When I was in elementary school, lunch was milk in a paper cone and holder from a really, really cold milk dispenser, and whatever the school lunch was for that day. I don’t ever remember carrying lunch to school. And I married into five children who were adults so I never had the hands-on experience of preparing school lunches. But boy-howdy! Two days on the websites below, and I’m ready!
Here’s the thing — lunch is important for these kids. These children are experiencing something new almost every day. The nutrition from a midday meal is carrying them through the next five or so hours, physically and mentally. And adding in the love factor they feel from knowing that mom or dad or sister prepared the meal is a hug for them.
The basics are: Pack the meal appropriately; keep it as healthy as possible; and include a little love note or just a hand-drawn heart. You’ll feel the smile when your child sees it. There are inexpensive containers of all sizes at the dollar-type stores, or fancier compartmentalized boxes online. Reusable ice packs work well to keep food cool in insulated lunch bags. Remember that kids have short lunch times, so don’t make it too complicated.
Below are a few ideas to get you thinking of how you can switch up your school lunches.
Mix it up
Get the kids involved! What a great way to have them appreciate what they are eating and to introduce them to the kitchen. To make it easier, give them a simple choice of “a” or “b” and then let them help with the preparation.
Have breakfast for lunch: Use frozen pancakes from the grocery store or freeze extras that you made on Saturday. Spread with peanut butter and jelly or cream cheese and jelly. Add banana slices. Extra credit for whole wheat pancakes. Same goes for waffles which make perfect finger-sized or square sandwiches. Pack mini-waffles with chicken nuggets and maple syrup for a version of chicken and waffles. An easy protein to include would be a hard-boiled egg (peeled, please).
Kabobs: Kids love food on sticks. Find flat, blunt-edged sticks rather than the pointy ones. You can skewer fruit with cheese, veggies, meat cubes and cheese, or meat cubes with cheese and bread cubes for a sandwich on a stick. Put dip on the side.
Sandwiches: The lunch box isn’t the place for wet ingredients so skip the soggy tuna salad (or put it in its own container with bread on the side), and sliced tomatoes on the bread.
How about your version of a Crustable? Simply cut off the edges of the sandwich and then crimp with a fork. You could make the sandwich round for a more authentic effect. When you make roll-up sandwiches, cut them sushi-style for better effect and easier eating. Cut sandwiches into puzzles (you can also find cutters on Amazon). Use crescent rolls for easy and delicious lunches. Simply unroll the dough and place a slice of ham (or turkey, etc) on the triangle with some cheese on top. Roll up as directed and sprinkle a little grated cheese on top. Cook as directed, cool and put into lunch box. Use your imagination for other versions.
Pizza? Spread a little tomato sauce on the unrolled dough, top with salami or pepperoni and grated mozzarella and proceed to cook. Did you know you can freeze peanut butter sandwiches? Directions are below.
Quesadillas: These are easy, inexpensive and delicious at room temperature. A simple version of cheese melted on a tortilla and then folded in half and sliced into triangles is a perfect lunch, maybe accompanied by pineapple chunks and salsa or black bean salad. Quesadillas are a great way to use leftover meat and vegetables.
Veggies: Ranch dip can make any vegetable good. Edamame is a great snack for a lunch box. It is easy to eat and full of protein. Hummus is a good non-dairy dip to use. You can buy little containers at the store or make your own and add whatever you like (black beans, roasted peppers, lemon juice, olives).
Fruit: Below is a recipe for chocolate-dipped orange slices that would fill the bill for fruit and dessert. If including sliced apples be sure to dip them in citrus or pineapple juice to avoid browning. Try sprinkling a little cinnamon on the apples.
Websites to peruse include Pinterest, momables.com, wendolonia.com and weelicious.com.
So, have fun with the kids preparing their lunches. Don’t forget to include a hug in every lunch.
TO FREEZE PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICHES
Lay out all slices of bread. Spread peanut butter on each side of bread. Spread jelly on one side. Place both slices of bread together.
Bag sandwiches into sandwich bags. Then place into another large freezer or bread bag. Good in freezer for 3-4 months.
CHOCOLATE-DIPPED ORANGES
Serves: 3
1/3 cup chocolate chips or chunks (or a 3-4 ounce chocolate bar, broken into rough chunks)
1-2 teaspoons shortening or coconut oil, if needed
3 mandarin or satsuma oranges, peeled and separated
Line baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
Melt chocolate. You can use a double boiler, a fondue pot or microwave. To microwave, heat in a small microwave-safe dish for 1 minute, then in 30-second intervals, stirring in between. If chocolate seems too thick, add 1 teaspoon shortening or coconut oil. Add more if necessary.
Dip each orange segment into chocolate, rolling to coat both sides if chocolate is too shallow. Coat one-half to three-fourths of the way up each slice. Let some excess chocolate drip off, then place on prepared baking sheet, separating them at least 1-inch apart so that their chocolate puddles won’t touch.
If chocolate cools before you’re finished, you can re-melt it as above.
Place tray in refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, then serve or store refrigerated in an airtight container. They will start to dry out, but can last a few days in the fridge and still be tasty.
Note: Most chocolate bars already contain an emulsifier, so you usually won’t need added oil or shortening. Chocolate chips and candy melts tend to be very thick, so they may not cover all three oranges without added oil to thin.
(Source: momables.com)
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
Anne's Kitchen
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