Too Busy to pack meals

[Jilianmarie]

I've been having a hard time with my meals because I got to school in the morning til around 1 - 2pm and i have to be at work half an hour later and im at work til 7:30pm. Its tough for me to bring food with me because it will be sitting in my car all day. ANY IDEAS??

[kfisherx]

Is this question srs? Your car too little for a small cooler or ice box?

[vanillabn]

I can understand that it's inconvenient sometimes, but there have been times in my life where I was "away" from the house from 5 a.m. - 11 p.m. and still packed meals - in fact, the busier I was, the more of a necessity it was to bring things b/c otherwise I'd go all day without eating, or having to eat crap!

At 1 - 2 p.m., before work, do you have a chance to go to your car? I'd keep a cooler in there with some snacks. Also, you can bring stuff that doesn't need refrigeration and/or you can throw into a backpack or purse. Nuts, apples, string cheese - that kind of stuff I'd snack throughout your time at school and bring something more substantial for in-between, then bring more snacks for work if you have to.

There's always a way!

[Amanda76]

I can understand that it's inconvenient sometimes, but there have been times in my life where I was "away" from the house from 5 a.m. - 11 p.m. and still packed meals - in fact, the busier I was, the more of a necessity it was to bring things b/c otherwise I'd go all day without eating, or having to eat crap!

At 1 - 2 p.m., before work, do you have a chance to go to your car? I'd keep a cooler in there with some snacks. Also, you can bring stuff that doesn't need refrigeration and/or you can throw into a backpack or purse. Nuts, apples, string cheese - that kind of stuff I'd snack throughout your time at school and bring something more substantial for in-between, then bring more snacks for work if you have to.

There's always a way!

^^Word.

I think the craziest time of my life was when I had to be at a pool to open it for lap swim at 5 am, would get relieved by another lifeguard to either go to class or to my job at a whole foods deli/store, then it was either class or back to the pool, or class and to my THIRD job as an internet technician. I normally got off that job between 10 pm and midnight on the nights I worked. One of the courses I was taking lasted until 10 pm 2 nights a week. Between 5 and 5:30 on weekdays I'd have to pick my daughter up and take her home (her life sucked during that time, lemme tell ya). Workouts got fit in wherever I could get them in (3-ISH times a week). I worked 7 days a week and made a much needed time and a half to double time on holidays so I rarely had a full day off. The day I normally had the most time to myself was on Sundays so on that day I'd cook 1-2 weeks of food and stick some in the fridge and some in the freezer and kept a lot of it in a cooler in my car. Needless to say, with a schedule like that, you learn pretty quick how to wear a backpack properly so you can eat a packet of tuna and a banana WHILE WALKING between classes, that protein pancakes are easy to eat while driving between locations and in what order to eat your food so that it tastes the best as it warms up or thaws.

Vanillabn is right. When you are THAT busy, you absolutely must plan ahead! That's not to say I NEVER get lazy. But when I do, I have to own up to it for anything to change.

[Laurawelty19]

Well, cooking itself is already a big task for me, and in your case, i really what you would have to do is to take your lunch with you. You don't have to eat 5 to 6 meals a day, you can bring a breakfast and lunch to school and eat dinner at home. By the way at what time do you exercise?

I've been having a hard time with my meals because I got to school in the morning til around 1 - 2pm and i have to be at work half an hour later and im at work til 7:30pm. Its tough for me to bring food with me because it will be sitting in my car all day. ANY IDEAS??

[birdiefu]

Get a cooler (cute little printed soft coolers as so "in" right now) and icepacks. Partition your food the night before, the morning you leave, toss the containers in the cooler with icepack, put in your car. There are tons of people here (me included) that have to do this sort of stuff. Yes, cooking and packing food takes some time away from other things, but if you plan well and if this is a priority in your life, you just get it done.

[zrach]

Do you eat the food cold? I've always wondered

[Jilianmarie]

ok thanks guys.. I think I was asking for my food ideas, the idea of keeping lettuce in the car kind of grossed me out but ill give it another try.

[nunu713]

Lettuce will keep very well in some tupperware with an ice pack. I used to have a big salad as my dinner when I was working from 8am-9pm. It always kept very well. Just a piece of advice if you're going the salad route, don't add croutons or dressing until you're ready to eat. It can get gross otherwise.

But some other foods that will keep perfect well in small containers with an ice pack or two:
fruits and veggies
nuts
chicken
beef jerky
cottage cheese
protein powder
tuna
bread
dry cereal

really - the list goes on and on...

[erinlee01]

If the food is in the cooler with ice packs, it should be fine.

[bethanyboo]

There are plenty of things you can eat cold that will keep well in a cooler. Sandwiches, salads, yogurt, string cheese, nuts, apples & peanut butter, pretty much any fruit, sliced veggies and hummus. Sometimes I'll mix up tuna, mayo, and white beans, and I can eat that cold and plain without bread. Some people also like cold oatmeal but I've never tried it.

[kfisherx]

Get a cooler (cute little printed soft coolers as so "in" right now) and icepacks. Partition your food the night before, the morning you leave, toss the containers in the cooler with icepack, put in your car. There are tons of people here (me included) that have to do this sort of stuff. Yes, cooking and packing food takes some time away from other things, but if you plan well and if this is a priority in your life, you just get it done.

THIS is what I have and what I do each and every day. The thread title was "too busy to pack meals" so I was not even clear if OP was interested in packing meals or what. The thing about packing meals is that ultimately it saves you time. I never have to go out and find food anymore. It is just right beside me.

I leave the house at 7:00AM and return at 8:00PM or later every single day of the week with rare exception.

[xosaraxo2010]

Same here, I used to have the hardest time trying to convince myself that I had to carry a lunchbox around with me everywhere, and that I didn't have the money to spend on groceries to make things to take with me to work/school.

Now I feel so lost and am more likely to cheat if I don't bring my lunchbox... keeps me sane and I think per day I'm spending maybe $10 versus $10 a meal eating out.