In Kids' Lunch, take a look into what people in the food world and the world at large pack their children (and occasionally their significant others and maybe even their pets) for lunch.
Today, Kelsey Banfield, a.k.a. The Naptime Chef, resolves to spend less time trying to make her daughter's lunches fancy and more time reading good books.
Every September I get all worked up about packing lunch. After an obsessive August on Pinterest, I find myself artfully arranging perfectly chopped vegetables, sandwich bites (or roll-ups when I’m feeling fancy), and color-coordinated fruit skewers in the compartments of my 7-year-old's lunch box.
But this energy never lasts. After a couple weeks of asking my daughter how she liked her lunch (I’m looking for praise, obviously) and being met with a tired sounding, “It was fine, Mom,” it's back to reality.
And you know what? Reality is just fine. Because kids don’t need fancy lunches and I don’t need to spend hours composing them. Here is our go-to lunch strategy that keeps her happy and well-fed:
1) Carb Bomb: Slices of banana bread, zucchini bread, or cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches are real favorites. This year we also got into mini-bagels with cream cheese and jam. The carb feature is always a must so I never skimp on the portions.
2) Dessert-ish Fruit: She likes fruit that is very sweet and ripe so I stick with berries (I freeze them in the summer and dole them out in the winter), watermelon, ripe cantaloupe, or a clementine. It is never a good idea to pack a banana. I’ve been informed they get mushy in the lunchbox and she is not amused by messages inscribed in the peel with a toothpick. (Or even messages on a Post-It note. So, no messages from Mom at all, thank you very much.)
You will not find these Homemade Cheez-Its in Kelsey's daughter's lunch.
3) Salty Crunchy Something: This is the portion of lunch I turn over to the experts. There is no homemade Pirate's Booty, Goldfish crackers, or pretzels in this house. Those experts live at BJ’s, in bulk, and make my life easier.
4) Stand-in Smoothie: I love the idea of blending fresh smoothies every morning and packing them in stainless-steel canisters with striped paper straws. I’ve done it exactly once. She came home and told me loved the homemade smoothie because it tasted just like Stonyfield. Wha??? Why bother? Our store-bought yogurts do a beautiful job standing in for the homemade variety so I’ll stick with them. (Note: These can also be found in bulk at BJ’s.)
It has taken me five years to hammer out this strategy but I think we’ve finally got it down pat. This August, I plan to skip Pinterest and read a good novel.
First photo by Sarah Jampel; second photo by James Ransom
Written by: Kelsey Banfield
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5 Comments
One thing I'd add, which others who read the kids' lunch columns here have seen me post many times, is that we had our sons start making their own lunches, with my or their father's help only to the extent necessary, from a very early age (age 7 for my younger son and 8 1/2 for my older one). There is nothing that improves the self-esteem of a young child as much as allowing him or her to make a significant contribution to the well-being of the family. We taught planning, flexibility and perhaps best of all, accountability, in this process as well. (I was given a lot of responsibility as a child, for which I will always be grateful to my parents.) ;o)
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