It took me until my eldest was poised to enter 4th grade before I figured out an important dynamic in the school cafeteria: lunch is power. What emerges from your brown bag – compared to what your classmate unveils – is very, very important.
For the past few years, I’ve ignored comments like, “John gets soda every day!” and “All the kids bring candy.” My favorite complaint from my sons is: “You give us the healthiest stuff of anyone.” The last one makes me feel a bit victorious, I have to admit. I guess the power lunch thing applies to moms, too, who strive to supply healthy lunches. Yet, I know it’s laughable. I work with Oldways after all and I know I can do better.
The lunches I pack are hardly inspired. In fact, they are a caricature of a healthy lunch — peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread, banana (probably bruised by lunchtime), yogurt, baby carrots. Heck, I wouldn’t eat that. Why would they?
The problem is, like many moms I know, I hate packing lunch and a snack every day for kids with fickle, and individual, tastes. My goal has been simply to get it done versus provide foods I know my children will love…and eat. So as this new school year starts, I asked a good friend of Oldways, Liz Weiss [1], MS, RD, Podcast Host, Cooking with the Moms and Co-Author, The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers [2], for help. Her tips help give my school lunches a makeover sure to transform my kids into lunchroom heroes. Here are some of my sons’ favorite picks from Liz’s suggestions (incorporating their input):
I am inspired! Are you? We’d love to hear what kinds of foods you pack for your kids.
- Kyle
Links
[1] http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com/about-us/
[2] http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com/
[3] https://oldwayspt.org/categories/kids
[4] https://oldwayspt.org/categories/kyle
[5] https://oldwayspt.org/categories/nutrition
[6] https://oldwayspt.org/categories/oldways
[7] https://oldwayspt.org/categories/people
[8] https://oldwayspt.org/categories/school
[9] https://oldwayspt.org/categories/whole-grains