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Lunchbag
Letdown
A busy friend of mine told me that she was
ecstatic that her kids where going back to school but not looking forward to
packing those lunches every day. Ah,
the joys of packing lunches…How can you make lunch packing less stressful on
you and your kids and make sure that they are going to eat what you pack?
If you are lucky enough to have older kids,
you can give them the responsibility of making their own lunch, but if you have
to make lunches for you and your kids, you want it to be healthy and yet taste
good at the same time.
The school that my daughters attend has no
cafeteria and also has a peanut free rule (because of allergies), so that rules
out peanut butter and a lot of other related food stuffs. So how can you make lunches interesting so
that your kids will want to eat it?
Pita bread, rice cakes, crackers or buns
make interesting alternatives to white bread. Soup and chilli kept in insulated thermoses are great things to
send. I have a friend that sends hot
dogs in a thermos or mac n cheese.
Fruits and veggies are an important part of
daily meals. What about celery with
cheez whiz? Or carrot sticks with
dip? Grapes and raisins are always a
welcome addition and are great for snacks in between classes as well.
As for treats, buy them in bulk to save
money then divide them up yourself at home. Treats like cookies, cheesies, raisins, and other goodies can be pricey
when bought in small single serving packages. Get your child to help divide them into baggies.
I tend to send granola bars with my kids,
not the sugary sweet ones, but the ones with fruit and yogurt. Because my kids only have a scant 15 minutes
to eat their lunch before they are put out to the playground, a granola bar and
similar handy snacks or fruit can go with them outside. That way, even if they didn’t have time to
finish their sandwich or salad (yes, my girls take a salad for lunch), they can
still have something that is portable and healthy.
Enlist your children’s help while shopping
for lunch products and for making their lunches, so they can have a say in what
they eat. Suggest healthy alternatives
to sweets that they want, but throw in a sweet once in awhile as a special
treat. Remember, variety is the spice
of life, so don’t make the same type of sandwich all the time.
If you find yourself frazzled in the
morning, try the lunch the night before. But the biggest piece of advice is not to stress over it. .
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