Make a new plan for those school lunches

Personally, I always enjoyed packing lunches for school. I looked at it as, well, kind of an adventure. I wanted to be sure the lunch was healthy, but somehow fun, because kids really look forward to that break in the day. I guess it is also important to go on the record saying I never was the “throw a sandwich and a Twinkie in the bag” type.

I also did not want to be rushing around in the morning, frantically packing a lunch, because I found it too stressful, considering in the early morning I am still trying to figure out who I am, where I am and what day it is. So, organization was the key to that.

First of all, I found it is important to review, before the start of each school year, what your student will [realistically] eat, can’t eat, won’t eat or has changed their mind about. As the years pass by, sometimes they are interested in new things – expanding their palate, if you will. The flipside of that is that once in a while, through some unknown process, they determine they no longer like something they used to adore. Go figure. Communication is really important because you don’t want them throwing your money down the drain (or in the trash can) or necessarily trading or auctioning it off in a crowd of their nearest and dearest.

Here are a few ideas.

Plan the ‘lunch bag’ menu a week at a time

This allows you adequate and efficient shopping time. If the plan is established, you can dialogue with the kids, good choices are being made and last-minute panic is reduced.

Be creative

Who says every lunch has to contain a boring, ordinary sandwich? What about wrapping sandwich contents in a tortilla for a tasty wrap? Take that turkey, ham or other meat, lettuce, tomato and other veggies and make it look different.

Some people even do things like “mini skewers” for kids who aren’t crazy about the bread part of a sandwich. Leftover meats (especially barbecued) can be threaded with fresh veggies for a healthy and interesting lunch. Small containers of pasta or fruit salad are nice choices as well. If your student enjoys a “crunch,” why not send celery sticks filled with peanut butter or cream cheese?

“Finger food” can be fun – you can cube meats and cheeses that are more interesting than a sandwich and include healthy crackers to enjoy with it.

Many kids enjoy a “mini pizza” entrée for their lunch. These can be made out of English muffin halves and topped with their favorite sauce, cheese, meat and veggies. Simply cook, cool and wrap in aluminum foil.

Kids always look (and hope) for a treat in their lunch – “a little something sweet,” my Grandmother would say – a healthy cookie, trail mix, dried fruit or, if your kid carries a “cool” lunch box, you could pop a pudding cup in there.

Students willing to carry a thermos in their lunch container (at certain times during the year) can enjoy soup or other things like the popular “mac and cheese.”

Try to avoid

It’s really not advisable to send soda pop in your student’s lunch. My advice is to watch even the juice products. Many have just a trace of real juice and the rest is sugar water. By planning ahead, shopping sales and buying in bigger quantity, you can send 100 percent real juice in the lunch bag or, better yet, bottled water!

The secret ingredient

You may not think it is really that important, but an encouraging note or funny little quip is bound to generate a smile. By drawing a cute, simple little picture (with a humorous caption) on their lunch bag, you are letting them know you are thinking about them during their day.