School is back in session, and that means making 5 lunches a week to keep your kids fueled and ready to learn. There is always the option of school lunch, but that may not be the most desirable or nutritious choice for everyone. (There are some really inspiring ideas, such as Alice Waters' Edible Schoolyard). For those of us moms/parents who want some control over our kids' nutrition, it can be really hard to think of meals which are easy to pack, healthy, and most importantly, which your kids will eat. I, for one, feel a sense of personal failure when I open my kids' lunchboxes to find a barely eaten lunch. And the frustrating thing is that it could have been the most favorite lunch in the world one day, but untouchable when specially prepared the next. As 'doctorandmama', my basic premises are that the lunch should include protein, grains (preferable whole), fruit and/or vegetables, and possibly a treat. This may take the form of a sandwich or leftovers from dinner reheated in the morning and then placed in an insulated food jar. The kids get a refillable water bottle and are otherwise encouraged to buy milk at school.
Today, my daughters' lunchboxes contained:
-ham sandwiches on french bread with a drizzle of olive oil
-clementines (easy for little fingers to peel and just the right size for little tummies)
-homemade trail mix (my 7 year old's recipe) made of goldfish crackers, dried cranberries, almonds, and dark chocolate chips
-icewater in their refillable water bottles
I try to use reusable plastic containers for the snacks, but if not, the kids already know to bring home any plastic bags I've given them to be reused.
Feeling more creative? In The New York Times Dining and Wine section recently, there was a great article about bento boxes. The bento box is the Japanese obento, which is a compartmentalized container filled with a variety of food items, falling loosely into the categories I use in planning my kids' lunches. According one of the people interviewed in the article, the traditional Japanese approach is that the bento should contain 5 colors (like "eating a rainbow"). But they can be very creative, making food into different fun shapes and color combinations, Take a look at the slide show for some great ideas that could liven up your kids' lunches. Not only should this make it more appealing for your kids, but it is economical (you can use dinner leftovers), nutritious, green (reusable container and no prepackaged food), and also a great creative outlet. Think about how much more appealing peas, carrots and chicken would look to your kids when presented in the shape of, perhaps, a bunny rabbit holding a carrot? There are also several websites and books listed in this article devoted to the art of the bento:
BENTO & CO Bentoandco.com (French language site, ships from Japan).
BENTO CRAZY Bentocrazy.ecrater.com.
FROM JAPAN WITH LOVE From-japan-with-love.com (ships from Japan).
I LOVE OBENTO Iloveobento.com.
JAPAN CENTRE Japancentre.com (ships from England).
J BOX Jbox.com (ships from Japan).
LAPTOP LUNCHES Laptoplunches.com.
BOOKS: "501 Bento Box Lunches: 501 Unique Recipes for Brilliant Bento" (Graffito Books, 2009) and "Vegan Lunch Box Around the World" by Jennifer McCann (Da Capo, 2009).
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Kim Gamble
kmbearden
Spectrum Voice
Susie Lindau
Lauren B. Davis
racheld
Salon.com
Comments
And, they're about the size of a brick, so they fit into briefcases and backpacks and office fridges without taking up much room, unlike a traditional lunchbox.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/dining/09bento.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=obento&st=cse