I’m continually humbled by the fact you want to read my thoughts. Thank you. Just thought you should know that I appreciate you!
I did some advocating at my son’s day care surrounding the meals and I got some positive results. My son opts out of day care food, but I was getting sick of reading that ice cream was served for the billionth time. I started blogging about it for this post, but I realized that the story deserves its own blog post…or two. Stay tuned for that next week!
Posting our lunches is not an ego boost for me. In fact, it feels very personal. If you are bored with the lunch pictures, I can stop any time! Honestly, it does help me pack better lunches knowing that I’m going to share them with the world. Sometimes I want to slack off, but I’ve got a wider audience to appeal! For a little compare and contrast I should take a picture of what my husband takes for lunch. Usually it’s a microwave meal!
This week’s lunches after the break…
My son was pretty crazy about this lunch. I was flying blind because the new menu wasn’t published in advance so I didn’t know what the other kids were eating. Day care menu: cod nuggets, fettuccine alfredo, diced pears, diced carrots, with fruit and blueberry muffins for snack.
I asked my son, “What do you want for dinner?” There was no hesitation: “Pasta.” It seemed easy enough to do. I threw on some rice pasta and he wouldn’t touch it. He wasn’t happy about the peas being mixed up in there, but I didn’t budge. I sent some for his lunch and his caregivers said the only thing he didn’t eat was the pasta. I thought he’d be hungry enough to eat it there! Go figure. Day care menu: chicken patty on whole wheat, bananas, peas with yogurt and cheese and crackers with soynut butter as snacks.
My son told me that he didn’t eat the green beans. Boo. Day care menu: Ground beef with pasta, applesauce, green beans with fruit and cheese and crackers as snacks.
Can you tell that I was running low on fruit? I didn’t include any clementines for my son because he’s refusing to eat them. Well, he’ll put them in his mouth, chew them up and spit them out. Day care menu: scrambled eggs, hash browns, pineapple, carrots with fruit and ice cream as snacks.
***
I enjoyed this lunch a lot. If you are like me and not always a big salad person, try little bitty ones!
I put some fruit puree into the pancakes to thin them out. They really puff up when they cook and my husband says he wants to eat “flat” pancakes. I think that’s the gluten free flours in the pancake mix.
My lunch break is pitifully short. It’s worse for the kids so I shouldn’t complain. All I got through was the whole main entree. I should be happy I was able to eat that much!
The mochi above is the Grainaissance mochi that I mentioned before. You bake them at home. My husband bought them when he saw they were gluten free. They are curious little things. Like crunchy, chewy balls of air. I threw them in there because there was space. By the way, I want to write up an in-depth post about why I’m gluten free now.
Happy Mother’s Day! Enjoy the weekend!
Great lunches! Your observation about the two clementines made me laugh out loud.
I'm sure other posters have asked you this previously, but when you include "crunchy green beans," are the beans raw or just gently cooked so that they're still a little crunchy? Just curious!
I'm looking forward to your daycare menu blog post!
I also laughed out loud at the clementine comment. I'm currently sitting at a college graduation ceremony (bored out of my mind), so that laugh was much needed. 🙂
Mmm I want tilapia now. Great lunches!
I love seeing the lunches on your blog. I'm new-ish to packing my own lunch, so it's nice to see some healthier lunch examples on your blog. I rarely have leftovers like you do, but even just having a comparison to how much food another adult woman needs to subsist on while doing the same job is extremely helpful for me. I've made the mistake of packing too much, too little, or too homogeneous food in my lunches. I kind of have a system down now, but your posts give me some ideas on what I could be trying. Thanks for sharing!
I find the lunch posts very interesting; I hope you continue them.
I was wondering about the bread on your gluten-free sandwich. It looks way better than anything I've been able to make or buy. What kind is it?
Honestly, (and I'm not being "hateful" here, just my serious preference and opinion) I wouldn't touch anything packed in any of these lunches. All of it looks disgusting to me.
I love your lunch posts its one of my favorite parts of the blog please keep doing them!
Food is so personal. I can see how some of the lunches might not be everyone's cup of tea, but "All of it looks disgusting to me"? I imagine the poster is someone who doesn't regularly eat a wide range of healthy foods.
Finicky eaters are not my tribe.
Hear hear, anonymous 1:52!
to call cranberry muffins, papaya, pasta and coconut yogurt "disgusting…" goodness what a pity. I mean, I can imagine not everyone loving the fish or salami sandwiches (two things I adore, personally) but to put a blanket "eew" on everything? :O
Anyway. Thank you for posting these lunches every week, Mrs. Q. I understand how personal food is. One thing I love best about your blog is the dialogue that we all exchange surrounding the food you cook. I have learned so many great tips and tricks, come up with so many creative ideas… both from you and other commenters each week. (Kale chips from you, and peanut butter in my oatmeal from a reader… those are two things this blog has taught me which I now can't imagine living without!)
I love that you do this, and I love reading the comments that follow, because it's clear that by packing your son's lunches and sharing them with the world, you are encouraging other parents to get creative and send a variety of nutritious meals for their own children to eat. In a way, posting these pictures every week continues to perpetuate what this blog started–to get people thinking about what we feed children, and how to make it better.
I suspect that every week, you sew the seeds that grow a few more food revolutionists. As more people become aware of what they're eating, change their habits, and get on board with demanding school lunch reform, this dream will continue to snowball for the better. And I am convinced that every week when you post what your son takes, and compare it to what the daycare serves, it continues to remind people who might otherwise forget what this blog is all about. 🙂
*virtual hug*
PS–try hitting your pancake batter with some uncooked oatmeal (don't worry–it hydrates while the pancakes fry). I began adding it to my pancakes on a whim about a year ago and holy smokes! Not only does it up the fiber content significantly, but it adds a certain fluffiness and nuttiness to pancakes which otherwise can be a bit dense at times. Give it a try one weekend!
Please DO NOT STOP posting pictures of your lunches! I look forward to seeing them every week and they do inspire me!
And to me they always look delicious!
Just wanted to add my voice to the chorus asking you to keep posting the lunches…they've also given me great ideas for possible things to make.
To echo a previous poster, I also got the idea for kale chips from you, and I absolutely loved them!
I absolutely love the weekly lunch wrap ups. Thank you so much for sharing them!
the weekly lunch photos and comments are my main motivation for following this blog! please continue to post!! i also laughed out loud at the clementine comment…haha 😀
I too enjoy your lunch posts =) I've always wondered: what's up with the veggie/fruit combos at your DS's daycare?
I will sulk if you stop posting your lunches. I don't really follow foodie food blogs, but I love your blog and I love your lunches.
Question: I'm sure you've already answered this somehow, but I missed it or forgot it…do all your little containers have lids? You pack (amazingly) as though spillage isn't even a possibility and I'm in awe of it. I'm POSITIVE you've made a post about the containers you use to pack, but I can't find it. *pouts* Also, do you make your yogurt or buy it?
Talon, I'm pretty sure all of Mrs. Q's containers have lids. I seem to recall her mentioning in a wrap-up post a while back that she snaps a quick photo right before snapping on the lids. Can't remember where she said she got them though… if I remember correctly it's a combination of a growing tupperware collection, laptop lunch boxes, and internet-shopping scores.
hahahaha. I just re-read that paragraph… how clear is it that I've been voraciously reading this blog from the get-go? :p haha
I love the lunch posts they give me inspiration for what to pack. What type of gf bread did you use for the sandwiches? It looks delicious! Also where did you find the mochi? Thanks, and keep up the yummy looking lunches!
Mrs. Q, after being referred to your blog many moons ago, I've been even more careful and concerned about food than I have been since starting to worry a lot in getting to college.
I greatly enjoy your lunch photos as ideas as well as an education about eating variety in the gluten free world (which is good to know when meeting sensitive people like yourself). Hopefully with summer, I can act on some of your cooking ideas…
Found your comment about your son's way of eating clementines very funny. Had a roommate in college who ate them the same way. She liked the flavor, but something about the texture of the pithy part did not sit well with her. So she would bring her orange back to her room from the cafeteria every day to eat it in private! 🙂
Hi, I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but if you LOVE REAL Maple Syrup (as I do) you have GOT to try the "Grade B" Maple Syrup. It's what the Maple Tree Tappers/Growers actually save for themselves. It's darker and richer than the Grade A. You can get it at Whole Foods (Their Organic 365 Brand) in a huge plastic jug for $17 (it's really big)
It's amazing.
I'm jealous of what your kids get to eat each day.
Love the blog! I have been following for over a year now! Love the pictures and ideas that you post! I too have wondered about the lids and all the little pieces.. I am really interested in going this route in the upcoming school year. I pack for 3 kids a day(9/6/6) and this year we lost 7 freezer packs and a few re-use able plastic containers! I am hoping next year we will not be so careless!
My question..Does your Daycare warm the food for your son? I know you had to get permission to pack for him.. I wondered if they gave you issues on warming certain parts of his meal.. My kids have access to a microwave in the cafeteria. I personally don't want them to rely on it. I don't allow my *K's* to use it at home I don't want them playing with it at school.
Just wanted to share my appreciation for your efforts and willing to share so much!
I'm not going to stop, but I do feel self-conscious! They are Laptop Lunches. The day care warms up the food! Happy Mother's Day
I love seeing the lunches. I am not all that crazy about sandwiches and never have been. When I started packing our lunches It was easy t fall into the sandwich rut. I get lots of ideas here that keep our lunches from being boring, thanks!
Mrs. Q-
Megan Z. said…
"I'm sure other posters have asked you this previously, but when you include "crunchy green beans," are the beans raw or just gently cooked so that they're still a little crunchy? Just curious!"
I've been wondering about your crunchy green beans, too. Would you share some details with us?
Gracias.
Would you please pack my lunch?? I won't complain! Not one bit!
Great lunches, by the way! I'm a little jealous that when I was a kid, I didn't have such awesome lunches!
Hey Mrs. Q,
i've been an avid follower of your blog since the "early days" -keep up the good work!! 🙂
also meant to tell you that i finally got the DVD Food, Inc. from the library -am a little scared to watch it, actually!! i know it will show some sides of the food industry that i may not want to discover, yikes!
and…i bought a book at my local bookstore a few weeks ago, which is AMAZING!! i totally recommend that you read it, Mrs. Q! it's called "An apple a day : the myths, misconceptions and truths about the foods we eat" -it's a #1 bestseller here in Canada and i can see why.
some of the things that i found especially interesting in that book :
– the benefits of tomatoe products
– the scientific studies about fish
– soy protein
– insoluble and soluble fibre..
– which oats products are really beneficial for your health
– why strawberry ice-cream with "natural flavors" may not be the most natural option
– food dies
– the myths of miraculous juices
– green tea
– fluoride in water
it's hard to stop the list, this was such an interesting book!! maybe it could be a book club read on this blog? 😉
continue posting up lunch pictures. I really look forward to see them as odd as it may seem.
Just Better Together
Oh, the crunchy green beans are from Trader Joe's. (here's a link to a photo from another blogger: http://katsgfkitchen.blogspot.com/2009/07/trader-joes-crunchy-green-beans.html ) They are delicious!!
I like the pictures, it's my favorite part.
Quick comment on the clementines: My daughters both went through a phase, probably around the same age, where they would chew and spit them out. They are now 7 and 3 and they eat the whole thing now without spitting anything out. Don't give up on feeding your son clementines, he'll probably get used to them.
Please, please, please keep posting the lunches!
I have to tell you. . .this may sound exaggerating-ish, but kale chips have changed my snack life. Best thing ever, and I credit you fully.
Also, to the person who said everything looks disgusting? I'm interested in what you eat. Because most everything packed in these lunches looks amazing and healthy and awesome. Why would you even come here if you find this kind of thing disgusting? Makes no sense.
I just wanted to say that I love your blog and have been following your quest since early on. I find your weekly lunch wrap-up very interesting and look forward to it every week.
My own daughter will be starting at a day care in September, the first time she will be eating lunch outside of my control in all 3 years of her life and I am so nervous! I plan to pack her lunches but everyone keeps trying to dissuade me because they feel she will want to eat what everyone else is eating, to which I usually respond- that I will try it and see how it goes.
Any advice on how to entice her to eat my lunches instead of the stuff everyone else is eating?
Yes, Please keep posting the pics. I have a blog where I do the same thing and I know that it really does keep you on the right track. Its harder to be lazy when you know its going on the internet. I also like many other commenters get ideas from your posts to use in my own lunches!
http://veggieandthemeatlover.blogspot.com
Mrs. Q! Confessions of a reader… Last week I was asked to dog sit. I love dogs, so I said yes. A few days with a family friendly dog sounded like heaven. Only, when the owner arrived for hand over, I discovered that the dog has been living on kibble and hot dogs for much of the last 6 months. I won't go into the reasons why, here, but was told that she likes leftovers, so please feed her left overs, if I want/have any. First off, I'm a vegetarian. Second, the dog in question is 15 and even she doesn't like kibble — spits it out! Senior dogs need special diets, that much I know. So I googled it, hoping to get some tips on a homemade senior dog food but again, didn't really have a good protein source at home, or so I thought… until I was reading this post of yours and saw the boiled eggs! So my guest doggie found herself presented with a bowl of mashed boiled eggs, lentil dhal, brown rice, and mashed steamed carrots… and she loved it! So glad you ate eggs this week Mrs. Q! 😉