I am terrible when it comes to lunch inspiration.  I despise sandwiches, don’t like wraps, not really into salads as main courses, don’t want processed foods, and have little time to make anything the night before or morning of.  My husband leaves at six in the morning and needs a packed lunch.  Sometimes I just have to feed myself, sometimes I feed three or four girls when I work at my shop.  I need lunch solutions!

Enter the beautiful pot of soup.

I generally make at least one soup a week for a meal.  It doesn’t take much energy to make it a bigger batch.  I serve a delicious soup with homemade bread and vegetables from the garden for dinner then the next morning I can the rest of the soup in wide mouth pint jars.  Instant lunches through the winter.  Choose a soup, take it to work!  I always have bread made and with a side of fruit or canned applesauce, maybe some crackers, or carrots and dip, this is a great lunch.

So long as the soup doesn’t have dairy or rice in it, this will work.  Pour soup into large mouth pint jars leaving an inch head space.  Make sure rim is clean and replace lid.  Put three inches of water into pressure canner.  Put jars in.  Secure lid and turn on heat on high.  Listen for lovely ticking sound from the shaker, turn down heat a little, and pressure can (10 lbs of pressure for most folks, all the weights all the time for us high altitudes) for 1 hour.  Anything with seafood goes 1 hour and 40 minutes.  Let steam release naturally.  Then remove from pot and let cool on towel on counter.  When the jars are cool and the you know the seals are set, label, date, and add to root cellar shelves.

Enjoy instant homemade lunch all winter.  I love this homesteading life.