Creative Solutions for the Lunchbox Blaaahs

“Mum, I am so sick of turkey sandwiches!”

And those were his words exactly.  The Boy is in Grade One and takes his lunch every day. I don’t mind eating the same things for lunch every day; my son, however, likes variety.  By Day 3 he was tiring of my turkey sandwich/baby carrots/apple/cookie lunch pack and was demanding creative alternatives.

I reached out to my network on Facebook, harnessing the global power of mom-dom, and got some wicked suggestions. Here are a few:

• Pasta salad with whole wheat pasta, boccocini, tomatoes and cucumbers. Serve with dressing on the side (Paul Newman’s Italian was the exact recommendation) so the salad doesn’t get soggy.
• Healthy soups in a thermos.  I made a batch of chicken noodle yesterday and the Boy enjoyed it today with some crackers and a peach.  The thermos is also good for other leftovers, like pasta, casseroles, rice and beans.  I heat up the food before placing it in the thermos and it stays quite warm the whole day.
• Celery with cream cheese in the middle.
• A fruit and cheese plate with whole wheat crackers.
• Leftover pizza. Takeout pizza is healthier now with whole wheat/multigrain options and lots of options for vegetables.  My kids consider this lunch to be a real treat.
• Homemade healthy muffins.  My friend Stacey from high school shared this recipe for yummy, healthy pumpkin chocolate chip muffins (that freeze well too):

In one bowl mix

1 cup ww flour
1 cup of white flour
3 tbsp of ground flax seed (you can modify depending on how much your family is used to)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar

2nd bowl mix

2 eggs beaten
15 ounces (2 cups) of canned pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

Add to dry ingredients and stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips.

bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.

• My friend Dawnita told me about this website, My Toddler’s Lunchbox, and I’m kind of obsessed!  This blogger has the lunchtime creativity that I can only aspire to!