Easy Peasy Lunch Ideas

Lunch can be a struggle for me. In fact, sometimes I think it's pointless!

I know it's not... I get up, make breakfast for everyone, set up Bible study for everyone, and then start chores with.. you guessed it, everyone!  That "everyone" usually includes me and five or six children.  Once our morning chores have been accomplished I set out school work and it seems like it's almost time to start lunch. Really?  Didn't I just make and clean up breakfast?  How did that happen?  Instead of being a grump I cheerfully set out to destroy the kitchen that was just cleaned and start all over again, after all, that is what my life is all about right now!  That being said, I am always looking for ways to accomplish more and get things done faster or easier.  Here are some lunch tips and ideas!  I hope these help, and I would LOVE to hear your ideas!

• Make a lunch that will easily fit on a paper napkin.  This way once breakfast dishes are out of the way you won't have to worry about lunch dishes at dinner time!
• Consider a heavy breakfast and a lighter lunch or vice-versa.  Oftentimes if I am planning simple lunches, usually so we can school and eat at the same time, I plan heavy breakfasts.  An example would be eggs, toast, and sausage for breakfast with fruit, nuts, and cheese for lunch.  The reverse would be peanut butter toast for breakfast and leftover soup and rice for lunch.
• If you have a baby, feed them first.  This lowers stress for me at lunchtime.  Usually, I will set my littlest one up in a chair with her lunch so she can eat while I'm making lunch for everyone else.
• Consider using your meal prep day to prep a bit for lunches too!  This always seems to pay off big time.  Chop veggies, put pretzels or chips into little baggies, make PB and J ahead of time, and plop them all in the freezer. Or portion out everything you want to toss in the blender for smoothies in a huge zip-loc so all you have to do is dump and go!

Easy Peasy Lunch Ideas!

• Frozen triple berry (blackberry, raspberry, and blueberry) smoothies with protein powder or whatever you have on hand!  I have been known to toss in spinach, bananas and almond milk!  Everyone loves these!  If you don't have protein powder hand out almonds alongside.
• Pretzels, cheese cubes, and bananas
• Olives, cheese, veggies
• Veggies and dip (I cut up all of my veggies ahead of time on my meal prep day. This makes lunch an easy peasy one); btw my "dip" might just be peanut butter!
• Quesadillas: I fry these bad boys up in no time and put them on a napkin!
• Nachos: Kind of like my smoothie surprise!  I toss in whatever I have on hand!
• Big batch of soup!  I love to make soup in the winter.  I will fill my instant pot up to the brim, not really, but close, and eat off of that soup at lunchtime for days.
• Tortilla roll-ups.  I haven't tried them yet, but they are on my list!  I'm thinking pesto, cream cheese and meat all rolled up.. or maybe a super yummy Thanksgiving-themed roll-up with cranberry sauce, cream cheese, and turkey.  I'll let you know how it goes!