Bringing Your Lunch

There's nothing like a teacher during lunch...racing around trying to make copies while simultaneously heating up your meal then running to the lunch room to eat and barely having time to hit the restroom before those twenty minutes are up.

When I first started teaching, I was naive and though that it would be easier to eat the school lunch.  WRONG.  First, it tastes awful--at least it does at my school, anyway.  They must not be allowed to season any of the food and I'm not just asking for salt here.  I'd be okay with some Mrs. Dash!  Second, I always have to elbow my way past a bunch of teenagers to get through the line.  As a teacher, I don't have to wait in line, but I feel like such a jerk cutting in front of the kids.  Third, whatever I make at home just HAS to be better than whatever mystery, overly-processed junk they serve.

To make my life easier, I've bought a few tried and true products that I absolutely need in order to have my lunch and eat it too.

This one is obvious--a lunch box/bag.  I like the ones by Built because they have such cute designs and they are made of this super-easy-to-wash material.  Everyone always thinks mine is a purse.  I must admit, I have two lunch bags--one for my breakfast and snack and one for my lunch.

And these little babies are snack sleeves.  They are reusable ziploc baggies.  They are made of the same neoprene food-safe polyethyline vinyl acetate material as the Built lunch bags and close with velcro.  I wouldn't recommend using them for long-term storage of your food, but to pack your lunch they are perfect.

I like these ice mats much better than the hard plastic ice packs that some stores carry.  These are less likely to squish my food.  Since the teacher's lounge with a fridge is fairly far away and I don't want to waste any of my precious twenty minutes with walking halfway across the building, I use these to keep certain lunch items cold.  We aren't allowed to have mini-fridges at my school.

I love storing my food in glass, as there is no chance of chemical leaking when I heat up my food in the microwave.  These are Pyrex brand and I love mine.  Just remember to be careful when removing these after being heated; they can get really hot!  I've had mine for at least five years now and they are great and don't leak.

Even though my Pyrex dishes don't leak, I don't take a chance if I'm bringing soup or stew to work.  Instead, I use a microwave-safe Thermos.  They are awesome.

I don't actually have one of these, but I saw them at the store and really, really wanted one.  If anyone uses these, let me know what you think!  It's cool that it comes with a spoon/fork (not a spork, those are different) and the thing is collapsible, which is great for saving space in my cabinets.  And I am big on my food not touching.  If I knew for certain this would fit into my lunch box, I'd already own it.

I must also admit that I keep a box of plastic spoons in my desk drawer. I don't know how many times I have brought some yogurt or pudding for a snack or as part of my lunch and then realized that I had completely forgotten a spoon.  It's so annoying!  Because I had done this way more often than I am comfortable admitting, I bought a box of spoons to keep at school just in case.

I am in love with my Tervis.  I own two and I keep them at school.  I fill them up at the beginning of the day and try to drink both of them by the end of the school day.  It keeps me hydrated.  Both of mine have my college and grad school (respectively) on them, but I thought this bird one was so cute, I had to pull it to use in my post.  Oh, and I made sure to buy the straws too.  It was very much worth it.  I am a notorious klutz and spilling would happen without straws.






I have loved bringing my lunches (and breakfasts and snacks) to school.  It keeps me eating healthier, it makes it easier for me to count my calories, and it tastes better.  If you have something you use that makes taking your lunches to work easier, let me know.  I'm always ready to use new ideas!