Back to School Lunches for the Whole Family

August 1st.  All over my social media feeds the hot topic seems to be getting set for back to school and the timeless issue of “What to pack for lunch?”.  I taught preschool for years and this was always, ALWAYS a topic of discussion amongst the parents of my students.  Each school had rules about what could be sent and what couldn’t.  For some parents this was the most stressful part of sending their children to school.  From what I am reading though the problem isn’t limited to preschool lunches.  Parents of elementary, middle school & high school age children struggle with this.  My own children were not always so easy to please either, so I came up with a few different approaches and solutions.

            For me the key was organization and planning.  Start by setting a time to plan and a time to prep on Sunday.  This will allow you to go into the week with a plan and the mornings should be less of a panic.  Have at least two lunch boxes for each of your children so if they forget to bring one home you have a second to send the next day.  LABEL everything with your child’s name.  If you aren’t keen on writing their name for everyone to see on the outside of the lunch box, write it on the inside so the teacher can see it and identify it.  I am a believer in reusable containers and creating my own individual serving sizes of foods.  This is more economical in the end and less of an impact environmentally.  The convenience of prepackaged individual portions can at times win out. Having multiple containers and bento style boxes is also beyond helpful.

            For toddlers I always recommend sending more than your child will eat.  Their tastes can change from day to day, and they are often influenced by what their peers are eating.  My approach is to send small portions of multiple things that are healthy and nutritional.  1oz. and 2oz. containers are perfect.  For an average toddler that eats lunch and one or two snacks a day in school (some schools provide snacks, some don’t) an assortment of 10 to 12 choices works great.  This is an example of things I would pack in a lunch for a toddler:

·       1oz. cheese

·       1oz. tuna/ fish

·       1oz. chickpeas/black beans

·       1oz. sun butter/wow butter/ if allowed in your school peanut or other nut butter

·       1 or 2 oz. container of plain yogurt/ vanilla 

·       1oz. granola

·       1oz. mini pretzels

·       1oz. wholegrain cracker/ breadstick

·       1oz. pita wedges/chips

·       1oz. pasta shapes

·       ½ small apple cut into wedges (if your child won’t eat the peel, send it peeled)

·       1 oz. berries

·       1 small orange or cutie (peeled and sections separated)

·       ½ mini cucumber cut up

·       Canned or steamed until soft Carrot slices (this is much less of a choking hazard)

·       1oz. pepper strips

·       1oz salad dressing / hummus

·       1 or 2 healthy treats

  You know what your child’s tastes are, use that as a guide.  Most preschool programs will really appreciate a lunch filled with fresh veggies, fruits and simple proteins rather than prepackaged snacks and high sugar treats.  As your children became more autonomous involve them in the choices starting in the grocery store.  Remind them that if they pick it, they need to eat it.  Many of these items can be cut and packed on Sunday to toss into the lunch box quickly.  Don’t expect that your child will eat all the packed items everyday but if you give them a variety of things to pick from their diet will be more balanced and many of these items will be able to be sent the following day with fresh items added. 

As your child grows into the elementary years, they will become more outspoken about what they like and don’t like.  Respect their tastes if they aren’t harmful to their wellbeing.  If your child wants the same lunch every day, seriously don’t worry they will eventually expand their horizons. At this age the multiple mini options aren’t needed but a variety of healthy choices is still recommended.  Here are some great options for an elementary aged child’s lunch:

·       Wholegrain tortilla spread with hummus, cucumber slivers and minced olives. Rolled up and sliced into pinwheels

·       Lettuce, Tomato & Cheese sandwiches on whole grain bread

·       Tuna Salad w/ whole grain crackers 

·       Hummus & Veggie Sticks for dipping

·       Pita Bread stuffed with Felafel balls, hummus & salad

·       Small thermos of Soup or Mac n Cheese

·       4 to 6oz. Yogurt w/ diced fruit &/ granola to mix in

·       Cheese Sticks 

·       Rice Cakes w/ Banana & Sun Butter or Peanut/ Nut Butter

·       Apple Slices (loose teeth make eating a whole apple difficult)

·       Oranges, peeled if necessary

·       Cut up fresh Berries

·       1 or 2 healthy sweet treats

  Middle School & High School age children are most definitely a bit more of a challenge.  They should be involved in choosing and helping to prepare their own lunches at this point.  They are prone to wanting to eat what their friends are eating and not want anything in their lunch that perceive as weird or too different.  We as parents want to see them eating healthy choices and not filling up on empty calories.  I highly recommend investing in a few small Thermos brand (The Thermos brand is sturdier and maintains temperatures better than less expensive brands) thermoses at this point if you haven’t already and adult size bento style boxes/ containers.  Here are some suggested items to send with your tween/ teen:

·      Chef Salad w/ diced deli, hard boiled egg slices, olives, croutons & a good Vinaigrette

·      Tofu Banh Mi Sandwich

·      Ramen Bowl w/ Teriyaki Salmon & Asian Slaw

·      Spicy Tuna Wrap Sandwiches

·      Greek Salad w/ Kalamata Olives, Feta & Stuffed Grape Leaves

·      Thermos of Soup

·      Thermos w/ Pasta & Sauce

·      Taco/ Nacho Salad Bowl

·      Homemade Veggie Burger/ Chick Pattie Sandwich w/ veggie sticks

·      Egg & Cheese Scramble in a Thermos w/ whole wheat roll & butter

  For Tweens & teens anything that is over Ramen noodles or called a bowl is trendy and fun.  They may be into sushi – teach them how to roll a basic maki and using veggies and imitation crab or cooked salmon they can make their own sushi lunch.  Use the recipes below as jumping off points.  In my next post I will go over a full Sunday lunch prep.

Spicy Tuna Wrap Sandwiches   4 servings

Ingredients:

2 (5 oz) cans Solid White /Chunk Light Tuna in water, drained

1 avocado

2 tablespoons Sriracha

1 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 stalk Celery, chopped fine

2 tablespoons Red Onion, minced

2 Scallions, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh Cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 heaping cups leafy green lettuce

1 cup Carrots, shredded

4 (10 inch) whole wheat tortillas

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mash together tuna and avocado until combined. Add the sriracha, mustard, onion, celery, cilantro, salt and pepper, mixing well.  To assemble, top each tortilla with a ½ cup leafy greens, ¼ cup matchstick carrots and divide the tuna mixture evenly among the wraps. Tightly roll up the tortilla, slice and enjoy!

No Bake Nut Free Chocolate Date Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup of raw, unsalted Pumpkin Seeds

1 cup of raw, unsalted Sunflower Seeds

¼ cup of Shredded Unsweetened Coconut -OR- ¼ Rolled Oats

4 tablespoons of Cocoa/ Carob powder

¾ lb. Medjool Dates, pitted and soaked in boiling water until soft

1 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract

½ teaspoon Kosher Salt

Directions:

Soak the dates in enough boiling water to cover them for about 20 minutes until the dates are soft.  Drain the water.  Set aside.  Place the pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut/oats, cocoa/carob powder and salt in food processor.  Process for 1 minute.  Add in the vanilla and 1/4 of the dates. Process for 1 minute.  Keep adding dates until they are all incorporated into the crumble. Press the crumble into an 8” x 8” pan lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for 1 hour.  Cut into squares.  

Thermos Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Instant Ramen Noodles (sauce packet thrown away or saved for another use)

½ to 1 cup shredded Cheese

½ cup Hot Milk/Water

 1 to 2 teaspoons Butter / Vegan Butter

Enough Boiling Water to fill empty Thermos

Directions:

Fill the empty thermos with boiling water and close lid.  Let the thermos heat up for 10 to 15 minutes.  The heated thermos will be cooking the noodles.  Once the thermos is hot, pour out the water.  Add the pasta and remaining ingredients to the thermos.  Close the lid and pack into your child’s lunch.  By the time lunch time rolls around the pasta will have cooked absorbing the hot milk/water and all that will be needed is a stir and then they can enjoy the yumminess.