Lunchbox foods can get mighty boring. The same old sandwiches, or cartons of yogurt probably won't interest your kids after the first couple of weeks of school. And if they're not interested in their lunch, they're not likely to eat it.
A bit of time invested on the weekend can give you a supply of hearty, nutritious foods to put in your children's lunches. Hot foods, especially during the cold weather of winter, are easier to add to their lunches than you might expect. There are wide-mouth thermoses that will accommodate and keep warm the hot foods you put in there.
Two recipes that are practical and will delight your kids are Roasted Pork Muffaletta, and Meatball Stew. The first is a great sandwich made from pork tenderloin that is simply roasted in the oven, and olive salad (which may be purchased). This makes 6 hearty sandwiches, with too many ingredients and flavors to get tired of a few days in a row.
The meatball stew will be hot, filling, and satisfying kept in a thermos. This is also a great way to use leftovers from dinner the night before while packing a great lunch.
Some other lunch tips:
1. Think snack, not meal. While a substantial main entree is important, whether it be a hot dish or a sandwich, packing several small items will fit the school schedule of recess, lunch, afternoon recess, and an after school snack when the bell rings. With these four opportunities to eat during the school day, your child will appreciate having different foods at each break. They're too busy talking and playing to pay much attention to lunch, and probably won't sit down long enough to consume a large meal.
This doesn't have to be complicated. With the entree, also pack items like a piece of fruit, vegetable sticks if they'll eat them, crackers and cheese or cheese sticks, pretzels...see more suggestions at the end of this article.
Links to other Cajun lunch treats:
Hot Sausage Po' Boys
Cajun Chicken Wings
Fried Chicken Legs
Cajun chicken Salad
2. Think durable, not delicate. Try packing the usual lunch fare you give your kids and eat it four hours later. Some foods just aren't good after several hours. Lunch bags often end up on the bottom of backpacks, on the floor of the car on the way to school, underneath a student who didn't see it on the bench, or countless other places where it is kicked, trampled and smashed. This calls for food that can stand up to the possibility of being thrown, tossed or dropped.
3. When you're in a pinch for time. For those occasions when you have even less time than money, go to the deli. While this is more expensive, there are occasions when you just don't have the chance to prepare quality lunches. Purchase single servings of potato salad or coleslaw; spaghetti or ravioli if your kids will eat it cold (actually, at room temperature by the time lunch comes around); pieces of chicken; pizza. It's probably less expensive than eating in a cafeteria, and likely tastes better.
Make sandwiches the night before, and wait until morning to add mayonnaise or any condiments. Make or purchase pizza over the weekend to be packed for lunch during the week.
4. Packing food to last. If you cut sandwiches in half, and wrap each piece separately each half will last better, as it's unlikely that your child will sit still long enough to eat a whole sandwich.
5. Packing food for safety. Be sure that hot foods are packed in a thermos that is designed for hot foods, and that cold foods are packed in a thermos intended for cold foods. For hot foods, pour boiling water in the thermos, let it sit for about 5 minutes, pour out the water and immediately put in the heated food. This should keep foods hot for several hours.
For cold foods, place the items in the coldest part of your refrigerator (usually the top) the night before so they are well-chilled when you pack the lunch in the morning. By lunchtime the foods will have lost their chill, but not have had enough time develop bacteria. The general rule used by caterers is that food is safe for two hours after it comes to room temperature. It will take some time for the chilled foods to come to room temperature, and once they do they are fine for another two hours.
Foods to include in your child's lunch:
PROTEIN:
beef or turkey jerky
link sausages, cooked and cut in pieces
nuts or seeds in small packages; peanuts in the shell
chicken or tuna in 3-ounce cans with pull-top lids
peanut butter and cracker "sandwiches"
protein bars
tuna, chicken or egg salad
barbecued chicken
string cheese
cream cheese (3-ounce pieces, cut in half) with crackers
CARBOHYDRATE
cereal in small boxes with a carton of milk
bagel chips
sesame sticks
baguettes
FRUIT & VEGETABLES
juice with twist-off tops
boxed fruit drinks
applesauce in single-serving sizes
fruit roll up, fruit leather, or dried fruit
fresh fruit that isn't delicate (strawberries will be crushed by lunchtime)
melon cut into wedges, rind left on for protection
baby carrots
cherry tomatoes
cucumber, celery and other vegetables of choice cut in bite-size pieces
iceberg lettuce cut into chunks
marinated vegetable or bean salad