I pack 15 summer camp lunches a week (3 kids x 5 days,) and I do it between getting ready for work, getting the kids to and from early morning swim team practice and getting everyone off to summer camp after that.

This means shaving even a little time off the job of packing lunches goes a long way. Here’s how I'm doing it this summer:

1. Pack berries: Plentiful berries are a lifesaver in the summer–blueberries, blackberries, raspberries–all go straight into the lunch box without any peeling or slicing needed. I buy the organic ones, so I don’t even bother to wash them. Go ahead, sue me.

2. Make the middle part of the sandwich the night before: If I’m making egg salad or tuna salad sandwiches, I make the “salad’ part at dinner time and put it in the fridge for the next day. No, I do not make the whole sandwich the night before. That’s just gross.

3. Make something for dinner that works for lunch: I try to do this at least once a week, and I make plenty so I’ll have generous leftovers. Good choices are stir-fried rice, something with noodles (like veggie lo-mein,) or even spaghetti and meat sauce. All can be re-heated quickly in the microwave and put into thermoses that go straight into the lunchbox.

4. Keep baggies of cookies in the freezer: After making (OK, buying) cookies, I separate them into portion sizes and toss them into snack baggies. It takes less than 10 minutes, and then you can just toss them into the lunch boxes (they defrost within 30 minutes) all week long. Yes, those baggies are wasteful and bad for the planet, so feel free to remind your kids to bring ‘em back home for re-use.

5. Get the kids to pack the snacks: Asking my kids to pack the whole lunch is unrealistic (they’re too small and I want them to have quality lunches,) but they are experts at packing crackers, pretzels and goldfish. I put out the snack of the day, and let them pack their own while they eat breakfast.

6. Bars are a great back-up: The kids get a TON of exercise in the summer, so they can really put it away. I throw a bar of some kind into the lunchbox each day, just in case they need a little more energy. Our family favorite is Cascadian Farms Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, but any bar your kids like will do the trick.

7. Use veggies that don’t have to be peeled or cut: All of the following can be tossed into small containers, depending on what each kids likes: canned black olives, frozen green peas, mini-carrots, grape tomatoes. All go straight in, prep-free.

Got any tricks for making lunch faster? I’d love to hear it in the comments below.