actually sit down on Sunday and write down both who needs what and what I’m putting in the boxes for every day of the week. My Sunday self thinks this is ridiculous, but my Tuesday 10 p.m. self is deeply grateful.
2. Trying to think of something besides sandwiches. People send me cookbooks, like those from Weelicious and 100 Days of Real Food. I probably wouldn’t have actually bought a cookbook for its lunch ideas — but having a big, easily accessible list of sandwich alternatives is gold. I sat down last weekend, while I was still feeling all excited about the whole thing, and made a list of ideas like quiches in silicone muffin cups and Melissa Clark’s fantastic dip suggestions in the same notebook I use for menus and shopping lists. I’ve also created a collection on the New York Times Cooking site: Lunch Ideas.
3. Cooking something special for lunches all the time. At least a couple of days a week, I make enough dinner that there are leftovers that work in lunches. I make bigger salads, I make more steak or chicken, I make extra pasta. Makes sense from both budget and time perspectives. I’ve also made a second collection on the Cooking site: Dinners That Become Lunches.
4. Emptying gross lunchboxes. That’s their job.
5. Hand-washing thermoses. They make dishwasher-safe thermoses now. Boom.
6. Tiny dressing cups that don’t get clean in the dishwasher. I’m all for waste-free lunches (and with four children, we would go through plastic bags fast). But as much as I like including cutup vegetables in lunches, I hate dealing with the dressing cups. I finally bought a restaurant supply bag of Jell-O shot cups and lids at a party supply store. I’m grateful every time.
7. That pile of plastic containers. This one is actually a work in progress. Four lunches, four containers each on a bad day means 32 containers and lids on the top rack of the dishwasher every time, two of which flip over and hold all the water while another 10 don’t come dry. I tried plastic containers with more than one space, but they still don’t come dry. I just ordered a metal (dishwasher-safe) container from Planet Box that is essentially one piece for multiple items. I have high hopes for it, but it’s expensive.
8. Paying for lunch convenience foods. I finally decided to save lunch convenience foods for when I really need convenience, and to start subbing in the foods we make for snacks and breakfasts where I used to put in a prepackaged bar or snack. If we have waffles for breakfast on Sunday, look for waffles in lunch on Monday. I like to bake with my children, so instead of baking cookies, I’m hunting out whole-grain recipes that are still treats, with more in them that I do want and less that I don’t. I stand with Michael Pollan, who says “eat all the junk food you want, as long as you cook it yourself.” It’s a time investment, and one I can’t always make, but it’s worth it (and it’s almost always less expensive).
9. The lunch that’s uneaten except for the junk. It is hard to come up with enough food to feed four children lunch and a snack daily without turning to at least some packaged foods. When I do, I keep the lunch small enough that a child who eats only the treats will be hungry.
What do you dislike most about packing lunches, and what have you done to make it easier?
Looking for ideas for what to pack in your child’s lunchbox? Melissa Clark will answer readers’ questions and share lunch tips in a Facebook chat on Friday, Sept. 5, at 1 p.m. Eastern time on facebook.com/nytimes.