Lunch Wrap Up: Week of Sept 12th

Packed lunches

I’m already sick of packing my son’s lunch. September is not even over!

My son’s lunches

Banana bread muffin, pickled beets (farmer’s market), peaches (farmer’s market), omelette with sliced turkey and broccoli (CSA), applesauce, pepitas

I did not pickle those beets myself. I bought them from a stand at the farmer’s market already in jars. My son loved them. Child care menu: Salisbury steak (!), mashed potatoes, diced carrots, orange and wheat bread.

Applesauce, peaches (farmer’s market), pickles (farmer’s market), fish, spinach (CSA), potatoes (CSA), pepitas

That’s tilapia with a sweet red chile sauce (Thai Kitchen brand). It was a hit all around. Child care menu: BBQ chicken, rice, salad greens, pear and wheat dinner roll.

Chicken nuggets, peaches (farmer’s market), potatoes (CSA), spinach (CSA), cucumber muffin (CSA), crunchy green beans

I crumbled and sent chicken nuggets. I asked my son if he wanted leftover lamb or chicken nuggets in his lunch and big surprise — he wanted chicken nuggets. I shouldn’t have given him a choice. I had to dig out the gluten free, extra special ones from the freezer but still. What has it been? Chicken nuggets maybe twice in 2011? I feel like a hypocrite since I do rail on chicken nuggets. At least these ones are not 50% or more fillers. Sometimes I just feel bad for the kid, you know? At least he loves spinach. Child care menu: Chicken tenders, cheesy mashed potatoes, broccoli, applesauce, and rye bread.

Yogurt, pickles (farmer’s market), nachos with turkey, beans, and dairy-free cheese, peaches (farmer’s market), green beans (farmer’s market)

It was after this lunch that I was told that I’m not packing enough food for my little guy. So I’m trying to bulk up the lunches. Frankly, that shocks me because I pack more that I imagine he’ll actually eat. Portion-wise he might eat two of these containers at lunch. Child care menu: Cheese ravioli with meat sauce, cucumber slices with dip, and watermelon.

Yellow rice, hummus, pepitas, applesauce, pita (gluten free), two eggs, peaches (CSA), bar

Well, at least I won’t be accused of packing too little. Child care menu: Turkey hot dog, baked beans, salad and an apple.

My lunches

Egg salad sandwich, pickles (farmer’s market), peach half (farmer’s market), spinach (CSA), pepitas, mini-KIND bar

I love egg salad. It’s so delicious.

Tilapia with potatoes (CSA) and pickles (farmer’s market), spinach (CSA), peaches (farmer’s market), mini-KIND bar 

That fish was so good. The potatoes are an odd accompaniment, I know.

Lamb with “fried quinoa” and spinach, cucumber muffin (CSA), peaches (farmer’s market), mini-KIND bar

I decided that if you can do “fried rice,” that you must be able to do “fried quinoa” so I tried mixing up egg in the quinoa and I thought it turned out great. The true test is the husband and he thought the quinoa was good. He likes the plain quinoa, not the black quinoa (at least not straight), so I mixed them up.

Nachos with turkey and beans, peaches (farmer’s market), pickles (farmer’s market), and green beans (farmer’s market)

Nachos can be made healthy and delicious! I also want to note here that I have always hated pickles, but these “bread and butter” pickles I bought at the farmer’s market are to die for! Who knew?

Repeat with broccoli (CSA) and mini-KIND bars

By Friday I’m usually so sick of packing lunches. Luckily I could repeat the nachos again.

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19 thoughts on “Lunch Wrap Up: Week of Sept 12th”

  1. Amen on the tired-of-packing-lunches-already. And I usually like it. But my older son’s mercurial tastes are not helping things at all. Love the “fried quinoa” idea.

  3. I wonder if you and your son eat your lunches cold or heated up (specifically the fish and potatoes.) I’m surprised that your son needed more food–I always thought that you packed him a lot, and especially when he gets to grade school you know what kind of time constraints he’ll run up against.

    1. They do heat things up. I’m surprised they said “more food” too. Actually he is hungry when he gets home. I usually get dinner together by 6:00 at the latest. But the lunches I pack are big — he’s a little guy. But he does a lot of running around!

  4. those peaches look so good. I wish we could get peaches like that here. Your farmer’s market sounds real diverse i would love to go to a farmer’s market like that. But i have to appreciate that we have a farmer’s market here for being an island with not to many people.

    1. Our farmer’s market has grown quite a bit. It used to be really small, now it’s a little bigger and more busy.

  5. You should not let the daycare tell you how much to pack for your son. You’re his mom, and you know him best. Is he ravenous when you pick him up after work? Is he picky at dinner and won’t eat? Thoese are your clues. Remember, we live in the land of the double (or triple!) restaurant portion – most people don’t have a clue how much food to feed themselves let alone their children. You are doing a marvelous service to your son by packing what he likes to eat and by teaching him what normal portions are. Keep up the good work.

    1. Thanks! You know, he is hungry when we get home. I know he eats well there — better than he eats with us at home for lunch. I swear by the peer pressure — even though they are eating other foods, it works.

  6. I am very new to eating healthy, nutrients, high protein, low carb, etc. Now organic and farm fresh meats. My 14 year old son is butting heads with me on my new eating plan for my family (3 kids). He refuses to eat a packed lunch. Last night I asked him what he had for his school lunch. “Smiley face shaped potatoes and something I put ketchup on” he replied. He could not even identify the type of meat patty, but he will not eat something his own mom packs with love!! He is also obsessed with pop. He hides it in his room. I have given up on this battle because in this day and age, I am happy he is not hiding pot, girls, ciggs, weapons, etc. My question is how do I get my kids to enjoy eating organic and healthier, and not fight and laugh at me? Thank you, I love your lunch ideas, where do the little containers come from??

    1. Great question — Would your 14 year old cook with you? Go to the farmer’s market and pick out a new veggie to try? I don’t know what it’s like to parent a teenager — my little guy is pretty compliant still. Oh, the lunch containers are from laptoplunches.com
      Thanks for commenting!

  11. Hi. I just found your blog (all the hoopla over the book release – gotta love Yahoo or I’d never know what was going on out there) and enjoyed sampling your posts over the last year. I don’t have any kids, but what I now know about school lunches is enough to give me nightmares. I particularly enjoyed your recent posts of what you pack for lunch each week – even got some new ideas for my own packed lunches.

    I noticed you said you loved the bread and butter pickles you got at the farmer’s market. I took a class recently on pickling and just loved it. If you have access to pickling cucumbers in your CSA box – or any other vegetable for that matter – and organic apple cider vinegar, it’s really easy to make your own healthy B&B pickles and with a lot less sugar than the ones in the store. If you are freaked out about hot water canning you can just do refrigerator pickles, which last about as long as any opened jar of pickles in the fridge (not that mine ever last that long; I eat them like candy). It’s important to get the pH low enough (acidic enough) that you don’t create a science experiment in the jar. Let me know if this interests you and I’ll send you the proportion of vinegar to water/salt/sugar.

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