It’s now my third year of making lunches, and I only now feel like I’m getting the hand of doing it successfully. I’ve been through the disappointment many times: I spend time and efforts planning and implementing creative and nutritious lunches, only to have them return pristine and untouched.
So, I sat down with the kids last year and asked them to write down their favourite lunches and snacks. The conclusion was that simple food is best. They don’t want anything fancy, and they don’t want anything that’s messy or hard to eat. Go figure.
Here’s what they had to share:
1. Turkey and cheddar sandwiches on whole-wheat bread or buns. Mayonnaise and tomatoes are no-nos because they make things soggy. Mustard is okay – just a little. Good veggie fillers for sandwiches are sliced cucumber, sprouts and lettuce.
2. Pasta. With sauce for the Boy and just cheese for the Girl. Whole wheat is great. Fusilli and Penne are better than spaghetti because it can be hard to eat and potentially messy.
3. Smorgasboard lunches are a big hit. Cut-up roast chicken, pieces of cheese, cut up red peppers, carrots and cucumber. A couple wedges of whole-wheat pita and it’s good to go.
4. Mini cheese pizzas. Pre-frozen, they take 8 minutes in the oven and they’re done. I wrap them in foil so they stay warm.
5. Rice and beans. Boil rice. Boil beans. Mix together. Voila! A dish that my kids adore. This recipe is a gift from our Nicaraguan friend. I use brown basmati rice and alternate between kidney and black beans.
6. California Rolls. Once in a while, I will buy sushi from the grocery store and give it for lunch a special treat with edemame.
7. Crackers and cheese. Any cracker, any cheese. Yum.
8. Chicken noodle soup ( I buy the Healthy Choice brand in bulk from Costco) in a thermos with a buttered bun or saltine crackers on the side.
Snacks
I try to put in 3-4 add-ons in the lunchbox to boost nutrition, add variety, texture and fun. Always a fruit, always a vegetable, and always a “treat”. Here’s my Kids’ scoop on this:
1. Apples are hard to eat and makes their faces and hands “sticky”. I personally find this hard to understand because I LOVE apples in my lunchbag, but I’ve got to work within their parameters. They like fruit that’s small or cut into small pieces (without going brown hence no cut-up apples or pears). Blueberries, strawberries, clementines, cut-up melon, and bananas are the faves in my house.
2. For veggies, I try to spice it up but they really only ever eat them if it’s the following: cucumber (buy the mini ones and you can put them in whole), carrots, red pepper, cooked green beans and cooked broccoli.
3. Cheese. Babybels and cheese strings are the ones they like.
4. Raisins, dried cranberries, dates.
5. Nut-free cookies, like Bear Paws or anything by Dare. I usually give 2 cookies.
There are some great hints here from a veteran of the lunch wars! My younger two are not sandwich fans, and I’ve written before of their love of cereal for lunch, but I’m going to try a few of these ideas out for variety! Thanks!
Yum! Those all sounds so yummy Amreen!
My go to’s are always ham on flax bread sandwiches, cucumber & baby carrots and strawberries. Those are the stables in their lunches. They each get a brownie or chocolate covered granola bar for a treat. Cuyler can’t eat those so his treat is a small pkg of the Welches fruit snacks/jellies – but – BUT – he has to eat his apple before he gets the jellies.
If I’m in a real pinch I always keep a couple of cheap frozen dinners in the freezer – usually the Michealinas lasagna noodle casserole that I can microwave and throw in a thermos. They usually get those on grocery days…