Posted Oct 2, 2012
– It’s only lunch. What’s the big deal?
The first few weeks of a new school year are when parents stress about what to feed their youngsters.
Lunch programs at schools provide nourishment, but picky eaters often prefer a lunch packed (or supervised) by mom or dad.
Choosing healthful items for your child’s lunch means careful planning, extra trips to the supermarket and time allotted for making sandwiches and cutting up fruit. Ideas for lunch box items are plentiful, but after the first couple of weeks of school, children often become bored with their usual choices, and parents tire of the chore. But it’s important for parents to keep the pantry stocked with fresh ideas.
Planning is the key. “Mommy blogs” and Pinterest are loaded with quick ideas for packing no-stress lunches.
Evelyn Cucchiara, author of “30 Days to an Organized Home,” blogger at AllEvelyn.com, and mother of three sons, is an expert at organizing family dynamics. In an email, Cucchiara said the routine that works best for her family is “repeating the same systems over and over. If it works, stick with it. Saves you time, energy and thought power. You know what to plan for, they know what to expect.”
These tips for making school lunches works well for her boys, Cucchiara said. They make a week’s worth of lunches on Sunday.
-Set up an assembly line, making five at a time.
-Wrap in foil sheets, like the ones available at the big box stores.
-Check what’s in the products you are using. No sense making lunches at home if you’re not using healthful ingredients. Especially check the bread – many labeled wheat are not whole wheat, just white bread colored to look like whole wheat.
-Pack snacks in reusable plastic containers to save the expense of buying plastic bags
-Make desserts on Sunday also – then pack individually and freeze.
-Get each child a water bottle labeled with his or her name. The child is in charge of filling it up daily.
KITCHEN ORGANIZING TIPS
-Storing all dry goods in resealable containers takes up less space in the cabinet and kids can help