Easy Lunch Round-Up

"Easy" has been my middle name the past few grade school years! I don't know what's happened, but I seem to have burnt out on lunch creativity, even with my MOMables lunch (and some dinners!) menu planning subscription!

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Randomness

Glutino pretzel chips; organic apples, raspberries, yellow carrot; organic quinoa and brown rice with hemp hearts

Tuesday, 7/28/14 - This was a "grab anything I see and toss it in a box" lunch for my toddler. Leftover "rice" (quinoa and brown rice mix) with some hemp hearts for protein, broken bits of gluten-free pretzel chips, and even some yellow carrots cut with a mini heart cutter! Like most kids, she vacillates between being a "good eater" and being a nibbler. This was during a growth spurt, so I packed extra food. Plus she tends to graze on her food - eat a little now, then keep coming back for more, if I leave it accessible for her.

PB Cracker Stackers

Kay's Naturals Cinnamon Twist Protein Pretzels, PB on Glutino crackers, organic snap peas and strawberries 

Wednesday, 7/29/14 - I had a bunch of broken pretzel bits, so tossed them in for a treat, even though they're actually quite low in sugar and high in protein and other nutrients. Yay!

DIY Nut-Free Cracker Stackers

Organic strawberries and carrots, Glutino crackers, Sunbutter Squeeze Pack

Thursday, 9/4/14 - My older one is always a fan of assembling her own lunch. It's very empowering to get to choose how and how much you eat of your lunch. As adults, we essentially get to do that when making and packing our meals, but kids are constantly faced with situations where everything has been planned out for them, and they have very little say, and even less control. So sending build-your-own lunch options, which has made those boxed ones at the grocery store so popular over the decades, gives them so much power at an age when they already feel so powerless. Plus honestly it's easier just tossing in the ingredients and letting HER do all the work! Hahaha!

I packed the gluten-free crackers in one of my favorites, a silicone flower cup, and sent a stainless steel spreader thing I got at Daiso (a Japanese dollar store.) But honestly, she usually just squirts the Sunbutter straight into her gob, and snacks on the crackers later, if at all. Isn't it fun being in charge of your own lunch, even if it's only in small ways?

Leftover Pizza for First Grade

Leftover GF pizza w/Daiya cheese, goat cheese, olives, and bacon; organic grapes and corn

Friday, 9/5/14 - It doesn't get much easier than tossing a slice of leftover pizza into a lunch box! My kid doesn't mind her pizza cold, but I've seen people cut it up and pack heated in an insulated food jar to keep it warm until lunch.

Easy-Peasy PBJ for Little Sis

Naturebox Blueberry Almond Bites, GF PBJ; organic strawberries, tomatoes, and corn

I only had the one slice of pizza left that day, so my toddler got half of a PBJ instead. Plus some nommy Naturebox snacks! (Seriously good. I could eat the whole bag in one sitting! And have...)

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