I'm a registered dietitian, a career I chose after becoming a mom.

I thought for sure when it came time to start packing school lunches, I would be the one all the other moms looked to for inspiration. I'd have all the answers and tips and tricks, and I'd be the one making those picture-perfect lunches. You know, the kind we all save on our Pinterest boards for that back-to-school inspo.

My kids ride the bus in the morning, and they wake up super early. Which means we all do. I wake up before them to make sure everything is packed and ready to take out the door. It's still pitch black outside when we wake up, and there's only a finite amount of time to make sure the to-do list is all checked off before heading out for school.

As a working mom of two kids, ages 7 and 9, life can get pretty hectic. There are a gazillion things to balance between work, school, after-school activities, sports, and the day-to-day duties of running a house. Even at the end of the day, there isn't that much time with everyone's schedules.

Nutrition is always at the front of my mind. It's my passion and my career. It never loses its importance. But that doesn't mean I'm packing gourmet meals or cutting cucumbers into stars or sandwiches into hearts.

There are, however, several things that I prioritize when it comes to packed lunches. The rest can take a back seat. It doesn't have to be pretty. It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to all be homemade.

My kids just have to be fed well, and to me, that means making sure the categories I want to include are covered: protein, fiber-rich carbohydrates, fruits and veggies, and healthy fats.

Repetition is a common feature even in adult eating patterns. That doesn't necessarily make our diets less nutritious. We're creatures of habit after all, and all of us have our preferences.

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As a dietitian mom, my job is to expose my kids to a variety of foods. And I do. But that doesn't necessarily mean that all those exposures must happen inside the lunchbox.

We don't need to stress ourselves out with an expectation of perfection and add even more decision fatigue when we're already juggling a million other things.

Not every lunch needs to be unique or an artistic masterpiece.

I tend to repeat the same foods and products in my kids' lunchboxes, and I rotate the sides and snacks. I know what my kids will reliably eat, and I also know what might be a stretch.

I use shortcuts constantly. In fact, I recommend shortcuts all the time to my clients when helping them improve their diets, because convenience supports consistency and the creation of healthy habits.

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