I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that I really look forward to that time of night when the kids are in bed, the kitchen is clean and I can sit my ass down on the couch and binge watch my favorite TV shows.  And there’s nothing worse than sitting your ass down and realizing you’ve yet to make lunches for the next day.  Sure you can wait till morning, but when all hell breaks loose over socks not feeling right or what jackets to wear, the last thing you want to be doing is frantically throwing a lunch together.

Here are five ideas to help save you time and get you your R&R TV time sooner.

1. Nix the cute sandwich cutouts.  Sure a princess crown or heart shaped sandwich is cute, but really? You lived with square sandwiches, you’re kids will too.  I swear.
2. Make ahead and freeze.  On Sunday night, I lay out a loaf of bread on sheets of cling wrap.  I make a ton of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (substitute Nutella or whatever your kids like) then cut, wrap and throw in the freezer.  Now you don’t have to waste time each night taking out all the ingredients and making new sandwiches.  Another great idea is to freeze the yogurt tubes.  By the time lunch comes around, the yogurt will still be cold.
3. Outsource this task to your children. What do executives do with the tasks they despise or don’t have time for?  They get someone else to do them.  If your kids are over age 5, they’re completely capable of making lunches on their own. Plus, if they’re like my kids, they’ll be happy to have some control over what they’ll have to eat the next day.  I put lunch items on the bottom shelf of my pantry so that the kids can easily locate and choose what they’d like to bring.
4. Buy a lunch plan with your school’s cafeteria. Have your kids go through the school lunch menu and circle when they’d like to buy.  Paying ahead also ensures you won’t be scraping for $2.25 in change or freaking out when you haven’t grocery shopped in weeks.
5. Use a segmented tupperware or container. My kids HATE it when their food touches.  Make a balanced and healthy lunch by using one of those Tupperwares with different sections.  Cut up fruit, veggies and dip, chips and salsa, cheese, crackers, and pepperoni and throw them in, put the top on and  you are done.

Do you have any ideas that really speed up the lunch making process?  Feel free to share them below.