I really wanted to put a survey together for yesterday, but I totally underestimated my amount of free time now that the school year is underway. I hope you had fun with the surveys — thanks again for participating!
I’m not sure I said it before, but packing lunch is a pain. Even though getting everything assembled is a hassle, the dishes are the worst.
Turkey sandwich fixings: bagel, turkey, tomato (CSA), goat cheese, mayo; peaches (farmer’s market); corn (CSA)
The new day care is sending home my son’s leftovers, which is helpful. I’ll tell you what he didn’t touch: the tomato, the cheese, the mayo, and some of the corn. Day care menu: Meatballs in spaghetti sauce, cavatappi pasta, baby carrots with Italian dip.
Turkey, goat cheese; peaches (farmer’s market); pita; spiced rice; crunchy green beans
He didn’t eat the rice or the cheese. My kid is not into rice, but I’ll tell you want he really doesn’t like these days: quinoa. Day care menu: Beef taco with cheese and lettuce, “winter blend,” pineapple chunks, flour tortilla.
Mac and cheese; bacon; green pepper (CSA) with dressing for dipping; applesauce; sliced apricot (farmer’s market)
When I made this lunch, I finally had the menu so I tried to match some of the foods. I made my own dairy free “cheese’ sauce (and it’s rice elbow pasta). I’ll share the recipe once I perfect it on my soon-to-be-announced random recipe site. I’m getting better at cooking. Weirdly, my son didn’t eat the apricot. But I wasn’t surprised when he didn’t eat all of the pasta. It was a big helping. Day care menu: Mac and cheese with chicken, tomato wedges with ranch dip, applesauce and bread.
Delicious looking, as usual! I can tell you that if you sent lunch to school with me, there’d be NO leftovers! ^_^~
Remember some times kids need to be exposed to things 10 times before they are willing to try them. Be patient. Also chop up the veggies for a few days and store the leftovers in the refrigerator. Assembly is much easier in the morning. I make most of the lunches the night before and store all packed up in the frig. I am much more awake at night. It will get easier. My children have always packed lunch. They are in highschool and college. They still pack lunch. Only they do it themselves. They all eat very healthy.
These are beautiful! My daughter just started kindergarten and I just started packing her lunch — bento-ish style, definitely helo-mom style. I’m floundering a little, but just discovered your site (based on a Google search for “nutritional value of Lunchables” that led me here; yes, I know the answer is ZERO, it was for a passive aggressive post on Facebook), so before I ask for all your main meal/protein suggestions, I’ll read through. So glad I found you!
Sara