In Kindergarten or middle grades, private school or public, city district or rural, at least one commonality is shared by kids the world over: they all eat lunch.
Or they SHOULD, as we all know that a nutritious mid-day meal is necessary to re-fuel the mind and body. Too often though, meals lovingly packed in the morning return home in lunchboxes virtually untouched–or worse yet meet an untimely end in the school trash. While there could be any number of reasons for this (boredom with the same PB&J, difficulty maneuvering a Ziploc bag, inability to stop playing long enough to actually eat), here are a few ideas and resources for making kids lunches just WAY too much fun to ignore.
BENTO: In Japan, folks make lunch an event. The custom of sending obento, or box lunches, has evolved into an art form. Specially designed and beautifully decorated partitioned containers hold equally beautiful combustibles; edible art in deliciously appetizing small portions with great variety. Here are some tips on how to pack a unique and nutritious meal that’s sure to delight your little ones, and one which offers a departure from the sandwich/chips/fruit option. Added bonus: no disposable bags!
SANDWICH ART: If the idea of designing an entire snugly-packed lunch intimidates you, how about starting with just the sandwich? Mark Northeast of Funky Lunch inspires even the least artistic of us to wield a paring knife with finesse. The gallery of photos on the site aren’t all; there will be a book out soon with actual instructions!
PACKAGED FUN: For those mornings when there is just NO time for parental creativity, thankfully there are nutritious options for filling a lunchbox with edible fun. As a mom whose kiddos have food and dye allergies, I have to be cautious–even when there’s seemingly no time to throw something together. Trader Joe’s is my go-to source for organic and allergy friendly food…for kids AND adults. Their website is tailor made for the Busy Parent, with PDF printable food lists and menu suggestions that have been specifically categorized.
Here ís another great resource for parents of kids with food allergies:
Food Content Alerts, a site for people with food sensitivities to keep track of products that are “safe” and generate shopping lists. As we all know, feeding kids is hard enough, feeding kids with allergies, exponentially so. Any resources to ease the path are golden!
(No brands influenced this post, brought to you by just another parent who loves to see clean(ish) plates and healthy, happy kids.) Share YOUR healthy & fun food tips with us here, and happy lunching!
image credit: http://www.funkylunch.com/images/common/schools-home-new-2.jpg
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By Lindsay Maines
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Tags: bento boxes, food allergies, lunch, packaged foods, sandwich art
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