My baby starts first grade this year. She and her older sister attend a year-round charter school where there’s no cafeteria, so packing a daily lunch is mandatory. Some people would bemoan the inconvenience every morning, but I really appreciate what a difference packing a lunch for my children can mean. First off, I know what they’re eating. This really hit home when my eldest transitioned into a traditional middle school because our charter did not have sport offerings. At his new school, he was insistent on eating the novelty cafeteria “hot lunch”. After all, he had just spent six years toting a lunch box to-and-from his charter school. And I will freely admit, one less lunch to pack each morning was a time saver. Until I ate lunch in his cafeteria. As much as I love his school, its staff, the sports…I was not thrilled about the cafeteria offerings. In all fairness, the hands of the public schools are tied by what the budget allows and what the kids will actually eat. I was witness to questionable pizza and french fries drowned in ranch dressing each day that I was there. And little else. Canned fruit and sometimes salad were offered, but the kids didn’t take it. After a few months, I began to notice changes in my son and the way he smelled. His breath, his flatulence, his bathroom habits. Things that probably only a mom would notice (and I’m sure he will appreciate me blogging about!) Weeks of highly processed starches, minimal (if any) proteins and zero fiber had left him nothing but gassy and burpy. And smelly. And then the battle began. I would pack his lunches and he would continue to eat the school’s food. Breakfast in the morning is always free for the students. Some can be seen pouring chocolate milk over fruit rings…and actually eating it. Bowls of “quick grits” topped with slices of “American cheese product” (that’s what the label really says) served with margarine. And toaster pastries. These are the free breakfast offerings. Nothing but empty calories and sugar make up “the most important meal of the day”. Hrrrumph. And number one son was loading up at this free breakfast bar. Because let’s face it, kids love pre-packaged toaster pastries, sugary cereal, giant bowls of quick grits topped with processed cheese food. So do I, from time-to-time, but I consider it an indulgence, not a daily meal.
So I have vowed to get him eating healthier at lunch time. And I’ve had my practice run with his two sisters who are on a year-round schedule at a school where sack lunches are mandatory. So what’s on the menu? “Love in a lunchbox”, that’s what! Yes, I live to embarrass my kids, it’s one of my only indulgences. (And let’s face it, secretly, they love that you care enough to embarrass them!) I have been scouring the internet for ideas like this tutorial on printing lunch bags from perfectlyimperfectblog.com : 
Except instead of endearing heart-felt sayings, I will probably find embarrassing juvenile jokes to print on the bags (because my high-schooler is so mature). And how about those love notes? Again, the World Wide Web is a mecca for things like this. I’ve got notes for the elementary set, the middle schooler and the high schooler. Check it out:
From getbuttonedup.com
From capscreations.com
And something for the older set… From chickabug.com
From digitaldesignessentials.com
And what about the actual “meat-and-potatoes”? The lunch itself? I’ve made it interesting, what about making it tasty? Filling? Desired over the lunchroom detritus? Well, I’ve researched that too. The issue with a teenage boy is that the quantity of food made available to them is clearly, and unfortunately, more important than the quality (for the most part). Therefore, without breaking the bank, I’ve mapped out some meals that are (with a little prep the night before) easily assembled in the chaos that is a school morning.
1) Pulled pork sandwiches (from a previous posting here).
2) Pizza subs.
3) Roast beef and cheddar wraps with horseradish mayo (if your kids prefer non-spicy, leave out the horseradish).
4) Peanut butter and Nutella waffle sandwiches.
5) Egg salad pin wheels (egg salad rolled in a whole wheat tortilla and sliced).
6) Red beans and rice with tortilla chips.
7) Breakfast wrap – scrambled eggs with cheese, salsa, diced sweet peppers, sour cream, sausage, whatever you can get away with adding!
8) Fresh mozarella on ciabatta or bolilo roll with pesto, tomato and lettuce.
9) Homemade chicken salad on rolls with diced celery and lettuce.
10) Apple slice sandwiches with peanut butter and raisins.
Add a little tote of fruit salad, a couple of bananas, vegetable sticks, homemade muffin, popcorn, pretzels, grapes, melon wedges, edamame…and you almost have enough food to satiate a teenage boy. Almost.
I’ve also found a Lunch Menu from anythingbutperfect.com to keep me on track.
I’m excited to see how it goes. Happy almost-back-to-school!