Quick and Easy Lunches for Work

I can plan and pin and buy the items I need to make a lunch all I want, but will lunch actually be made religiously every day? No way!  

For whatever reason, sometimes lunch doesn't make it out the door and by noon, or in my case 11:18 a.m., people are ready to spend the last of their money hiding in their wallets just to buy the kids' lunch consisting of a cheeseburger bun, a slice of cheese, a few scrapings of turkey, 1 tomato slice, and some skimpy white lettuce - plus a side of a fruit (the tiniest apple that is more berry sized than apple sized) and a small carton of milk.  Because lettuce and milk blend wonderfully in stomachs.  Oh I forgot to mention how the lunch is a mere $4.75.  

Forget that noise and prep your classroom now with quick and filling "I forgot my lunch" lunches for those days that are bound to happen.

To microwave:

• Edamame (if you are lucky enough to have access to a freezer) I recommend the frozen bag from Trader Joes: quick to heat up and pre-salted.
• Ramen Noodles (not just the cup of noodles, but the actual packets work too.  Will just need a bowl/mug and spoon).
• Regular Soup (a classic and perhaps an obvious choice, but I didn't want to leave it off the list)
• Popcorn

Things to eat with Saltines/Ritz/Wheat Thins/Etc:

• Tuna in a bag/ Tuna in a can (will need a can opener)
• Jar of Peanut Butter/Nutella/Cookie Butter
• Soup (from above)

Pre-Made Tuna Salad

Other Snacks:

• Assorted Nuts
• Trail Mix (Mix with popcorn?)
• Olives (might sound weird, but I could eat a whole can of black olives like chips)
• Fruit Strips

Final Lunch Tip:

At the end of school last year, I found that once I went grocery shopping, it was worth it to divy things up into ziploc bags so that all I had to do in the morning was grab and go.  For example, I bought nuts from Trader Joes and made an assorted nut mix and divided it up and had the bags ready to go in a bowl on my counter.  I also cut up cheese into sections and bagged them, so that all I had to do was grab a bag of crackers too.  Some other fun ideas for lunch that really aren't that crazy to pack are shrimp cocktail and mini kabobs with pickles, olives, cheese, pepperoni, tomatoes, etc.