Meal Prep

For schoolchildren, a healthy packed lunch is the foundation for a successful school day. Those who eat a good breakfast and drink enough at school can perform better in class and concentrate more effectively. Providing a nutritious packed lunch that is not only healthy but also enjoyable and tasty for children is a daily challenge for many parents – but it can be easily prepared with a few simple tricks.

When preparing packed lunches, it's important to consider the individual preferences of the children. Because even at school, the saying holds true: What tastes good makes you strong!

• Whole-grain bread or rolls provide the most energy. However, to add variety to children's daily meals, the types of bread offered should be varied.
• Spread the bread thinly with butter, margarine, or cream cheese and top with low-fat sausage, cheese, or vegetarian spread. It tastes especially good if you place a lettuce leaf and slices of tomato or cucumber under the topping.
• Cress, chives, parsley or basil give the sandwiches the right seasoning.
• Fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables, cut into bite-sized pieces, are a popular finger food for children and teenagers. Nuts and dried fruit occasionally add variety to their lunchboxes.
• Sufficient fluids in the form of drinks such as water and unsweetened herbal and fruit teas should be available to quench thirst.

To bring some variety and extra enjoyment into the everyday lives of little ones, there are delicious alternatives for preparing snacks:

• Unsweetened muesli is a healthy option for those who dislike bread – together with unsweetened yogurt, quark or milk it makes a complete snack.
• Healthy skewers not only add color to the lunchbox, they're also easy to prepare. Anything that's healthy and tasty is fair game. For example, cheese cubes with grapes or bell pepper pieces, cherry tomatoes with mozzarella balls, or, for a fruity twist, honeydew melon with raspberries.
• Greetings from the Orient: Flatbread filled with raw vegetables such as grated carrots, kohlrabi sticks, diced tomatoes, sheep's cheese and yogurt dressing provides culinary variety during the school break.
• Meatballs, chicken legs or a little potato salad – pre-cooked food can also be wonderfully included in the lunchbox as an alternative to the classic school sandwich.

Even at home, meal prep makes everyday life more relaxed and ensures that a home-cooked meal is always ready. Whether after a long day at work, during lunch break in the home office, or when things need to be done quickly.

Many dishes are ideal for pre-cooking and often taste even more aromatic the next day or even the day after. Whether it's hearty goulash, classic bolognese, creamy soups, or a spicy chicken curry: once cooked, you can enjoy several portions and save valuable time in your daily routine. Pre-prepared ingredients can also be flexibly combined and quickly supplemented into a varied meal.

Many meal-prep dishes can also be frozen without any problems. This way, you always have a home-cooked meal ready, without any extra effort. This saves time, creates flexibility, and gives you more space for the beautiful moments of cooking and enjoying.

Practical Meal Prep Tips:

• Don't prep for seven days: Use the 3+2 rhythm and first prepare meals for three days. With a small prep refresh during the week, you plan the next two days. This keeps the food fresher and the individual prep session more relaxed.
• Double up oven time: If the oven is already on, take the opportunity to bake a second tray of vegetables, potatoes, or other ingredients for the next few days. This saves you time and an additional heating phase.
• Cook for "Future You": For dishes that store or freeze well, consciously cook an extra portion. This won't be served tomorrow, but waits for a day when time or desire to cook is lacking.

Instead of spontaneously looking for a quick alternative, a freshly prepared meal is already waiting for you. Exactly to your taste and with the ingredients you have chosen.

Whether as a ready-made meal or assembled from individual, pre-cooked ingredients, meal prep makes everyday life much more relaxed. Aromatic pasta salad, a colourful bowl, a protein-rich lentil salad or a hearty chili con carne can be prepared the evening before or even for several days. This way, you can enjoy a balanced meal even on busy days, without spending time shopping or cooking.

With a well-prepared lunchbox, you not only save time in your working day. You also create a conscious moment of enjoyment – with a home-cooked meal that gives you new energy and makes your lunch break something special.

Meal Prep Hacks for Your Lunch Break:

• Sauces as a Meal Prep Joker: Prepare various basics for your bowls and add variety to your lunchbox with changing sauces and dressings. This way, new flavour combinations always emerge from the same prepared ingredients.
• Stock up on small supplies at work: Spices, nuts, seeds, or other non-perishable toppings can easily be stored at your workplace. This way, you can spontaneously refine your prepared meals and ensure variety.
• One dish, multiple possibilities: Prepare dishes such as chili as a versatile base and combine them in new ways again and again. For example, chili tastes great with rice today, as a filling in a wrap tomorrow, and as a topping for a bowl the day after tomorrow.
• Keep dishes nice and juicy: Pasta, rice, and grains absorb liquid when stored and can therefore taste drier the next day. Therefore, prepare dishes with a little more sauce or store sauce and side dish completely separately and only mix them just before eating. This way, the desired consistency is maintained, and the meal still tastes nice and juicy the next day.