Recently, I have often thought that it would be a good idea to make our lunches ahead of time, even though we homeschool. Though I do not send my children out the door each morning with backpacks, permission slips, and lunchboxes, sometimes our homeschool days can get hectic, too. Meal times are no exception!
Today I’m sharing list of ideas I’ve come up with for hot and cold lunches that can be prepared ahead of time. I’m planning to utilize this list each Friday when we head out for co-op classes. I hope these ideas help you, too, on the days that are just a little bit more hectic than usual!
List of Make-Ahead Cold Lunches
Pasta Salad: Include cheese cubes, ham or salami, olives, grape tomatoes, and add vinegar and olive oil or your favorite Italian dressing.
Dairy-Free One-Dish Tuna Noodle Pasta
Egg salad: 6 eggs, hardboiled; peel; dice and add 1 tbsp. mustard, 2 tbsp sweet or dill pickle relish, ½ c. mayonnaise, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve on crackers or between two slices of bread.
Tuna Salad: 2 cans tuna, drained; add ½ cup mayonnaise, dill pickle relish, salt and pepper to taste. Serve atop lettuce, with your favorite cracker, or alongside a delicious artisan bread.
Ham & Cheese Cracker Sandwiches: (Butter-flavored crackers work well for this.) Simply slice cheese and ham to fit crackers and layer between two crackers. You may choose to keep crackers in a separate compartment of your dish until mealtime arrives to avoid soggy crackers. These ‘sandwiches’ are quickly and easily assembled.
List of Hot Lunches to Make Ahead
- Place your food item in an insulated microwaveable dish. Heat through before eating.
- If taking your meal with you out of the house (such as to co-op), heat before placing in an insulated lunch bag or box. Your lunch should still be hot when you are ready to eat!
What kinds of foods work well with this method?
Easy Slow Cooker Black Bean Chili.
Whole Wheat Pasta with Meat Sauce
Rice dishes
Roast beef
Meatloaf
Beef stroganoff
Pulled Pork
Simply add bread, crackers, or fruit to round out each meal, and you’ll be good to go!
And don’t forget dessert!
Oh, and in true make-ahead style, try freezing some of these meals in individual-sized portions. You may find that you can stock your freezer and plan even further ahead!
What are some of your favorite Make-Ahead Homesschool Lunches? Please leave your favorites in the comments!
Almond butter? Is that like peanut butter but with almonds? (Ahem, “intelligent” guessing).
Any cold salad type sandwich spread tastes better when made ahead. That gives the flavors time to blend.