This post may confirm that I have entirely too much time on my hands but in my effort to share fun information, I thought this would be a good place to start.
The Lunch Wars
With Stay Day beginning, you may find yourself in a battle that you didn't anticipate and if you don't strategize, your pint size warrior may be poised to wage this one for years or until you figure out how to balance nutrition, play & creativity. There are many profiles for picky eaters, from the lunch meat protesters to the eater of only prepackaged snacks, and let's not forget that with allergies we negotiate the land mines of peanut free (among others) environments. It made the joy of Stay Day a little less joyful for me because I was stressed that my child would go hungry since her lunch appeared relatively untouched when she would return home. Now, with two children who I need to provide lunch for every day, I have finally figured out the balance between pleasing them and feeling confident that they will eat a healthy lunch. Here are a few tips:
Be Creative
For me, using my creative powers has made this fun. It also helps that I am the mental age of a 7 year old. A former PNS mom introduced me to the lunch punch which is a bread sized cookie cutter that not only eliminates the crust issue (kids who protest crust), but transforms your child's sandwich from ordinary to extraordinary - a car, puzzle pieces, a kissable toad. Not interested in buying another thing - use large cookie cutters but understand that the waste might be a bit greater since the lunch punch is designed for this purpose. You can also use small cookie cutters to create cool shapes out of veggies and other food items. Put funny faces on your child's fruit. I'm sure you keep a ton of stickers like goggly eyes or just plain labels that you can make faces out of to transform ordinary fruit into characters. If you don't want to do it yourself, you can purchase this item to get your started. Lastly, putting a note in your child's lunch box is a nice treat for them to let them know the you are always thinking of them whether they are the ones to read it or it is read to them.
Compromise
I tried to fight the single serve war to cut back on the waste of extra packaging but I now prioritize healthy eating over my single serve issue. If your child likes the squeezable applesauce, buy it and consider it a win that you added another fruit to their day. If your child likes pirate booty now and then, this product does come in single serve bags if you want to save time making their noontime feast. The indication of success is whether or not your child eats 75% of their lunch, but keep in mind also that kids get excited when given the opportunity to eat with their friends and you may find them attacking their stash while you are en route home.
Keep it Simple
Over the summer I picked up a great check list from a local grocer that put together categories that should be hit upon to create a healthy lunch for your child. It has made things so much easier and as a result, I have finally internalized this list. I may not hit every category each day but I have done better at providing my children with more balance while making the assembly process more efficient.
Recap
Providing a healthy lunch for your child needn't be painful. With a little planning and cooperation, you will create the balance hat is write for you. Below are a few links so that you can view/purchase some of the items that I have mentioned. If you purchase these items through the PNS Amazon.com link, you will also be supporting the PNS Fundraising effort. Also included is a link to a check list and other websites that will hopefully provide you with additional useful information.
The Guide (All links should be changed to reflect our amazon link)
www.thelunchpunch.com
http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Lunch-Notes-Peagreen/dp/0811871053
http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/2010/08/27/back-to-school-lunch-box-survival-tips-and-checklist/
Great tips - thanks!
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