over the weekend, make some extra to save for lunches. You
can make them into pancake sandwiches with almond butter,
honey and bananas, or eat them plain, with a sprinkle of
cinnamon. Cold ham or bacon is always good to munch on,
if you enjoy meat, and don’t forget to include some slices of
melon.
10. Veggie slices can be made more interesting with special
seasonings or dips. Think of your favorite chips when trying
to decide what to sprinkle on your carrot and celery sticks.
Everything Bagel seasoning, salt and vinegar, cajun spiced,
dry ranch dressing, can all be sprinkled onto your chilled veggie
sticks or you can include little containers of ranch, Italian
dressing, peanut butter or savory yogurt sauce.
11. Food on a stick is more fun! Kids love kebabs with
meat, cheese and veggies, but you can also make fruit sticks,
sausage and cheese kebabs, breakfasts skewers with mini
tomatoes and basil.
12. Whole fruit often comes back uneaten. Kids (and
adults) are more likely to eat it if it is already sliced and ready.
Apples can be sliced with a corer and rubber banded together
into a whole apple again. It keeps it from turning brown,
pieces fall open. Little cups of blueberries are a nice treat, as
well as chopped strawberries, sliced melons, skewered fruit
(see above), and anything with a sprinkle of cinnamon. A little
side of caramel, nut butter, honey or yogurt might be just
the encouragement that your little one needs to get that fruit
down.
to write cute notes or cut the fruit to resemble a bunny. Buy
a pack of joke cards and place a new joke in their lunch every
day. This is a quick way to let them know you are thinking of
them. Grab stickers that have eyes or smiley faces so that you
can make faces on their fruit.
14. Get them involved!! At my house I plan and make the
lunches, I empty the boxes, I clean them and I start it all over
again. No more! I am getting everyone involved. After I set
us all up for success by having designated lunch equipment
and storage, I plan on doing a menu planning/prep day over
the weekend and having them all participate in the daily happenings.
Accountability is important, so if you request something,
you need to eat it. Nothing makes me more upset than when
they come home with warm, but full lunch boxes. Then I noticed
that one of the boys would just empty EVERYTHING
at school to make it seem like he was eating. If they feel comfortable
to leave what they don’t want to eat, I can start to see
what they like and what is wasted. As I look over the things
that bothered me about packing their lunches, the things that
made me *twitch*, it was the little stuff: tired of rotten food
left over night, dirty boxes and having to come up with something
new for them. But now I’m armed with some great tips
to streamline this process, and possibly make it enjoyable for
for you, too.
Jen’s Easy Hummus
1 Large can of organic garbanzo beans, rinsed and
of water if needed. Process garlic until almost a paste. Add
the rest of the ingredients and blend until light and smooth.
LUNCH
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