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    $5 Dinners | Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals

    Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals and Cooking Tutorials for the Busy Home Chef

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    Lunchbox Inspiration: Lunchbox Prep Sessions

    September 17, 2013 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom 6 Comments

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    Whew! Anyone else overwhelmed with the busyness of the school year? Sports, club meetings, fundraisers, and more papers than I can handle. After a few rough mornings of barely getting lunch made in time, I have started a new routine. Sunday night lunchbox prep sessions! Every Sunday night, I have been spending one hour prepping lunchbox ready foods for the week. Packing lunches is now a breeze. Here’s the results of this week’s prep session:

    Lunchbox Inspiration: Lunchbox Prep Sessions on $5 Dinners

    •  Bento Box style lunch
    • 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
    • 2 containers each of sliced plums, sliced peaches and dried apricots
    • 2 containers of salad with cheese and salad dressing on the side
    • hard boiled eggs
    • 2 bags each of baby carrots and cut broccoli

    It only took me 15 minutes to pack these items as I have leftovers planned for a few lunches this week.

    How lunchbox prep sessions save me money:

    • I pack lunch for my kiddos more often
    • I use up fruits or vegetables that might be on their last leg!
    • I tend to use more reusable containers vs. disposable items

    Do you prep lunch for the week? What types of items do you like to prep ahead of time?

    I love the Bento Box lunchboxes as they are BPA free and kid friendly to open.  Note that they are not leak proof, so don’t use them to store liquids. They are also safe for the microwave, freezer, and dishwasher!

    Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions on qualifying purchases. Reviews, opinions are my own.

    See more $5 Dinners Cooking Tutorials here

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    Filed Under: Budget Friendly Meal Plans Tagged With: Cooking Tutorial Money Saving

    Comments

    1. CM124 says

      September 18, 2013 at 12:27 am

      Have you found the sliced fruit getting soggy or turning colors?

      Reply
      • Dana says

        September 18, 2013 at 4:47 pm

        Not the peaches and plums that I packed this week. If they were super soft to begin with, then it might be a problem. I also pack dried fruit for later in the week.

        Reply
    2. jackie Brown says

      September 18, 2013 at 7:52 am

      I love this idea, Erin. I’m like you also packing for a large crew, sometimes 5 and I go ahead and throw mine in with the bunch. I try to do it right after dinner, packing leftovers for hubby and I and I, cookie cutter sandwiches, fruit kabobs, boiled eggs, too and freezer cookies, etc. for kids. Lately, I’ve made freezer smoothies and frozen apple sauce for lunch and they serve as ice packs. I boil my eggs ahead of time that last a week and use this bumper car method of peeling them. I hope you’ll try it if you don’t have a method yet: http://momonamission.me/worlds-easiest-boiled-eggs/

      Reply
    3. Melanie says

      September 18, 2013 at 11:29 am

      I have 3 boys and they only take PB&J sandwiches. I take a whole loaf of WW bread and a loaf of WW raisin bread and make sandwiches then freeze them. Peanut butter on both sides then jelly in the middle and you don’t have jelly soaking into the bread. I put them in a large storage bag in the freezer. Every morning I pull out 3 sandwiches and put them in a plastic container for lunches. By the time lunch comes around the sandwich is defrosted. If the sandwiches are packaged correctly they will last for at least 3 months.

      Reply
      • Dana says

        September 18, 2013 at 6:07 pm

        Great idea! I also love to make frozen pb&j! 🙂

        Reply
    4. jakie says

      September 18, 2013 at 6:41 pm

      I am alone and because of a back injury, cooking isn’t always easy. I do this almost always for lunches and many weeks I do it for suppers. On a good day I prep a week or more (freezing suppers) and then when I don’t feel up to cooking i still have something great to eat…it has saved me from eating cereal or worse order out and spending too much money. But I hadn’t thought about separating it out into individual meal containers…how brilliant. I wonder if those divided plastic containers would work as well?

      Reply

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    I’m Erin Chase…

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    $5 Dinner Mom.

    I have a little problem. I cannot make a meal that costs more than $5.
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