Let me just start by saying that my lunches are not crazy
healthy, because, well let’s face it, if I prepared the super healthy, out of
this world lunch, my 2nd and 3rd grader would simply not
eat them, however I try my best to pack whatever healthy things they do like
and be creative. Just the other day my son said that some kids from his class
asked him why he always eats healthy snacks.
Why don’t I let them by lunches at school? I do, on
occasion. But one of the reasons I don’t let them buy lunches at school is because
I have no control over how many sugary items they would get. In kindergarten my
son told me once that he picked chicken nuggets, with a muffin, mandarin oranges
(in sugar juice) and chocolate milk. Now to me that is a bit too much for him.
When I pack their lunches I try to make sure that I don’t make a carb/sugar overload kind of a lunch. We
also buy a lot of organic foods, and I like the idea of them eating homemade
food and getting into a habit of realizing that eating ‘out’ (even if that
means school lunch) is more of a treat and a special occasion.
School is back in session and coming up with healthy foods
and snacks for our little ones can sometimes be tricky. Either we have no way
to pack it, or the kids are simply just too picky to eat what we would prepare.
There are many ideas out there for how to pack healthy foods for the kids,
however if you have picky ones like we do, fresh veggies with ranch and a
turkey sandwich on a whole wheat bread loaded with lettuce, tomatoes, and other
good things for you, just won’t work. So what’s a mom to do? I prepare things
that I know they love and make sure that their days are balanced.
Here are some of the items I pack in the thermos:
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Soups and stews (side of sliced bread or
crackers)
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Pot roast (with gravy or BBQ sauce)
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Grilled chicken/ or chicken tenders (with choice
of dipping sauce)
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Hot dogs/ Mini corn dogs
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Veggie burgers
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Mac & Cheese
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Pastas
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Spaghetti
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Sliced turkey in turkey juice
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Casseroles
What is so fun about packing things like veggie burgers and
occasional hot dog is that they get to build it themselves. On the side I will
send them off with a bun and all the toppings they like, so they get to put it
together nice and hot for lunch. Since they like most of the fruits, I will
pack them fruit instead of chips. When I make the pastas and Mac & Cheese I
will cook it with broccoli, peas, or cauliflower and mix it all together. They
don’t mind it that way, and it’s a nice way for them to get the veggies in with
their noodles. But if you have an extra picky one try mashing the cooked
veggies and making them part of the sauce. It works really well with marinara
sauce. I also toss in a little bit of
turkey, or grilled chicken for the protein.
Since their lunch is so late in the day they have a snack
time at school and one of my favorite things to make for them is the parfait yogurt.
It’s not only my favorite but theirs as well. We use Quaker granola with
almonds and raisins; top it off with fresh cut strawberries, vanilla yogurt and
a little more granola. Sometime I use frozen berries instead of fresh
strawberries. It works if you don’t want to pack an extra ice-pack as the
frozen fruit thaws just in time for snack/lunch time. Use any fruit your little
one likes.
Another favorite snack for them is cheese, crackers and
grapes. They tend to eat those up every time.
I make crapes from
scratch and I always add extra egg whites to my crapes to load them up with a little
extra protein. I use crapes to make them turkey and cheese wraps and on Fridays
with Nutella as a special treat. Another yummy snack I make for them is a banana
with almond butter. You could use peanut butter too, but my 3
rd
grader has a peanut allergy so almond butter works great. If you’ve never had
almond butter with bananas you’re missing out on something amazing. I use Almond
Natural More brand, definitely my favorite.
http://www.allstarhealth.com/de_p_ref/21203/pla21203/SNACLite_Almond_Naturally_More.htm?utm_source=google&utm_medium=GPS&utm_campaign=21203&gclid=CjwKEAjwheqgBRD5vOfR45az5AESJABy4m8-PmEDM3ABHEXmJLIhOFVT5yDWWnvujDuUSnQdSlsVmRoCcBDw_wcB
They are wonderful and don’t smell after a few sips.
Fridays are treat days, so they either get chocolate milk,
apple juice, homemade crapes with Nutella, or some other sweet treat like
pudding, or a Clif bar.
Now if you are wondering what we eat for breakfast it is
eggs. Every day we have scrambled eggs with cheese, side of fruit and a toast.
If I don’t prepare fruit then I mix in diced spinach, onions, tomatoes,
mushroom, or some kind of mix of veggies, in with the eggs. Sometimes I make
egg muffins. (recipe to follow). We also have oatmeal a couple of times a week
with fruit and granola, in addition to the eggs. Our kids just don’t stay full
if they only have oatmeal. Cereal is more of a treat for them, so if they eat
their entire breakfast without any complains they are welcome to have a small
bowl of Quaker Oatmeal Squares, Multigrain Cheerios or Honey Bunches of Oats.
As they get older their taste buds change, and they tend to
love new things and not like things that they loved before. My goal is to keep
feeding them things that are good for them, without being too restrictive.