I go back to work this week. Summer break is over and as always I feel both ready and not ready at all. This will be my 14th school year as an educator, so I know the rhythm that’s about to be my life for the next ten months. I know my brain and body will slide into the patterns and routines of thinking through what food I will need for the day, and prepping my huge water jug.
Teaching is so hard. Learning and re-learning to be a teacher is hard. Professional development (PD) days can be fun and joyful, spent with adults rather than children, but they are also long and intellectually grueling sometimes. My district has me slated for 16 PD days before students arrive in late August. This is a far higher number than typical districts, and every year I brace for the end of easy summer mornings with coffee in hand while watching reality TV (my fave summer routine).
As I prepare to start with three of the 16 PD days this week, I have done some important grocery shopping to set myself on the well-fed path during days when I have to pay close attention all day long. Since the days might be at my home school campus or at another school site, I often really think through everything I can to set myself up well. I think about access most of all.
Will I have access to a water bottle refill station/option?
How many bathrooms does the building have for adults? Will I need to consistently wait in line to go to the bathroom or not? How should that impact my water intake for the day?
Is there a fridge? If there is a fridge, do I know of a history of people’s lunches getting taken from the fridge?
Should I pack a small cooler? Can I reasonably eat all the cold food before 1:00 when the ice packs become lukewarm?
Do I have access to a microwave? If there is a microwave, how many are there? How many adults are attending/will we all be able to heat and eat our food in a half hour?
Is there a toaster available?
Does the building have a hot water dispenser?
Maybe this thought process is too intense for you, or you feel like it is unnecessary. Surely there are other people working in education that don’t think through contingencies like this, and just throw whatever they have for lunch in a bag and hope for the best. That’s not me. I couldn’t write this post without walking you through the detailed way that many teachers have to think about how to meet basic needs at their job like eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom. Now imagine how detailed we are when thinking about the best way to teach subtraction or compare/contrast to children!
Meal Ideas
I am a big proponent of snacking as meals throughout the day. This can be helpful during the school year when a teacher’s only prep period might be at 10 a.m, 8 a.m., or not until the afternoon at 1 p.m. With enough snacks, usually I can eat enough while being busy all day long that I don’t find myself ravenous at 4:00 when I get home. We can’t keep snacks or food at my school because of our mice problem, so I shy away from big bags of things and stick to foods that I can easily pack every morning. I tend to grab a granola bar for breakfast, but lots of my teacher friends prep a smoothie, overnight oats, yogurt and granola, breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches, or oatmeal.
If you have access to a microwave:
Frozen burritos (or pre-make your own and tightly wrap in foil, then freeze - remove the foil before microwaving!)
Leftover dinner from the night before (my usual lunch at work)
If you have access to a toaster:
Bagel & cream cheese
Leftover pancakes or frozen pancakes
Toast with peanut butter (if your school allows nut butters) with bananas or jam
If you have a reliable fridge setup:
Bento box full of snacks - do not sleep on the elevated adult Lunchable concept!
Cheese cubes, slices, or sticks
Crackers or pita chips
Cottage cheese
Fruit
Meat
Nuts
Olives
Pickles
Veggies
Crackers & dip (i.e. buffalo chicken dip, hummus, spinach artichoke dip) with sides and snacks of course
Wraps (they’re making a comeback!) or sandwiches. Cut the wrap up and lay them flat, like sushi. Keep it fresh by switching between different wraps, breads, meat and cheese combos!
Salads - keep a salad dressing you’re not super attached to in the fridge. Know that someone else might use it but then it will be there for you every day too!
*If you only have access to your own lunchbox/cooler, your best bet is to do things from this fridge section and just keep it all in your own cooler.
If you have access to instant hot water or a water kettle:
Instant ramen
Instant pho
I’ve heard of lots of teachers keeping a mini crockpot too! They bring leftovers and then everything is warm enough by the time it’s lunch. Since it’s a small version of a crockpot, it doesn’t have enough power to actually cook the food. This would work great for leftover soups and chilis, perfect for those Deep North winters we have up here!
To my fellow educators, do what you need to do to look forward to the upcoming school year! Buy the fun snacks, a new lunchbox, a new bento box, and decorate your newest water bottle. It is worth it for us to make sure that we nourish ourselves.
Audrey’s Cookbooks Update!
The crowdfunding campaign is still going strong! We’ve had so many donations, and much encouragement from folks in the Twin Cities community. Our first pop-up event is on Saturday, August 3rd from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Find us in the Oxendale’s Market’s parking lot (5025 34th St., Minneapolis, MN 55417) with other vendors selling their wares for Nokomis Days! You’ll be able to donate your vintage cookbooks to the shop so I can give them a new home, sign up for upcoming Cookbook Clubs, and enter giveaways. I am so excited to get up and running!
Things I Like
Planning my crocheting projects for long PD days. I love doing something with my hands - it helps me focus better!
Bike rides & walks in the summer are just the best, especially with the slightest breeze. Swoon.
The routine of a daily Love Island UK episodes is so calming to me despite all the ~*dRaMA*~
Experiences for birthday presents
Snack plate lunches remain supreme
A snack plate lunch of my dreams!
May your week be gentle and may you eat well. 🌲🥣
Good luck as you start back up with ALL of those professional development days! I'm not sure if I will be able to stop by your Pop Up this Saturday, but I would love to come to another one.
This is very helpful, Melissa! Sharing with my husband.