Thedivine
foodie
By Jen Wead
School lunches: Get creative
Iwh
I will be honest, when our editor asked me to write a column
on lunches for back to school, I felt a familiar, tiny twitch
umn bac
en in my left eye. Packing
lunches for the family has always fallen
to me. For the most
part, I actually enjoy getting up early
and packing a lunch fo
for my people. In theory, I am providing
ing and
them with love and energy to get through the day, right?
*twitch* The reality, however,ho
is that we are racing around,
trying to get out the door and beat the clock. Creativity is at
an all-time low at 7:00 AM for me, so they get the same thing
that they always get. It is a vicious cycle that ends up being
monotonous for me and boring for them. To make matters
even more complicated, I have three picky boys, one of them,
a vegetarian. *twitch, twitch* My partner works out in the
sun and heat and lunch, for him, is
as much about cooling down as it is
about sustenance. We needed a new
game plan.
I spent the day researching the
most current ways to streamline
lunchtime, not just for kids, but for
everyone that takes their lunch on
the daily. Armed with these great
looking forward to getting smart
about lunches this new school year.
1. Keep lunch supplies grouped
together. Designate a cabinet or spot
in the pantry for your lunch box
equipment, thermos, containers,
drinks, and all dry snacks. In the fridge, set aside an area that
is just for your lunch prep. Grouping your supplies together,
will help you stay on top of how much you have or need, but
will also make it easy to put together.
2. Make sure to have enough ice packs for your lunches
that you can rotate easily. Freeze your beverages. It keeps
your lunch cold and thaws through the day to provide a perfect
refreshment in the afternoon.
for purchase right now. Lunch boxes are made with compartments
that don’t leak, which keeps it neat and cuts back on
waste. Purchase a good thermos, so that you can easily provide
a warm lunch. To ensure that your thermos will keep
Once your meal has been warmed, empty thermos and add
your hot food.
A look at Jen Wead
Jen Wead is a Florida native who has been catering events of all
sizes for over 20years. In addition to mothering and writing this
column, Jen teaches healthy cooking classes for Humana Community
Partners and has recently started a new endeavor in the
insurance industry. Jen loves building relationships through food
and throughout her community.
To reach Jen, email jen.wead@gmail.com.
4. Most kids (and adults) love old fashioned peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches. Why not add a little interest by switching
up the butters and jams. Cashew, almond, pecan, hazelnut
and walnut butters are all healthy alternatives to peanut
butter and the list of jellies and jams are extensive. You can
make nut butter and jelly sandwiches in advance and store
to thaw and they taste great! Make it more interesting for the
younger kids by using unique cutters to make the sandwiches
into cool shapes.
touching each other. *twitch* He seems to be more open to
meals when he has a hand in preparing them. Since all three
kids have very different tastes, this one pleases them all. Pasta
salad. That’s right. The way to do it, is have some hearty pasta
(aim for whole grain) cooked, cooled and slightly tossed with
olive oil. Put out lots of great ingredients and let them do the
building. Each kid gets a sealable, plastic bowl. Ingredients
should include various cheeses, cubed or sliced lunch meat,
tuna or shredded chicken, olives, veggies, tomatoes, adamame,
bacon bits, herbs, dressings, mayo, pesto, etc. The goal
is to do this after dinner on a night
that you have a lot of leftovers and
various odds and ends from the
fridge that needs to be eaten. Each
person starts with pasta and can
add whatever they would like, but
it has to include at least one veggie
and one protein. Most of the
time, they will get creative and
take ownership of their “art” and,
hopefully, they will look forward
to getting to eat it.
lot to choose from and breads keep
well in the freezer, so you don’t
have to worry about it going bad
before you use it all. Alternate between wraps, buns, sliced
breads, tortillas (think quesadilla, amiga), slider rolls, or none
at all.
7. Roll ups are a fun alternative for people of all ages that
are watching their carbs. Most commonly, people wrap roast
beef, or sliced deli meat around a cheese stick, but you can
also wrap veggies, or include cream cheese or pesto.
8. Hummus, hummus, hummus! This is our #1 lunch staple.
I make a big batch of traditional and then add various
dip for veggies and pita. (recipe below)
9. Breakfast is fun ALL the time. Healthy, but delicious
meal options that are good all day. When you make pancakes
34 • JULY/AUGUST 813.682.9364 FLORIDA WOMEN MAGAZINE
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