So, have I mentioned I have an obsessive mind? You might have noticed. Thankfully, for the past few days, I've had a new obsession: healthy lunches and accessories for my kids, who are starting a new daycare in a month.
I haven't had to pack lunches for 3 years, as my awesome daycare provider prepared healthy, hot Ecuadorian lunches every day for them. I remember what a relief it was when I could stop worrying about lunch. Boy, will I miss her, for this and many other reasons.
So in typical B style, I have been scouring the web and Amazon for lunch ideas, lunch boxes, lunch containers, napkins, sandwich holders, thermoses, you name it. And I've been getting a little excited about buying cute stuff and making sure they have well-balanced meals and snacks daily. And creating weekly lunch menus, as well as food lists for when I'm stuck in a rut.
I have all sorts of goals:
- I want to be as green as possible and rely on reusable containers.
- I want to provide them with a varied diet and reduce the cracker/goldfish type snacks we've been eating.
- I want to expand their palates and expose them to new foods.
I've found all sorts of fun ideas, like this EasyLunchbox system (I LOVE systems and programs!), these tupperware containers, these little dip containers, millions of Bento box links, like laptop lunches and blogs like this one . I will admit that the Bento thing appeals to my precise nature, but I think it's just a little too much work. I think I'm going to go with the Easy Lunchbox system- one container to wash per child.
And then there is the question of water/juice bottles. I don't want to send juice/milk boxes daily. We had these these Thermos ones last year, and they were leak-free and great. But I'm wondering if Sigg bottles are a better way to go, though I read some complaints about the lid and the company itself.
Since my kids are not huge fans of sandwiches (I blame my husband, who hates sandwiches. What? How can you hate sandwiches? There's nothing better than a good sandwich!!) or trying new things, I am going to start introducing these foods now (we have a month until daycare) and trying to be more firm about eating what's in front of them rather than filling up on snacks.
Such fun!
I'm curious how my new friends abroad handle all this. Do your kids eat the local foods? Do you find yourself shipping snacks from the States? Do you send lunches to foreign schools? I know in some places, like Venezuela where I lived for a year, the kids come home for a large meal at lunchtime. Is that common elsewhere? Love to hear your thoughts on this.
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6 comments:
Even if you never go overseas, your kids will be well-served by having been taught to eat what's put in front of them. Making sure it's healthy means they'll thank you doubly later. And if it's "green," all the better.
I'm a big advocate of water-drinking. It's good for you -- assuming it's clean -- and doesn't add any calories or artificial things.
As for snacks, I have a lot of friends who ship Goldfish crackers and the like when they go to consumables posts, the thought being that comfort snacks are good to have on hand.
It's all a personal decision, of course, but I'd aim for getting your kids to eat a wide variety of the healthiest things possible. You don't want them to be so picky that you always have to make lunches even when there are good, healthy lunches available. (Yes, some schools, even in the U.S., have such a thing.) But you want them to like sandwiches, too.
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I agree with Zoe. Even here we really avoid the goldfish and such. Personally, we are big fans of leftovers for lunches. Thermos makes a BPA free stainless steel container that is great for leftovers that have been heated up in the a.m. I also have a Bento box style lunch bag, and various stainless steel containers, as well as cloth napkins.
Cait takes care of her lunches, but I still assist Kelsey. Juice boxes are a special treat for her (and only Honest Kids), so most of the time she takes the smallest Sigg in her lunch bag. I have caved occasionally and let her have organic yogurt tubes (I hate the packaging waste), and we bought a wrap-mat and re-snack its to replace ziploc bags.
Overseas? It was heavenly, she ate the school lunch (to include blood pudding, blech) and they had reusable service items, water pitchers on each table, and composted the leftovers...boy, do I miss that!
thank you both, I enjoyed your comments! Which country are you talking about, Jen? My first attempts to 'help' the kids like new foods did not go over well- they both refused my peanut noodles and turkey sandwiches! But I am undeterred. :)
Iceland. Participation in lunch at preschool was mandatory and Kelsey became very used to Icelandic cuisine. To be fair, though, she has always been extremely adventurous (today's afternoon snack was chicken biryani).
She could have opted out of the lunch program at the International School, but she loved the menu. If I remember correctly, raw veggies were also served at most meals. Everything was served family style and so much less waste than the schools here...
Ship snacks - definitely ship snacks ... but get your kids to eat the local food ASAP!! After 2 years my kids FINALLY eat some of the local cuisine. But it's been a difficult journey.
And as my husband would say... it's just unAmerican that your husband doesn't eat sandwiches. Of course, I don't eat cheese - so that's probably just the same!
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