Email
PrintKeeping Kids from Cafeteria Cuisine
Amy Ricks
As far as I am concerned, the inevitable and unavoidable end of summer break is so utterly impossible to accept due to the sudden addition of innumerable tasks that must be accomplished before sunrise. Each day, once again, will be joltingly introduced with children unwilling to emerge from their deep slumber, disagreements over the appropriateness of particular fashion ensembles, epic bathroom brawls and the logistical planning of after school activities. Regardless of the intentions and despite the steps taken to ensure the most delicately timed schedule is followed, alarms will malfunction, buttons will pop, shoes will be lost, homework will be eaten, breakfast will be skipped and lunch will not be packed.
Understandably, parents already overloaded with impossibly tight timetables are alleviated of one more dreaded chore by rendering nutritional responsibility to the school cafeteria. By now, however, through the efforts of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and his Food Revolution campaign as well as the Time for Lunch project initiated by Slow Food USA, the truth about the nutritional content (or more accurately, the lack there of) when it comes to cafeteria cuisine are widely known. Certainly, no one wants to contribute to the current childhood obesity crisis, nor do we desire to stand by and allow the incidence of Diabetes to continue to rise at an alarming rate.
However, as already dramatically illustrated, there is very little time available to spend creating, preparing and packing a nutritionally sound, safe, healthy and delicious lunch, right? Au contraire, mon frère! Let us explore five ways to liberate sack lunch duty from the bowels of domestic drudgery at least to that of a more tolerable task.
1. Sack Picking.
Those nostalgic days of crumpled up brown paper bags stuffed into the darkest, dank recesses of the locker have long since passed. Additionally, convenient paper bags are not equipped with insulation and, therefore, do not necessarily keep food at a safe temperature which may pose a health risk. Even better: insulated sacks are very easy to clean and many come with removable freezer packs and even insulated food jars to keep hot foods hot.
Insulated bags and boxes in every imaginable shape and size are available in stylish colors and designs and are very affordably priced. Allowing your tot or tween can serve an a nice incentive for them to pack their lunch than eat the high percentage of sugar in flavored milks and the apparent relegation of French fries, pizza and chicken nuggets found in the cafeteria.
3. Plan Ahead
The purpose of this exercise is to assist you in packing a healthy and tasty lunch for your child by working smarter not harder, as the adage goes. A little organization and fore thought will certainly pay off as you muddle through the week.
· Try keeping a handy list of commonly used items stored in the pantry. This will be a huge time saver when you make a mad dash through the grocery store in between ballet rehearsal and soccer practice.
· Be sure not to forget items such as disposal plastic storage containers in a variety of sizes as well as plastic forks and spoons.
· Consider double duty items, such as yogurt containers designed to be kept in the freezer, which will thaw in the sack by lunch time and provide the refrigeration needed for other items.
4. Don’t Forget About the Leftovers.
Lunches do not necessarily need to be synonymous with sandwiches! Last night’s leftovers are a great way to fill up a tot’s tummy. With advances in thermal technology, hot food is perfectly doable provided you sufficiently heat the food prior to packing it. Consider anything from soups, stews and spaghetti to casseroles and tacos.
5. Let Kids Participate
Who better knows what your little ones want to see in their lunch sacks at meal time than the kiddies themselves. By encouraging their participation in the planning and preparation of their lunches, they will be more likely to actually eat what you have lovingly packed and not trade it or toss it in the trash.
· Get them involved in your next trip to the grocery store by asking them to point out the items they know they like or may want to try. (The candy, cereal or pop aisle is obviously not the place to encourage their culinary independence).
· Relieve yourself of another task by asking your kids to create their own daily lunch menu, but don’t forget to remind them to include a drink (either water or juice), a protein (such as cheese, meats, peanut butter or yogurt), a healthy snack (pretzels, popcorn, and trail mix are alternatives), a fruit, a veggie and a treat (fruit strips, graham crackers, or even a cookie).
6. Simple Swaps
Perhaps this has motivated you to consider baby stepping down the road to better nutrition by preparing sack lunches for your family. However, worried that you may initiate a food revolt directed at you and led by your family, you want to initiate small changes first.
· Try eliminating white bread and introducing a variety of pita pouches, wraps, flatbreads and whole wheat and grain breads.
· Kids tend to love anything that can be dipped. If you do not think raw veggies and fruit will be consumed on their own, perhaps the addition of a yogurt based ranch dressing will be just the enticement needed.
· Swap out sugary drinks for low sugar flavored water or substitute low sodium pretzels for traditional potato chips.
