Packing Organic School Lunches

School bells have rung and for us busy parents that means about nine months of packing lunches. “UGH”, I can hear you now.

My girlfriend recently emailed frantically asking for help, “HELP! I’m going to the store and I don’t know what to buy”. Ok Lisa, here we go.

When reading magazines or in-store publications on kids’ lunch ideas, I laugh every time they mention hummus or tabbouleh as an option. Hummus? Really? What kid, besides my nephew, eats hummus?

Just because you want to give your kids healthy tote able food doesn’t mean they don’t have to like it. Now, I’ll admit these lunch bags have stared back at me empty many a morning while I’ve asked myself that dreaded question: What to pack for lunch.

Here’s some help from my own busy, kid tested household. First of all start with what your kids like. If they enjoy the standard sandwich, chips, fruit and a treat start there making it natural and as organic as possible. Let’s break it down item by item.

Sandwiches-If the classic PBJ is on the menu, choose all natural peanut butter made with peanuts and salt. Avoid the brands with added sugar and/or hydrogenated oils. Lucky for me, my store brand peanut butter is not only all natural, it’s the cheapest brand on the shelf and yes, it tastes fabulous. If you want organic pb, go for it. The added expense is pretty significant here so I stick with natural myself. You may even experiment with almond butter instead of peanut butter or raw honey instead of jam. If you want jam, again read the labels and watch for added flavors, colors, and sweeteners (including artificial ones). There are some great brands out there sweetened only with fruit juice.

Perhaps a deli sandwich is more to their liking. Our girls love a good turkey and cheese sub. This is the not the place to cut corners. Deli meat from animals not given added hormones or antibiotics and not preserved to last “forever” will cost more, enough to make you reconsider. Don’t. Stick with your guns and cut costs elsewhere. We buy hormone, antibiotic, preservative free deli meat and I have grumbled under my breath more than once when looking at the price but then I look at those little faces and I’m reminded it’s well worth it. Because this meat is not preserved, do not buy a week’s worth. It won’t last. Buy what you will eat in the next two or three days and then pack something else or make another quick trip to the store for more. The cheese we buy is also from cows not treated with hormones. Other than that the sandwich is simple, a little mayo and that’s it. No onions, lettuce or tomato b/c they either make your breath stink or get soggy, none of which are cool in a school cafeteria. Which is why egg salad and tuna fish, though favorites at home, are not welcomed in the lunch bag.

The bread-we go all natural here too. They love the baguettes from the bakery so when doing our traditional Sunday run to the store, we pick up a loaf and use it for sandwiches the first two days of the week. Other than that, we choose loaves off the store shelves. I have tried organic breads from the bakery but they are expensive and dry and to me not worth it. On the bread aisle, I’ve found organic brands comparable in price to the conventional and are even buy one get one free from time to time! That’s when you stock the freezer.

My kids hate the crust. Why argue? I cut the crust off, throw them in a jar in the freezer and use them to make croutons and bread crumbs. Everyone’s happy and no food wasted. Plus I never have to buy croutons or bread crumbs again.

That should cover it on sandwiches.

Besides a sandwich-Egg noodles with butter and peas will work for my kids if their in the mood. In the morning I’ll boil the noodles; they only take about 5 minutes. Drain, toss with butter and throw some frozen peas on top. By the time lunch rolls around the peas are defrosted and though the noodles aren’t piping hot, they are room temperature and still soft and yummy.

Fried rice is a great solution for left over rice. If they’re taking it to school, I’ll omit the egg since it won’t be refrigerated. Once again, I’ll quickly do this in the morning so it’s the right temperature at lunch time. Heat some olive oil, fry the rice a bit, add frozen peas and carrots, toss a couple of times and turn the heat off. Season to taste and pack it up.

Those lunch things. You know the ones; the crackers and cheese are all nicely packed up with a juice and a candy bar along with additives, preservatives and a nice price tag. Make your own. Buy all natural whole grain crackers, maybe even try flax crackers. An organic cheese block can be cut into cute little squares in minutes and the deli will be happy to cut you a thick slice of ham or turkey (all natural of course) so you can make those bite sized pieces just like the big guys. A few homemade cookies will be healthier and much tastier than any packaged goody. Make a few of these and you’ll never buy a vacuum packed cheese and cracker lunch again.

Chips-Go all natural. No need for forty something chemicals in your “cheese” infused flavor injected chips. Potatoes or corn, salt, oil. It doesn’t need to get much more complicated than that.

Fruit-My mom always packed a piece of fresh fruit in our lunches everyday and guess what? I do the same for my kids-thanks Mom! Take it a notch higher by thinking organic and local if possible. When buying produce, remember when you buy seasonal you get the best value. When fruit is in season, the organic version is comparable in price and sometimes the same as their conventional counterparts. If you can’t buy organic, use the dirty dozen and clean 15 lists to help you pick and chose. Aside from the standard apple or orange, how about organic grapes or strawberries, ½ a kiwi, pieces of melon cut bite size? Those are favorites in our household and I’ll share packing ideas in my next blog.

Drinks-When choosing milk, choose organic and watch for added sugar and flavors even in the organic brands. Soy, rice, and almond milk are popular alternatives to dairy but again, read the labels. That chocolate soy milk goes down silky smooth for a reason. It’s delicious, no way around that, but “it’s a treat”. At least that’s what I tell my kids.

Boxes of juice and small water bottles are cute and convenient but do create more waste. How about buying a stainless steel water bottle for everyone in the house and filling it up each day with their drink of choice (preferably filtered water)? Not only will you be cutting waste, you’ll be cutting costs.

Snacks-Our kids are allowed a snack at some point during the school day so I have to pack that too. A Jen’s Healthy Whole Wheat Muffin is their favorite. You’ll never see these coming home uneaten. Yogurt was a favorite until I realized how much sugar was in those things. Good gracious. We’ve had to back off those a bit, but every once in a while, we do it.

Whole food bars are quite popular now and there are some great flavors to choose from. Read the labels and know what you’re buying. Look for simple ingredients like dates, almonds, coconut. If it gets hard to pronounce, you’d have to wonder why. The good bars aren’t cheap, I’ll admit. Some weeks we can do this and some weeks we can’t, but that’s what keeps lunch interesting. When we can, our favorites are Lara Bars and Pure Bliss Bars home grown right here in Atlanta

Homemade nut mix is our ultimate stand bye. We get various unsalted raw nuts and one type of roasted and salted nut. There’s enough salt on those to salt all the raw nuts so we’re good on flavor. Then we get either, yogurt or chocolate covered almonds, pretzels or raisins. Add some raw pumpkin and sunflower seeds and we’re ready to mix.

The girls each have a bowl and make their own. I do monitor the sweet stuff going in but other than that, it’s all theirs. The mix is loaded in empty glass jars and stored in the fridge ready to go for the week.

So there you have it, lunch ideas to keep you munchin’ for a while. Remember, think clean ingredients. The fewer the better and choose organic whenever possible. Keep this in mind and I’m sure all our kids will agree, lunch is the best part of the day!
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