Begin with a plan...lunch

Hard to believe there are only a few weeks left of school!  I was absolutely sure that one of the many joys of the upcoming summer break for my children would be to eat something (anything!) other than a peanut butter & jelly sandwich for lunch.

Surprisingly, when I actually took a poll, I was dead wrong.  On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being "I love pbj sandwiches to death everyday", and 10 being "I'm going to puke if I have to eat another pbj"), the kids ranked themselves 4 or below.  They say it's nice to have a change every once in a while, but overall they're pretty content with their packed lunches. 

I guess I was putting undue pressure on myself to change up our packed lunches.  Nonetheless, just for fun, I peeled off the two lunch idea articles I had cut out and taped to the inside of the lunchbox cupboard a few years ago.  Yes, several years ago. They are tattered despite never having been used.  One is entitled, "Kids love to assemble their own lunches".  Hmm, not so in my house.  Mine are quite happy to leave the packing to me.

 

I slap the pbj sandwich together, toss in a fruit (fresh or fruit cup with no sugar added) and veggie (carrots, celery sticks, or red bell pepper strips), and call it good.  It's expedient, reportedly satisfying, and chalks up two servings on the F&V tracker.  Why fix it if it's not broken?  Finally, I dropped those articles into the trash.

I will, however, try to incorporate a dinner each week that lends for tasty, packable leftovers just for variety.  Packing lunches on those mornings is a breeze!  Some of our favorites are pizza, burrito, and Colorado Calzone . These will make convenient, help-yourself summer lunches, too.

Let's hear what others pack for their own or their kid's lunches.  Simply click on the "No comments" below this post.

For my friends and others whose children are on a gluten-free diet, "100 Gluten Free School Lunch Ideas"  looks like a winning resource for everyone- whether packing or eating at home.