Packing the School Lunchbox

It's been many years since I had to prepare lunches for schoolchildren. But I did do it for more than a decade, and mostly on a budget. With hot lunches at many schools being costly or of poor nutritional value, it is certainly wiser and healthier to pack your own. While there is a proliferation of individually packaged lunchbox items, they are rarely a good value and rarely the healthiest option for your child(ren). I realize that time constraints need to be weighed, along with health benefits and nutrition, so I'm hoping to bring some fresh perspective to that age-old chore of packing school lunches. Feel free to chime in (using the comments section) on items that you have found work well. The more, the merrier.

They say variety is the spice of life, and it can be important to youngsters as well. While there is that occasional child who will only eat pb&j with barbecue potato chips every day for six months, most children like to see something different and have new surprises in their lunch bag. And speaking of bags, if at all possible, try to convince your child that a reusable lunch bag (thermally insulated) or old-fashioned lunch box is the way to go. They even have plain metal lunchboxes that children can decorate and personalize. If they are feeling really adventurous, you could buy them a bento box (like this one), tiffin (a 2-tier one or 3-tier), or the Earth-friendly Goodbyn (see image on right) to use for lunch (some kids just like to be unique). These are all earth-friendly options.

Main Course
Think outside the box on this one; deviate from that turkey, roast beef, salami sandwich. Find interesting breads to use, like marble rye, cinnamon raisin, pita, tortilla, or bagel. Maybe your store has a great bakery with some really tasty whole wheat sourdough dinner rolls, which make great mini-sandwiches (think 2 or 3 in a lunchbox). Mix up the fillings by preparing a batch of egg salad, which is cost-efficient and tasty. Another family favorite is cream cheese and chopped olive, which I make with a block or two of softened cream cheese and a can of chopped black olives. This goes well on a tortilla that you roll up, or any kind of bagel. Instead of PB&J, try PB&Honey or PB&Banana on whole grain or cinnamon bread.