Susan and Lucy are both down with strep throat. I feel like I have to do everything with one arm tied behind my back without them. Their illness makes me realize how much I take for granted every time I ask one of them to unload the dishwasher, dress the baby, change the load of laundry, set the table, fetch and carry etc.
Edmund has been helping out more though. He loves to work in the kitchen. Last night, he did most of the prep work for Spanish Chicken Skillet. Gotta love those McCormick Recipe Inspirations. We've tried nearly all of them and every one is a winner. (I do recommend cutting down on the salt, especially when doubling or tripling the recipe.)
Take last night's dinner. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts simmered in a rich sauce with lots of vegetables. I served it with brown and white rice medley (using up half empty boxes of stuff) and a green salad. Healthful and delicious.
Take last night's dinner. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts simmered in a rich sauce with lots of vegetables. I served it with brown and white rice medley (using up half empty boxes of stuff) and a green salad. Healthful and delicious.
Speaking of last night's dinner, I made a big announcement, which I will share with you after some backstory.
About six years ago, my children switched from one school with very strict lunch guidelines (and even breakfast guidelines) to another school with no guidelines. In fact, I was informed that the soda machines had just been removed from the cafeteria, but that I should feel free to send soda from home.
Now, I have never sent soda, but I have been sending:
a sandwich,
a fruit or vegetable,
chips,
AND cookies or other sugary treat.
But after reading this story about the girl whose lunch was confiscated and replaced by chicken nuggets,
I've been wondering if my kids' lunches should be confiscated and if the chicken nugget lunch might be healthier than some of the stuff I've been packing.
Confession 1: I hate packing lunches.
Confession 2: I hate eating square sandwiches of square meat on square bread.
Confession 3: I wouldn't eat most of the sandwiches I make.
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| yuck. |
We've recently made a few changes in the things we eat. The Chef has gotten more and more concerned about food additives and steroids and hormones and things that I don't generally care about. We switched to hormone free, antibiotic free milk.
And, in an effort to avoid square meat and preservatives and the exorbitant prices at the deli counter, I gave The Chef an electric food slicer for Christmas. We've sliced some turkey breasts and boneless hams, but it's kind of a pain in the neck to haul the appliance out of the basement, use it, clean it, pack it back up again, and move it downstairs. I'll quit whining.
I've been buying the Sara Lee whole grain white bread from Costco for three reasons. It's cheap. My kids will eat it unlike the 100% whole wheat bread I buy for myself. And it's cheap. Plus, it says it's whole grain right on the package. But recently, Costco has been carrying delicious Labriola pretzel buns that smell amazing, my kids LOVE them, and one bun has a whopping 17 grams of protein. No more squares.
I'd like to have more variety in the school lunch, but how?
I have invested at least at least hundred dollars into Thermos corporation, but my dingbats will throw them away, or lose them, or leave hamburger noodle casserole sealed to ferment for weeks to the point where I throw them away myself.
I have invested at least at least hundred dollars into Thermos corporation, but my dingbats will throw them away, or lose them, or leave hamburger noodle casserole sealed to ferment for weeks to the point where I throw them away myself.
I have sometimes send leftovers in Rubbermaid. But half of my people don't have access to a microwave. Plus I have concerns about microwaving plastics. Whenever I do this, The Chef and I have had long discussions about whether to heat it up in the morning, thus letting the food slowly cool over several hours and encouraging bacteria growth (my way), or to send it cold and gross which is how it will most likely return, uneaten (his way). Exciting conversations, I know.
So the big announcement.
I informed the family that henceforth they will no longer be receiving chips and cookies, but they may choose chips or cookies. To replace the lost item, the will now be receiving a serving of fruits and a serving of vegetables or two fruits. Only one person complained. But when I explained that I had been to the grocery store and Aldi, and that in our two refrigerators we have pineapple, clementines, apples, strawberries, blueberries, grapes (green or red), mini cucumbers, baby carrots, celery, and sugar snap peas, he was subdued.
Did I mention that none of the produce I bought is organic?
Am I over-thinking this?
Did you know this whole post probably stems from the fact that my mom vacillated between "super-crunchy/healthy wheat germ on wheat toast" and "no holds barred Twinkies every day/Cookie Crisp for breakfast?"
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| also yuck. |
Do you know what I did with that whole wheat toast topped with wheat germ?
I couldn't choke it down before the bus came and so she MADE me carry it to the bus stop. The bus stop was on one of those street sewer drains, and every day I threw my toast in the sewer.
How's that for a confession?
How's that for a confession?
Until one day, when we got off the bus after school, and I saw a crew of workmen working on my toast sewer! Did they find two years worth of whole wheat toast? Was the drain clogged with wheat germ? Did they find my Strawberry Shortcake wristwatch that fell down there one morning when I was disposing of my toast? I'll never know.
So, help me out internet friends.
What do you pack for lunch? Are pickles a vegetable? Do raisins count as fruit?
I need some inspiration. Or some therapy. Or both. I look forward to your wise responses. And, yes, I did figure out how to unlock my combox so everyone is welcome.
What do you pack for lunch? Are pickles a vegetable? Do raisins count as fruit?
I need some inspiration. Or some therapy. Or both. I look forward to your wise responses. And, yes, I did figure out how to unlock my combox so everyone is welcome.
First, if anyone ever inspected my child's lunch I'd have a serious problem with them but it is really over the edge for them to have replaced it and then charged the mother. I too send a sandwich, chips/pretzels, fruit/veggie and "dessert". They get milk/water at school. Mairead will take a wrap if I have the fixins and Deirdre likes egg noodles or spaghettios but Daniel is a strict pbj only.
ReplyDeleteI am very controlling about lunches and sandwiches are an art form that I am very passionate about! And yes I still make my high schoolers their lunches, because I know a nutty bar and potato chips will be the main course if I do not (and I feel sorry for them as they all get a pretty early start)! Nutrition is important, so I just make sure the basic ingredients are healthy and then it's just a matter of filling their guts (especially with the high school boys). I heat leftovers in the morning for my girls (bacteria is not a fear--I grew up eating cold pizza for breakfast that was left on the counter all night) who do not have access to microwaves and I send the boys with glass containers because I freak about plastic in microwave. I spent $100 dollars on thermos' at Target in September and might as well have thrown the money out the window as I was driving past Target. P.S. I'm also an organic freak but not above throwing in apples from Ultra.
ReplyDeleteMy confession (although I don't feel guilty about it at all!) is that I've NEVER made a school lunch for any of my 6! My logic -- which, surprisingly for me, has worked out -- is that if they pack their own lunches is that they will be more likely to eat what they pack rather than the stuff Mom puts in there.
ReplyDeleteMy guidelines are this:
1 protein
1 fruit/veggie (yes, raisins and craisins count!)
1 snack-type item (granola bar, chips, cookie)
1 drink (optional for my grade schoolers, as they can also obtain free milk or water at school)
My problems lie in the areas of picky eaters and keeping the fridges stocked. Most of my kids eat a wide variety of foods, but a couple of them eat very few fruits/veggies (and, then, only if the item is already cut and prepared for them!) and only a couple of kinds of "proteins". They would much prefer for Mom to buy all of the prepackaged, processed lunch items (Lunchables, frozen pizza bites, etc) that some of their friends bring. :P And, it seems that between the after-school snacking, unmonitored weekend meals, and school lunches my supply of fresh foods is depleted every 3-4 days. What also probably kills the supply is that 4 of the 6 kids are boys and eat twice the amount of food their sisters eat, all while burning more and more calories every day.
I don't think you're overthinking things at all. I like your ideas!
I hate packing school lunch with a passion. And I do a happy dance on half days - no lunch to pack!
ReplyDeleteSo I go with the plan that I try to feed them well when they are home, and most of the kids seem to pitch about 75% of their lunch when I am there to help. Something in the belly is better than nothing.
Becket chose and often goes with: a banana, a chewy granola bar, chips when we happen to have some, and a fruit cup. I worry that without much protein he'll be starving again soon, so I send Oat Squares cereal as his snack.
I tried the thermos stuff for a little bit, but smelling that food heating up so early in the morning turns my stomach.
I struggle with this too. My husband is the junk food junkie, so keeping it out of my kids is near impossible. Food also seems to be his love language. I also hate square sandwiches, and so I feed them to my kids deconstructed. Or I cook. (My kids are too young for school, and I am planning to homeschool.) But I do know quite a bit about nutrition from college classes and general reading, and I have realized that I can either spend my life fighting with my family or lower my standards to a few simple rules. 1. Mainly serve carbs that contain at least some fiber (3 gm or better is preferred, but 1 is better than 0). But yes, we do occasionally eat doughnuts. 2. A fruit is as good as a vegetable and will be served at every meal. 3. no junk (including dessert) until you eat at least some of your protein. 4. The less chemicals they eat, the happier I am (read the labels and buy organic, when possible). BUT I also want to say that I think trying is half the battle. Some days, trying is as good as it gets.
ReplyDeleteLet me preface this by saying for twelve plus years I had the following in my lunch every day: a Jif peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread, a piece of fruit, and a little debbie along with milk. 12 years. My husband is still horrified by it all and I think I turned out ok...except for my sugar addiction which he does not suffer from. I never ever make lunches. My children do it...even the four year old packed her lunch for preschool. I have one child who absolutely hates regular old sandwiches and never makes them unless it is peanut butter on a bagel. A few of our guidelines: No white bread except for the occasional crusty rolls with dinner, everything is 100% whole wheat, bread and bagel wise. My tortillas are a whole grain, but I rarely buy white flour or corn ones. My kids take leftover pasta all the time in Tupperware and don't microwave it and they usually eat it....expecially if its pasta. I only send it the day after we eat it....no 2 day leftovers in lunch. So far, it has never been a problem. We do baby carrots, fruit, celery pieces, occassionally raisins. They love summer sausage (not exactly healthy but they need protien.) They also like salami. One makes little meat rollups rather than make a sandwich. We don't do dessert...and they are only allowed to get chocolate milk if it is a major feast day. Perhaps this isn't helpful...but I think protien and fiber are essential elements. If they skip on the whole grain I don't freak out. I like cheese sticks too but they keep gettting more expensive. -the colonel's wife
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHere are the comments I got on Facebook:
ReplyDelete1. I got a sandwich container for Colin that has that gel stuff you put in the freezer. Put the container in the freezer and the gel between layers freezes. Keeps cheese cold. I also freeze go-gurts. By the time he eats lunch they have defrosted but still cold.
2. Here's Irishdancer's answer to my query: What are wrap fixings?
Tortilla, mayo, cheese, meat, shredded lettuce, tomato. If I use turkey then I use ranch dressing, if it's ham then I use mustard. She prefers turkey. Then I use those plastic ice cubes to keep it cold.
3. Do your kids like hard boiled eggs? Sometimes we forego a sandwich and I just give them an egg for their protein. They sometimes take string cheese, but you're right it's hard to keep cold and luke warm string cheese is yuck. But my kids will also eat pb&j. Clementines and grapes are their favorite lunch fruits.
4. We make lunches on Sunday and Wednesday nights. (Yes, I make two days of lunches at one time.) I use divided containers from ziplock and in one compartment I put a fruit (apples w/lemon juice, berries or grapes. My kids do not like 2 day old orange slices). In the other compartment I put a vegetable - freshly peeled & cut carrots, baby tomatoes, raw green beans, cucumbers or red peppers are most popular. In the main compartment I put a sandwich made on whole grain bread (they like that new one by Fiber Plus - high fiber/protein, but soft). M & T they get maple turkey by Boarshead. Or, sliced chicken from the one I baked. TH they get either pbj or high fiber noodles with marinara sauce (room temp). Occassionally I'll use ham, salami or bacon. On F they get baby cheese pizzas (room temp) from Trader Joe's. I've read that chips make you fat and since I love ships and I am fat, I do not give them to my kids ;-) They rarely get a treat in their lunch. But, after school snack is almost always a sweet treat - usually cookies. I never send juice, because I don't like apple juice, or any juice, unless it's with vodka and a twist.
Oh, and if you're still reading my long post, the kids get the "junk lunch" on Wednesday that the school brings in - McDonald's, Subway, etc. I do this for me, not them. I hate making lunches.
5. I try to do a big roast or chickens or meatloaf on Sunday or early in the week and use the leftovers for sandwiches. Those pretzel rolls sound good...Costco here I come. One of mine is picky abt sandwiches but loves salads. Another is on a "homemade lunchables" kick - salami or lil smokies on toothpicks with cubes of cheese, crackers... It's a cute lunch, actually.
6. And one more idea -- sometimes I send cheese, crackers and grapes.
7. And tuna or PB on Fridays!
8. I hate sandwiches, too, and I've had some luck sending chicken salad in whole wheat pita bread, or a julienne-type salad. Sometimes we do mac & cheese or soup in Thermos containers, but I have them clean out their lunch box right when they walk in the door. They also like the frozen pasta from Trader Joe's in there.
My pickiest child gets rolled up turkey slices, a piece of cheese, some apples or grapes or carrots, and Wheat Thins every day. I use the divided plastic containers and this takes some of the sting out of preparing, since you don't have to deal with baggies and they go right in the dishwasher after school. I have some fabric pouches, too, as I try not to use disposable things, but they are pretty high maintenance.