The Lunch Monster
By Jenny, Cary Dinner
Fairy
(919) 368-8071
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I have been facing the Lunch Monster (packing kids’ lunches
each morning) for 5 years now. Not to knock our school’s cafeteria staff- they
do a great job of feeding 700+ kids every day- but packing a lunch for my kids
is a way that I show them I love them. I know at least once a day, my kids know
that I was thinking about them and that I want to give them things that will
nourish their bodies.
In my experience, the key to tackling the lunch monster is
variety, but within guidelines. When I first started doing this, I went bonkers
every morning about what I was going to send in with the kids for lunch. Since
I organized things a bit, my life has been a whole lot easier. One tip before I
go on, don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of ethnic foods!
Think about it, millions of Chinese children eat “Chinese food” for breakfast.
When you look at food as a whole and not just “breakfast foods” or “lunch
foods”, your whole horizon gets bigger. Don’t be afraid to send in
non-traditional things. It just might make the kid sitting next to yours want
to try something new too!
Each lunch that I send in with the kids incorporates the
following:
1 Sandwich (of some kind) 1
Fruit
1 Vegetable 1
Carb-type component
Water (stainless steel water bottles) Snack
1 Special Treat J
Yes, because I believe in everything in moderation, I pack a
special treat each day. It’s not a big thing, maybe a marshmallow, maybe a
small piece of chocolate, maybe a cookie if I’ve made any recently- Just a
little something sweet that they don’t get a lot of.
Remember, kids
will never eat new things unless you give them to ‘em!
Here are some suggestions for each category.
Sandwiches: (you can use a cookie cutter to cut out
sandwich shapes if you’re feeling fancy!)
Peanut (or soy nut or sunflower seed) butter and Fruit
Preserves instead of jelly
Cucumbers, Sprouts and Cream Cheese on Whole Wheat
Mashed Black Beans with Shredded Carrots and Baby Spinach on
Tortillas (wrap)
Hummus with Cucumber and Tomato in Pitas
Dinner rolls with Cold Cuts (salami, turkey, roast beef, etc.)
Mustard and Pickles
Mini Bagels with Tomato Sauce and Cheese (Pizza Bagels)
“Sushi” Rolls with Nori, Leftover Rice, Cucumber and Carrot
Strips, Soy dipping Sauce
Curry Chicken Salad with Red Grapes (using leftover chicken,
curry powder and mayo) on Rolls
Fruits:
Mandarin Oranges
Peaches (fresh in season, canned if not)
Apples (toss with a little water and lemon juice to keep from
browning)
Pears (see apples)
Grapes
Kiwis, peeled and sliced
Cherries
Watermelon slices
Cantaloupe or Honeydew melon cubes
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blackberries (any of the berries)
Plums
Figs
Vegetables:
Baby Carrots
Grape Tomatoes
Green or Red or Yellow Pepper Strips
Cucumber Slices
Mushroom Slices
Celery Sticks
Kale Chips
Crisp Veggie Sticks (Fresh Market sells these in lots of
different types)
Carb-type Component:
Reduced fat Triscuits
Air Popped Pop Corn
Whole Wheat Pretzels
Soft Pretzels (these are fun to make, and freeze well)
Baked Potato Chips
Baked Sweet Potato Chips
Mini Rice Cakes
Snacks:
Granola Bar
Nutra-grain-type Bar (Trader Joe’s)
Applesauce
String Cheese
Individual Yogurts
Black Olives
Sweet Pickles
Raisins or other Dried Fruits
Trail Mix
With each of these components represented in the kids’
lunches, I don’t even need to think about if they are getting a balanced meal,
and I can focus on getting them out the door in the morning prepared and in
time for me to enjoy a cup of coffee before it gets cold.
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