Lunch Box #1
I grew up ALWAYS bringing my lunch to school and it was ALWAYS the same thing. And NO I'm not being dramatic. My mom packed our lunches everyday and everyday it was the same. In our brown paper sacs (old school) we had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a piece of fruit, and plain lays potato chips.
Honestly, I didn't hate it and I remember having my friends who got "hot lunch" as we called it always asking if they could trade for my homemade options.
Now that Charlotte has entered the cafeteria, I was so excited to make her lunch.....but I didn't. I had no idea how much time, effort, and groceries that it required to make a lunch that your kids will actually eat. How was I supposed to know that my 5 year old was not going to eat our leftover stir fry?! I mean that's what I'm having for lunch.
So for Charlotte's first year, I didn't make her lunch...but I noticed that she would come home hungry. The culprit was mashed potatoes. If you remember, mashed potatoes are basically a staple in cafteria meals and Charlotte won't come near them with a ten foot pole which leads her to have fruit and milk most meals. I do not want to cater to Charlotte and in turn create a picky eater, but we did talk about looking through the calendar and setting aside some days that I would pack her lunch.
What I am going to share with you is what I have learned, meals that work, meals that don't, and how to pack quick meals that are healthy!
Honestly, I didn't hate it and I remember having my friends who got "hot lunch" as we called it always asking if they could trade for my homemade options.
Now that Charlotte has entered the cafeteria, I was so excited to make her lunch.....but I didn't. I had no idea how much time, effort, and groceries that it required to make a lunch that your kids will actually eat. How was I supposed to know that my 5 year old was not going to eat our leftover stir fry?! I mean that's what I'm having for lunch.
So for Charlotte's first year, I didn't make her lunch...but I noticed that she would come home hungry. The culprit was mashed potatoes. If you remember, mashed potatoes are basically a staple in cafteria meals and Charlotte won't come near them with a ten foot pole which leads her to have fruit and milk most meals. I do not want to cater to Charlotte and in turn create a picky eater, but we did talk about looking through the calendar and setting aside some days that I would pack her lunch.
What I am going to share with you is what I have learned, meals that work, meals that don't, and how to pack quick meals that are healthy!
1. Invest in the appropriate Tupperware. I ordered a set of 4 sectioned Tupperware that make it easy to build a lunch. This set from amazon are sturdy and large enough that I can put a decent amount of food for my active student!
2. Try it out first. Because Charlotte isn't used to bringing her lunch, I felt like I needed to gain her trust first. I packed something that is a regular Saturday lunch in our house. I even served it in the lunchbox container so she could get familiar with it.
3. Lunchables. It's easy to get really excited about packing a lunch and then get immediately overwhelmed. So I go with what I know and I know that Charlotte love's lunchables! With a hefty price tag, it is easy to recreate them at home and make them healthier! Buy Whole Wheat Sandwich thins for the crust, Turkey Pepperoni is a great low fat alternative, and instead of candy and a juice box throw in a low fat applesauce and a bottle of water for a well rounded meal.
4. Make it interactive. Kids like to play with their food and make it their own. This is a great way to let them have fun with their lunches. Other interactive lunches could include sandwich kabobs, tacos, or sandwich smiles.
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