With more and more parents tired of fattening and calorie-laden school lunches, the number of brown bag lunches is on the rise. However, being a single parent, while trying to find a few precious minutes to pack something healthy and delicious can be difficult. In this article, I wanted to provide you with some helpful dos and don’ts for making your kid’s lunch easier and better.
For starters, try getting your kids involved with the planning and preparing of the lunch. This way, you will find fewer moans and groans. Next, steer clear from making the traditional bologna and cheese or peanut butter and jelly. Use turkey, roasted chicken, and other great foods that your child will enjoy. In fact, you might even try non-sandwich foods too. For instance, you could add homemade pizza and fruit or cabbage rolls to your kid’s brown bag lunch.
In addition, for a few dollars, you can purchase a freezer pack, which contained dried ice. Simply store in the freezer and when placed in your child’s lunchbox, perishable foods will stay fresh and drinks cold all day long. Then, make sure you pack any foods that might leak or be sticky in sealed containers. For instance, if you pack fruit cocktail, be sure the lid fits properly and tightly. You should also hang on to plastic spoons and forks so you always have extra on hand.
Although it might be tempting to make one turkey sandwich after another following the holiday season, your child will become bored easily, meaning he or she is not eating the food you send. Of course, you can always make most of the luncheon foods the day before. For instance, when my kids were in school, they always took a lunch. I would put the drink, fruit, sandwich, napkin, and plastic spoon/fork in the lunchbox the night before. That way, all I had to do was add the freezer pack, cookies, and chips in the morning and out the door, we went. I was amazed how much time this saved.
Finally, although most parents expect their kids to eat everything packed, remember that just like you, sometimes kids are not as hungry on one day as they might be on another day. Instead, encourage your children to bring leftovers home. While you would not expect him/her to eat the same, half eaten sandwich the next day, there may be cookies, a packaged drink, or chips left that can be repacked.
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