Sometimes some of my ideas, when repeated to other people, sound a bit nutball so I'm going to run this by you all, with a bit of background (I'll try to be brief. I won't be, but I'll try):
A few years ago my husband and I started eating low carb-ish together and mostly just getting processed foods out of our lives. It was great, felt good, both lost weight, went on vacation and never recovered. I think part of what made us so successful was that I would get up in the morning and pack his lunch and snacks for work, and while I was doing it, go ahead and organize mine as well. Everything he was going to eat, breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, was in his bag (and mine was all ready on the top shelf in the fridge).
Because I had to plan that in advance, I could really think it through and make sure there was bulk and balance - enough food, hitting all the major nutritional high points, etc. It worked really well for both of us.
Also, I really really always enjoyed bagged lunches at school, or little odds and ends of things to choose from so for me, it's like a little picnic every day.
FF five years, fifty pounds each (YOWZA) and a child, we need to do something. My husband works from home, I'm a SAHM. Our daughter is going to do what we do and eat how we eat. I'm pretty good about making sure we have planned healthy meals and snacks but my husband and I are both secretly, ashamedly sneaking extra all day long and after she goes to bed.
SO, my point! FINALLY! Is it nuts if I go back to "packing" lunch for all of us and just leaving it in the fridge? I could get something like these
http://www.mytoybox.com/goodbyn-lunc...ed-orange.html
so that it's organized and appealing (mostly to my daughter) and even portion controlled. I know I could just use little plastic containers, but these are dish washer safe and they only hold so much - and we frequently spend the day in the car and I have to pack lunches and keeping track of a billion little containers, making sure Kid doesn't eat all the grapes before Dad gets to them, and that Dad doesn't knock out the almonds because he thought we already had ours - ugh. Three of these would easily fit with some ice packs in a rolling cooler bag/backpack we already own.
Is this a crazy person thing? TO ME, I think it sounds like a nice way to organize everything at one time in the morning so I don't have to think and continue to try to make good choices all day long. I can plan in advance. When my daughter starts asking for more snacks, I can remind her that we can look in her box to see what she has and because the compartments aren't huge, the portions will be reasonable. This was pretty successful for us in the past, but it made sense because he was going off to work. I don't know, it makes sense in my head but then I think, is this just an excuse for me to buy cute lunchboxes?
Is this a crazy person thing?
She was such a sweetie.
I think it's a great idea. If it helps, Tosca Reno suggests people carry bag coolers around in Clean Eating.
