My kids do not like to buy lunch at school, even if I wanted them to. The options aren’t that great, but they also complain about long lines and then not having enough time to eat. That definitely doesn’t fly with Mr. Picky who is very anxious to play ball as soon as possible after eating. So with my children’s participation, I make lunch every day.
When I give lectures to parenting groups, lunchbox food is always a hot topic. Believe me, I too feel pressure to make a well-balanced lunch that my kids will eat. After all, lunch is different from breakfast and dinner when I am sitting next to them, making sure they eat their protein and encouraging them to “just take one bite” of something new. Kids need to be well fueled to get through the school day and lunch is a big part of that. For about the last year, I have been posting my kids’ school lunches once a week on Facebook and more recently on Instagram. I don’t think I’m the most original lunch-maker out there, but since my cooking class students and readers often ask me for new lunch ideas, I thought it easiest to show you in a post just how we get it done around here. Obviously, my kids have different likes and dislikes from yours, so there are many, many more options out there than what I am showing you!
Here are my tips for stress-free lunch-making:
Plan the night before. This doesn’t mean you have to make lunch the night before, although you can, but at least you’ll have a plan and you don’t have to spend a minute figuring it out in the morning when time is limited. Coming up with lunch the night before also helps me sleep better. It sounds crazy, but I have had restless nights while my brain ruminated lunch options for the next day. It’s not too early to think about lunch options at dinnertime either. Leftovers are my favorite source for a good lunch!
Ask your kids for their input. I asked Mr. Picky to make me a list of his favorite lunch foods so that I would have it handy. But the way I really get my kids’ input is getting them in the kitchen with me (the night before) to help me figure it out. This helps me know that they’re actually going to eat whatever is in there.
Go for a balanced meal. I look to include protein, complex carbs (those that contain fiber and/or protein), a vegetable and a fruit. Protein digests more slowly and helps us feel full for longer. It also helps fuel the brain and keeps our moods stable. Protein can be animal protein such as turkey, chicken or fish, eggs, quinoa, cheese or yogurt, edamame, beans, peas or lentils, peas, nuts or seeds. Protein can also include baked goods made from almond flour. Complex carbs are whole grains like brown rice or barley, or pasta, bread or tortillas made from whole grains, beans or lentils. A lunch consisting of a bagel with jelly, an apple, some pretzels and carrot sticks is lacking in protein. This lunch could be made more balanced with the addition of some protein like a hard-boiled egg, hummus, a yogurt or some cheese, for example. My kids don’t expect a sweet treat, but sometimes I add one, and sometimes I don’t.
Stock substantial basics in the pantry and the freezer so you always have something to fall back on. Let’s say you didn’t make it to the market the way you thought you would and there aren’t any leftovers from dinner to work with. Being able to pull from your pantry or the freezer can be a lifesaver. The items I need to have on hand for my kids are spelt or sprouted grain tortillas, shredded cheese, canned beans, different types of pasta, canned tuna, quinoa, nuts and seeds, and nut butters. I try to keep the freezer stocked with corn and peas, edamame, homemade muffins and quick breads, pesto, meatballs, cooked brown rice. I have a friend who freezes sandwiches for the entire week and I am considering freezing poached or grilled chicken for salads and sandwiches.
Make the most of leftovers from dinner. This is where I look first. My kids will take a thermos with soup, lentils, reheated stir-fry, or rice and beans, for example. Leftover chicken or steak can be cut up to top a salad or tucked into a quesadilla. Frittatas can be eaten at room temperature either plain or in a pita. See below for more ideas.
Get the right equipment. I am partial to stainless steel and BPA-free plastics. I use thermoses from the camping section at Target or from Lunch Bots. My son has two different lunch boxes, one from GoGreenLunchBoxes and another from Planet Box. My daughters use stainless steel containers from Lunch Bots. I also like the containers from Sistema. My trick with keeping things warm in the thermos is to fill it with boiling water and allow the thermos to heat up for 10 minutes. Empty the water and add your hot food. It won’t stay hot, but warm is good enough for my kids. I also give the kids reusable water bottles which if filled with ice and water can double as an ice pack.
Examples of our lunches:
SANDWICHES and WRAPS: grilled or poached chicken (sometimes with barbecue sauce or pesto instead of typical mustard), poached chicken turned into chicken salad, turkey, leftover steak, panini with leftover grilled or roasted vegetables and cheese or pesto, tuna salad, hummus and vegetables, nut butter (or sunflower butter for nut-free schools) w/all-fruit preserves or sliced bananas, frittata in a pita. You can even use toasted waffles or plain pancakes as the “bread” for sandwiches. If your kids don’t like bread or wraps, put everything in a big lettuce leaf. You can even take the same ingredients you would put in a sandwich and skewer them on toothpicks.
QUESADILLAS: I make these the morning of and they’re warm when they go in the lunchbox so I don’t want to wrap them in plastic. I use aluminum foil here. Mr. Picky doesn’t like cheese, so he’ll take a plain tortilla with chicken or beans on the side. My daughters like pizza quesadillas with or without spinach or leftover vegetables and/or pesto, black or pinto beans with cheese, any leftover chicken or steak can be added easily.
SALADS: My daughters love salads for lunch and that makes my life very easy. Wash your lettuce when you get home from the market and roll it up in damp kitchen towels until you need it. I always have a jar of my Everyday Salad Dressing #2 which goes with everything! I will make a salad out of anything: any lettuce or spinach, cooked pasta, cooked beans (canned is fine), feta/pecorino/parmesan, leftover cooked chicken or steak, quinoa, leftover cooked vegetables, corn, winter squash, dried fruit, nuts/seeds. I just make sure I get some protein in there.
PASTA: My kids will eat any kind of pasta with practically anything mixed in. Again, I just make sure it’s a high fiber pasta like whole spelt or brown rice and I want to get some protein in there. For example, even if it’s whole spelt penne and tomato sauce, I will add cooked white beans, pine nuts and/or parmesan cheese. The girls will eat pasta with pesto, but Mr. Picky will not. I have also mixed pasta with Everyday Salad Dressing #2, chickpeas and vegetables for a great pasta salad and my kids love Asian Noodle Salad with a peanut butter-based dressing and whatever vegetables you like. Both of these can be done the night before.
SOUP: I make a lot of soup during the fall and winter, usually once on the weekend and once during the week. My kids’ favorites are lentil, white bean and potato, minestrone, tortilla with chicken, and chili.
YOGURT: Plain, whole yogurt topped with granola or “faux granola,” i.e. nuts, seeds, dried fruit and coconut. Or turn yogurt into a dip for vegetables.
FRUIT and VEGGIES: I’ll pack whatever is in season, cooked or raw, whole or cut.
Have you mastered making school lunches? Please share your favorite tips and tricks!
