Hi everyone, thanks for being so understanding about taking a week off from the blog and the Back to School series. I really was just sick and really not feeling well the whole week. Sorry, I am almost back to 100%.
So I wanted to talk with you about lunches. So if you follow me on my Instagram devoted to lunches, you will see we are now starting our 2nd week of school. I have to admit, I am in a rut on what to pack. Partially because it is SO HOT in Southern Arizona. I don't want to make my son sick because I packed soup, with crackers, and cheese, and a cookie. I mean who wants that when it's 110 and humid out, yuck. So right now, you are seeing a lot of sandwiches and such. I am not packing any heavy dairy products like yogurt or even milk. I might do cheese and that is it. I have gone and done some chicken breasts with bar b que sauce and such. My son did indicate it was to heavy and he felt icky after lunch. So for now, bear with me as I try to navigate the heat a little.
However, for those of you have actually have 4 seasons, this will help. Planning lunches, I do it for the week. I also STICK to what I plan. I might switch some days around depending on how my day goes, but other than that, I don't sub anything. It helps for me to have a stocked freezer on days where it's like I am sick or my daughter is sick to get lunches together. I might unfreeze some waffle sticks I made or cook some meatballs. Those are really the only days I deviate from the plan. I like to include a day or two of left overs if I can. My son is a Stir Fry fanatic so I love when I get to pack that for him to take. Macaroni and cheese, so much to list.
What I suggest doing is writing out foods your child or children like. I don't have two taking lunches so combining to make life easier, I would look on Pinterest. It might just be doing an overlapping list of Mains, fruits, veggies, and snacks. Maybe they get one fruit, veggie, and or snack they like to have that week, the rest is shared stuff.
If you meal plan as it is, go back through and high light stuff you think would make great for lunches. I always had the hardest time last year because my son really didn't like a lot of fruit and veggies. I got him on nectarines, snap peas, and such this summer. So bonus for me, they are in season and inexpensive! If you are worried about budget, I would say less is more. Start out what you think you might need and if you need more, have a friend grab it at the store when she goes.
I will do a little Mom Confession, I totally buy my cantaloupe and watermelon pre-cut in the produce section. I still have to cut them to smaller squares, but It's so worth my time. I never would cut up a whole melon because I hated the mess. So I spend not even 2.00 and buy the pre-cut stuff. It's worth it to me and some weeks like the next few months, it's money well spent. (I don't get my nails done, or even color my hair at all so for me it's my splurge)
Lunches now a days and I know I am dipping my foot into the Political Pool here. However, I don't think the Lunch program is at all over the past 40 years something to brag about. I like how Michelle Obama is trying to get healthier stuff in there, but at the expense of it all. It's really a waste, kids don't like it and school's are losing MAJOR MONEY. I don't even like half the stuff I have tasted to be honest. Some schools are fairing well, ours is wonderful at the fresh fruits and veggies selections. The selection is AMAZING and if my son would eat the main course we might be okay. However, he still isn't into it and I am saving money by using what we have. So this is a win win for our family.
Last year I read a book called "Fed up with Lunch" find it here. It was written by Sarah Wu and before the overhaul of the lunch program started, you can read about what was served. Sarah taught at an urban Chicago school and her points are well on target with any child in America. I remember the frozen fruit icees she talks about that were in a triangle, those were considered a fruit back in the day. Juice is still considered a fruit I believe last I checked. The book moved me SO MUCH. I really got motivated to show pictures of my son's lunches on that Instagram account. I might do some cute fun stuff for holidays, but I can't do the Bento route, I don't have time. They are cute, but, my son is growing and he just scarfs it all down anyways. I just wanted what he would eat, cheap, and healthy.
Long story short from the book, I saw a difference last year when I started packing the lunches full time. My son was no longer starving when he came home. He said he felt better the second part of the day and wasn't counting down the hours until he could come home. The year before, he would eat constantly the moment we got home. Sandwiches, fruits, etc, and when I saw him at school he barely touched his food. The protein he wasn't getting and his behavior showed it. I was also so upset, at the money we were wasting, he would eat constantly at home and the lunch money was wasted because he barely ate sometimes.
To sum it up, it took some time to find out what would work for our family. Containers, foods, lunch boxes, drinks, etc. If you have a day where they hated the lunch, it's okay, cross the food off and don't pack it. Experiment on the weekends or maybe dinner. Never with the lunches at school. Summer is a great time to get the list of stuff you want to try and try it. Make a special day of the week like "Try it on Fridays", lunches are new foods to see if we like or don't like.
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