*If you want to skip reading about my personal experience and get right to the tips, scroll down to “What you just read is real.”
I am standing in the grocery store and for the first time in my life I am searching through the packaged snacks isle, looking desperately for something healthy, grain free, and cool to buy for my son’s lunch.
And what is staring back at me is everything I have told my clients to avoid giving to their children: packaged snacks made of high fructose corn syrup, grains, food colouring, preservatives and junk. Even the natural food section does not seem to have much that meets my requirements.
So far I have applesauce and apple butter…What is apple butter you ask?
I have no idea.
My son started grade one this week and now I join the tribe of mothers who have done everything we could to keep our kids eating healthy, nutrient dense, home cooked foods while they passed their early days at home. Now we want to package up a perfect, convenient little lunch bag five days a week and for some reason feel totally lost.
No one is there to heat up my kid’s lunch. No one is there to give him a second helping if he is still hungry.
No longer can I feed him full heads of romaine lettuce hearts as a snack (which he seriously loves) and have him believe this is normal because his new friends are likely going to tell him it is a bit weird…
I cannot be there to explain to them that “his lunch is not weird, it is actually super healthy, tasty and it is going to make him run fast, think clearly and feel better overall.
Over the summer I honestly thought I had this all figured out and that it was going to be easy. I have been feeding him for six years already. Just copy and paste, right?
But suddenly I remembered that back in my day kids made fun of each other for bringing smelly tuna to school.
And then it hit me that almost every snack we have is built around nuts: nutty cereal, trail mix, almond butter, Larabars and of course the school is nut free.
And if that is not enough, tell me, how am I going to fit all of our planet friendly glass Tupperware into that dinky little bag? Would it be weird to send him to school with my cooler? I mean, it is on wheels…
Time is up. I need five days worth of lunches and snacks in my grocery cart right now. What do I do?
Pause...
______________________________________________________________________________________
What you just read is real. You know this because you have been there.
But there are solutions.
I have supported many parents to create a system for sending their kids to school with lunches that stray from what is considered normal and convenient.
These clients are every day people just like you and me. They have jobs and lives and kids…and they feed their kids extremely well anyway.
There is a way to make school lunches less complicated. Follow these five steps...
First and foremost, you need to develop a positive thought pattern.
Not:
- We do not buy packaged food so it is going to be a lot harder for us.
- It takes so much time to feed the kids healthy and I bet they will not like what I give them anyway.
- Kids, am sorry that your lunch sucks compared to your friends’ lunches and that I am not a cool parent.
Instead:
- We eat this food because it is going to help us live really great lives.
- We are so lucky to know what healthy food is because many people do not.
- I know it takes me a bit longer to prepare lunches but it is totally worth it because it is going to improve our health and happiness.
- I am a great parent and I love talking with my kids about why it is so important to take care of our body.
Ok, step two. Get a Thermos and other convenient packaging like a stainless steel bottle (for water) and some handy containers. Planetbox, Lunchbots, Sistema and Foogo have great reviews.
Get one of the shorter, wider Thermos’ so that your child can eat right out of it.
For hot lunches, fill it with boiling water for 5-10 minutes before adding the food. For cold lunches, place the thermos in the freezer beforehand.
Your child is not the only one who is going to be making regular use of a Thermos, PlanetBox or knife and fork. This is becoming very popular because not only do they package healthy food well, they save the environment too.
Step three is to lead by example and keep the lines of communication open.
If your kids see you walking out the door with a muffin and a Passion Flakie do not blame them if they decide not to jump on board any time soon. If it is important to you that your kids eat well, you should be doing the same.
Talk to your kids about why you eat the way you do. Attach a positive outcome to their favorite activity. Tell them that it will make them faster, improve their ability to figure out math problems or puzzles, be cool or concentrate on video games! You know your child best so you need to figure out what will excite them.
If you really struggle with leading by example, get support. Your family’s success at eating healthfully will multiply when you are rockin’ it.
Step four is to plan ahead.
Take 10 minutes and come up with a one week menu plan. You need five lunches and ten snacks (do not panic, I have included tips below). If you have thirty minutes you could probably come up with four weeks worth and use that plan repeatedly for the entire school year! Just make sure to choose foods your child loves and will tolerate.
And last, keep it simple.
Lunch can be leftovers from supper every day if you master the 'cook once, eat twice' rule. Otherwise, plan for leftovers a couple of days a week and then choose two to three set lunches to use every week. Rinse and repeat.
If you cook up a dozen B’Eggs (bacon and eggs cooked in muffin tins) you can send your child with a few of those in their Thermos two days in a row.
Then make up some lettuce wrapped tacos for the next two days. Just pile it all into the Thermos with the lettuce chopped up on the side and send a spoon or fork.
And same thing goes for snacks. If they like apples and cheese, it is ok to have that every day. If they like yogurt, give them yogurt most days and just change up the fruit. They have thirty other chances in the school week to eat something different so do not be afraid to be repetitive. Again, rinse and repeat.
I bet the bus is coming soon so you better get packing!
Here is a recap of the five simple steps to get you started.
- Change your thought pattern
- Get a Thermos and other convenient packaging
- Lead by example
- Plan ahead
- Keep it simple
If you still feel a little lost and want even more lunch box help...
Get our Back To School Recipe Package HERE