This school year I've been pretty lackluster in the creativity department. So here's a week of tried-and-true lunch favorites for my 1st grader and 3-year-old. Well. Most of a week.
Sausage for Big Sis
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| Organic apples, raspberries, carrots, and sugar snap peas; leftover pineapple-bacon sausage, organic ketchup and mustard |
Monday, 2/2/15 - One day at Costco they had samples of this pineapple bacon sausage that my kids (and husband) went ape for. So we stock up whenever they have them. They're Z's favorite dinner option, and leftover sausage is a lunch favorite too! I put in a little
sweets fork pick just for fun. And to keep fingers clean... She doesn't like to wash her hands... Ewwww.
Little Sis Sausage
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| Pineapple-bacon sausage; organic peas, carrots, apples, raspberries, ketchup |
A smaller version of the same lunch for my little one... Not sure what to call her. No longer a toddler, since she's 3, but not quite a preschooler, since she wasn't 3 when the current school year started. Podling? Oompa-loompa? Little Squirt?
Nuts and Bolts
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| Chocolate nut clusters; organic strawberries, carrots, and snap peas; multi-grain chips |
Tuesday, 2/3/15 - For fun I packed chocolate-covered nut clusters as her protein (and a treat!) and some whole-grain chips for her grains. The nut clusters actually have surprisingly little sugar in them. I served them in a
flower cup to add an easy fun factor.
Preschooler Lunch
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| Organic snap peas, apples, clementine; salted hard-boiled egg, GF pretzel twists |
Same idea, but I opted for an egg for my little one. Less of a choking hazard. And we'll pretend that the gluten-free pretzels actually contain some grains...
DIY PB Cracker Stackers
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| Organic apples, snap peas, and carrots; PBCo Dark Chocolate Dreams, GF crackers |
Wednesday, 2/4/15 - Z loves "building" her own lunches, and when I'm in a hurry, tossing in a squeeze pack of peanut butter and some crackers makes a quick and easy option!
PB Cracker Sandwiches
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| Chocolate PB and Glutino crackers; organic mushrooms, carrots, and strawberries |
My little one can't quite be trusted to assemble her own PB cracker sandwiches yet, so I made hers for her. No worries though. She just licks off the peanut butter and leaves the crackers behind. *sigh* They're in a
butterfly muffin cup because they're an easy way to make a simple lunch look fun. I tend to forget to add little touches like that to her lunches, since I've focused on making my older daughter's lunches fun for so much longer. But E really enjoys when I do add these little details.
Heart and Cheese Cracker Stackers
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| Glutino crackers, goat cheese, uncured ham; organic peas, carrots, raspberries |
Thursday 2/5/15 - Ham and cheese
Cracker Stackers are another favorite around here. And a
mini heart cutter makes them so much more fun than the packaged lunch kits we can't eat anyway. The
heart muffin cups just makes this lunch burst with love!
Goat milk casein is closer to the protein in human milk versus cow milk, and so doesn't trigger my intolerance or cause issues with my girls. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have amazing selections of goat milk products!
Must not have packed anything for the 3-year-old. Which probably backfired, as then I end up making lunches twice. Once the night before for Big Sis and once the next day for Little Sis. Plus she demands her food be served in an
EasyLunchbox anyway, even when she's eating at her little table. "I don' wan' a PLATE! I wan' a NUNCH!" Hahaha!
There was no school that Friday, so no packed lunches.
Tools of the Trade
My kids will be 3rd grade and preschool next year and I'll be packing for both! (Well, the 3rd grader may pack his own at least to an extent. That's what is happening this year for spring break)
ReplyDeleteGoing to be taking notes and names preparing!
Do your kids have access to a refrigerator at school?
ReplyDeleteNo. The older one takes her lunch to school in an insulated carrier, and I include an ice pack if needed. They store their lunches outside though, in a covered area. Lately it's been cold enough to send without an ice pack, and since the campus is surrounded by several acres of woodland, they stay chilly there. Lunch time is only 3.5 hours after I take the lunch out of the fridge (I pack the night before.) It's been a little below 40 degrees in the morning through noon, which is in the safe zone temperature-wise, although that's the highest safe temp. It's recommended to store perishables at or below 40 degrees. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/leftovers-and-food-safety/ct_index
DeleteThe little one usually eats at home, so I just pull her lunch out of the fridge. It's easiest to pack both lunches together, rather than pack for the older girl at night and then pull everything back out again to feed the other at lunch time! She demands I serve lunch in an EasyLunchbox anyway, and refuses plates or bowls at lunch time. I like that the high sides of the box means stuff doesn't spill when I let her carry her own meal to the table, which she loves to do! And washing an EasyLunchbox is no more work than washing a plate or bowl anyway!
Great post!!!
ReplyDelete