punky's dilemma
punky’s dilemma
by wreke
it’s almost back-to-school time. and this year, i have not one, but two critters hitting the local elementary school. egads. i’m in luck in terms of school supplies: the local PTA has a fundraiser where they put together supply packs for each grade. you merely write a check and voila! you’re done. (i actually priced supplies online before writing my check. the PTA’s prices beat anyone’s, hands-down. i suspect it has something to do with a tax-exempt purchasing power. hey, as long as i don’t have to drive to staples nd fight with other over-achieving moms over the last pink pearl eraser, i’m a happy lady.)
anyway, since i don’t have to think too much about actual supplies, it gives me ample time to obsess about my lunchtime strategies. see, last year, BC (Beloved Child), my magical daughter who is 9 going on 40, discovered that school lunches apparently are da bomb. i was shocked. in my day, admitting you liked school lunch was on par with admitting you were a member of the Donny Osmond Fan Club. definitely not cool. over time, though, i noticed that her lunches were apparently heavy on the macaroni and cheese and chips department and light on the fruit, protein, and basically anything-with-green-in-it department.
truly not cool.
couple that with the fact that i think i used way too many plastic baggies in lunches she did bring, and well, you can see i was not part of the solution. multiply that by two this year and you can see i’m going to be doing my bit to contribute to global warming.
so here’s my mission: pack lunches in reusable containers, and pack lunches they’ll actually eat.
reusable containers: i have a bunch of little rubbermaid containers. i also have containers leftover from my husband’s lunch meat selections (they come in glad containers) — rather than throw them out, i use them for food storage. i know they aren’t necessarily the best solution, but i’m trying to be green here and not throw things into a landfill. (and no, i haven’t been able to get my beloved spouse to change lunch meat brands, so there i am.)
does anyone have better suggestions on the plastic front? those bento lunch boxes look cute, but not only are they costly, but they appear to be very small on the portion front. great for a preschooler; not so cool for a 10 year old.
lunch ideas: here’s the truly fun part. i have a daughter who doesn’t like meat. i have an underweight son who does. i have a daughter who loves fruit and dislikes veggies. i have a son who dislikes fruit and likes veggies for the most part. both love them some sugar.
a lot of times, i see lunch suggestions which look great… for a preschooler whose parent has carefully concocted items for him that are organic, perfectly nutritious, and great if the child lives in a bubble and doesn’t have to enter a world with other children. children who have older siblings. children who have seen commercials for cereal straws and all sorts of other things that are not necessarily healthy snacks.
don’t get me wrong: i give parents who do that sort of thing an A+ for effort. but once their child enters public school and a real school cafeteria where the kids will either laugh at him for having a weird lunch or introduce said child to other goodies that lack a speck of nutritional value, well, hilarity might ensue, so to speak. i’m all about healthy choices; i’m also all about having my kids actually eat their lunches, and eat them in peace.
incidentally, i don’t want to lose my mind completely while packing lunches each day. i’m not a short-order cook, nor do i play one on TV.
suggestions in the comment area are absolutely encouraged and graciously appreciated!
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a blog that slices, dices, and
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Nice blog! It is hard to make healthy lunches that kids will love. My son is only 20 months and I have a hard enough time finding new things to feed him. I can only imagine what will happen once he can verbalize his tastes…
Check out the site I have linked to. They have a ton of recipes for kids lunches that are quite helpful- lots of make ahead stuff and creative ideas to make lunchtime easier.
It doesn’t look like the link worked… it is http://www.ilunchbox.com.
When I was a kid in Hawaii in the ’70s, lots of people used bento boxes. They make them in all different sizes; some for little kids, some for adults. Thanks for the reminder! I’ll have to find some before my kids start school.
Here’s a bento store locator courtesy of lunch in a box:
http://lunchinabox.net/bento-store-locator/
I got some metal bento lunch boxes myself this summer (plastic lids). They come in all sizes (they some bigger ones that might work for you).
Then there are the metal tiffins, which I like but might fall into the weird category, I dunno. I am weird and all.
I have never done it but I theoretically love the idea where you prep all of your little containers of fruits and veggies for the whole week (or at least a few days) and throw them in your crisper drawer and then they can pack their own lunches (with guideline — pick 1 fruit 1 veggie or whatever works for that kid).
Finally, thermoses. Mac n cheese, spaghetti and red sauce, pesto noodles, beans and rice. For the non meat eater.
xo!
We don’t have those problems (we have other problems, BELIEVE ME). But I have recommended this on-line in the past to friends with picky eaters.
My mom used to make an hors d’oeuvres lunch by cubing meats (chicken breast, hot dog, etc.), cheese, pickles, olives, etc. and giving us a few toothpicks. We could make the combos we liked, she controlled the portions, and we felt VERY fancy. Throw some fruit cubes in — apples, Craisins, grapes, etc. Maybe a “dip” of peanut butter or yogurt for fruit, ketchup or mustard for savory. Or you could kabob them. Not as much chopping as it sounds.
Good luck, darlin’!
– Laurie @ Foolery
Thanks for all of these great comments! My dd started school today and she too is turning her nose up at packed lunches in favor of the school’s carb/fried/veggie-less pick of the day. I’m working on things at the school end, but also trying to find a happy medium in the meantime. I like the toothpick idea, although these days I wonder if she’ll be allowed to have a toothpick at school (weapon?) Sounds dumb but that’s all I need is to have my kindergartner suspended for brandishing a toothpick in the lunch line!
Keep those comments coming green parents
My two are back at school and I was just dealing with this at the store today. I’ve found that there are a lot of “cool” substitutes for the traditional boxed lunch these days. I’ve found fruit snacks, honey teddy grahm crackers, animal cookies, pasta rings, cheesy bunnies (as opposed to fish), chocolate and creme sandwiches and even cheese puffs all organic. My kids have been really good about our switch to organic and “weird” but these types of treats make the switch less hectic for all of us.
I think kids like to eat things on sticks. But since tooth picks are probably banned from school, maybe stick pretzels and sliced cheese for the poking? Turkey can also be poked. So can some fruits. Maybe you mini cookie cutters for the veggies? I have a sandwich crust-cutter-offer (uhm, yes – that is its technical name thankyouverymuch) that makes two dinosaur sandwiches. I found it at target.
Oh, and for whatever reason – my kids like edamame. Maybe yours will too?
last year i went on a healthy lunch and snack research rampage, in an attempt to help my stepdaughter’s mom with the welcomed strict dietary guidelines enforced by her school…this year i am so excited she has this new organic, eco-friendly and socially responsible option:
The Farmer’s Daughter
wow – can’t wait to try these suggestions — thanks so much, all!
My son – a vegetarian since birth – was always excluded from pretty much anything – save PB&J the school cafeteria would offer – but instead of feelind weird about his funky lunches – he made the other kids jealous! He would proudly show of his hardboiled eggs – the shell of which I would decorate with non-toxic markers ( Humpty – Dumpty- Mr Potato Head, et), and there are so many ways you can totally spruce up your child's lunch over cafeteria goop. Include a daily cartoon – photoshop a pic of your child with some cartoon character eating lunch together. Just so many ways.
I think the child's self confidence is a big factor here – I would like to think that does not hinge on "Lunchables". Their little minds are so flexible at that age that you can really instill some pride in being different.
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