#1 Top Tip For Stress-Free Packed Lunches

Kate Hall is the founder of The Full Freezer, helping busy mums to reduce their food waste, de-stress cooking and enjoy more variety by making better use of their freezer. With another school term about to start she gave SNACKZILLA her top tip for stress-free packed lunches.

I’ll be honest with you. Before I had kids, I thought I had already weighed up the downsides. Sleepless nights, screaming and tantrums, dirty nappies… All worth it for those cuddles and that first giggle. I don’t think I ever thought past the baby stage though.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love my kids to bits, and I wouldn’t change things for the world. But I don’t think I’d quite considered the reality of parenting children beyond the age of one.

It was only really when my kids started in childcare and school that it hit me… I would be making packed lunches, most days, for the foreseeable future.

And you know what. I HATE MAKING PACKED LUNCHES.

Now I won’t deny buying some convenient bits and pieces to throw in (Snackzilla make some particularly yummy cookies, don’t you know?!), but generally I do like my kids to have some homemade stuff.

I don’t have much time (or energy) though, so I like to keep things super simple. My go-to snacks include banana pancakes and cheesy muffins, which I double-batch and freeze for ease.

But my #1 top tip is pre-making and freezing sandwiches. This. Is. A. Gamechanger.

Now there is a caveat on this – absolutely no salad in sandwiches (it will make them soggy). If your kids are up for eating some greenery, then it needs to be packed in a separate pot.

Always use fresh bread (preferably bought the same day) and wrap tightly to protect from freezer burn (I use aluminium foil so that I can then write the date and contents on it with a sharpie).

Remember you can mix up the bread options too. You could use bagels, English muffins, pitta bread and brioche buns to name a few.

Don’t make a crazy amount all at once though – I generally make no more than a month’s worth as they will start to degrade the longer that they’re in the freezer.

For fillings, don’t put in anything too wet, and go easy on the mayo (butter is a better choice). Meats freeze well, as does grated cheese, hummus, chutneys and cooked veggies. 

To defrost safely, take out of the freezer the night before and place in the fridge. In the morning put in an insulated lunch bag with a small ice pack to keep the food cool. 

You can also pop it straight into your child’s lunchbox first thing in the morning (although there is some risk that it might still be quite chilly at lunchtime!).

Remember this is also an option for adults, so if you or your partner take packed lunches, save yourself the daily faff and make up a batch in advance!

So, there you go, my #1 top tip for Stress-Free Packed Lunches… You can thank me later!

And if you’re keen to build up a bit more of a lunchbox freezer stash be sure to check out my free freezable lunchbox fillers download: The Frozen Lunchbox.

For more freezer hacks, follow Kate and The Full Freezer on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and join The Full Freezer Family.