I’m so excited to share with my readers that This Lunch Rox is being featured on the Williams-Sonoma blog today where I talk about how you can turn superfoods into superpowers for kids. This was such a fun project for me and I feel honored to have had the opportunity! Be sure to check it out!
Welcome to another addition of Monday Mornings here on This Lunch Rox! Today’s breakfast features one of my boys’ all-time favorite breakfast treats…blueberry muffins. I found the original recipe for the muffins from a web-site called Comfy Belly which I think a lot of you might find useful based on the number of people out there who have written to me about specific allergies. If you click on her site you’ll see that she has recipes categorized by allergy (gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, lactose-free, etc…) My boys love muffins so I adapted this recipe as follows:
I typically make a batch of these and freeze them and pull them out as needed. They are great for breakfast, snack or even as a side at lunch or dinner. Because they are low in sugar and high in protein they keep the kids feeling satisfied and full much longer than they would with a piece of toast or other pastry.
When I started this blog I was excited about the prospect of sharing what I do with lunches and using the blog as a platform to share what I’ve learned about food and nutrition especially as it relates to children. However, I had no idea what the response would be, if any, to a blog like this. I hoped it would be well received and that readers wouldn’t think I was out of my mind.
Now I watch the statistics on my site and am continually amazed by the number of people from around the world that read the blog. It’s so encouraging to me knowing there are parents out there who desire more for their kids when it comes to school lunches and that more and more people are beginning to understand just how much the quality of food we feed our children affects their mood, behavior and overall health.
I love that with site statistic programs I’m able to see when other bloggers link my site to theirs. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the enthusiastic response to my blog, but just as I suspected there are a few naysayers out there who don’t share the love. People have commented with things like,”She’s teaching her kids to play with their food.” or “She’s overindulging her kids and their expectations when it comes to food are going to be way too high.” or one of my all-time personal favorites…”She must not have a job and has WAY too much time on her hands!”. While a little hard to swallow I do my best not to let those comments deter me from doing what I do here on This Lunch Rox. Here’s why:
As a working mother of two young boys I find I have very little time to do something I love. Some moms find creative outlets in projects like scrapbooking, quilting, card-making, beading or other activities. Making and preparing creative lunches for my boys happens to be my passion and it’s an activity that makes me truly happy. In the book, “The Happiness Project”, author Gretchen Rubin writes “…happiness research predicts that making time for a passion and treating it as a real priority instead of an “extra” to be fit in at a free moment (which many people practically never have) will bring a tremendous happiness boost.” I couldn’t agree with her more. Working on these lunches brings me so much joy and allows me (a person who rarely makes time for myself) a chance to do something I love! There is something gratifying about taking making the time for myself to do something that I love and that is so important to me. If you go back and read this post I go into much more detail about the alarming statistics regarding the health of the children today in the United States which is added incentive for me to continue doing what I do.
The reality is this…my lunch creations serve as my creative outlet all while fulfilling my desire to nourish my children with healthy foods. In the beginning, it was a way for me to entice my kids to choose cold lunch over the greasy, syrupy, sugar-filled trays they were tempted with on a daily basis at school. Over time this has grown into a hobby for me and I find a lot of joy in planning & creating fun lunches.
That being said, I want to take this moment to answer a few frequently asked questions and respond to some of the comments I’ve read on-line:
1) Do I make lunches like this every day? NO! There are plenty of days when my kids have what I call “quick and easy” lunches. I usually make a specialty lunch 2-3 times per week (sometimes less) depending on my schedule. Here are a few quick and easy lunches I’ve thrown together on busy mornings…I’m going to try to post more of these types of lunches throughout the school year so stay tuned.
2) Are you or anyone in your family gluten-free? Nobody in my family has an allergy or sensitivity to gluten, but I do limit the amount of gluten we consume on a daily basis. Over the years our society is consuming an extraordinary amount of wheat. The average American consumes appx 67% of their calories from just THREE foods…corn, soy and wheat. To put this in perspective, the caloric intake from these ingredients by our ancestors ranged somewhere between 1-5%. My kids do love sandwiches on wheat and lavash bread so, considering that most of the convenient, pre-packaged foods contain some derivative of corn, soy and wheat (high fructose corn syrup, corn oil, wheat flour, soy protein, etc…), I try to avoid those as much as possible to keep the percentage of calories consumed from corn, soy and wheat more in line with our ancestors than today’s average American. If you are interested in this topic you can read more here.
3) Do the lunches you make really stay together by the time lunch rolls around? Not always. In the beginning we had a lot of failed attempts! The lunches were still edible but there was very little resemblance to what we started with in the morning. After a lot of trial and error I’ve found some strategies that work really well keeping the lunch in place until lunch time. If you read this post you’ll see how I was using toothpicks to hold sandwiches together and placing a folded napkin over the entire lunch to keep things from shifting. Since then I’ve found mini cookie sticks which I think will work really well holding pieces together (you may have to cut them down to fit in the lunch box, but with a strong pair of scissors or wire cutters that shouldn’t be a problem).
4) Do you work? I can’t imagine having the time to make these kinds of lunches?! Yes. I have not one job, but THREE! I own two small businesses that I operate with my husband and a VERY lean staff along with a business consulting job. I do a fair amount of traveling with my job(s) which means I have to be diligent with grocery and meal planning. Like I said earlier, this really isn’t about taking the time to do what I love…it’s making the time. Here’s me doing my thing outside of the kitchen:
5) Do your kids really eat what you put in the lunch boxes or do you end up throwing a lot of it away. My kids DO eat most of every lunch I send with them. Occasionally they get distracted during lunch and they leave some behind, but my growing boys like to eat so that doesn’t happen often. Because I want my kids filled with foods to sustain them for the rest of the school day I try never to include foods that I know they won’t eat in their lunch boxes. I will say that when we first transitioned from our old eating habits getting my kids to try new foods was a bit of a challenge. You can read this post where I explain some tactics I used to encourage them to try new foods. I’ll be the first to admit that this transition wasn’t easy, but it was worth all the effort and then some!
6) Are you worried that you are teaching your kids that food is a toy and not food? Not at all. I try not to take myself too seriously when it comes to these lunches…it’s just me having fun and giving my boys something to smile about during the day. However, it is my hope is that by doing this my children will grow to be mindful eaters. You can read more on Mindful Eating in this article. The basic idea is that there are benefits for those who eat with all 5 senses. In this hurried world it does pay off to look, notice and taste food rather than just mindlessly consuming it. Creating fun lunches for them and using a variety of colors with fruits and vegetables will hopefully encourage them to stop and notice the food they are about to eat.
Author Shauna Niequist writes in her book “Cold Tangerines”, “...feeding the people I love is a hands-on way of loving them. When you nourish and sustain someone, essentially you are saying that you want them to thrive, to be happy and healthy and able to live well.” Those words really hit home for me and helped me understand that what I’m doing goes beyond just putting a cute lunch in a box. So, with that I’d like to say a big thank you to all of you who continue reading my blog. I’m looking forward to another year of fun lunches here on This Lunch Rox.
Oh, and don’t forget to enter the Sheer Addiction Jewelry Giveaway if you haven’t already! You can also find a $10 coupon code to her on-line store in that post!
I’m shifting focus away from lunches today and for good reason! My insanely talented friend, Tamara, has been by my side since the beginning of this lunch box project. Tamara is the creative genius behind Sheer Addiction Jewelry and has created pieces for a number of celebrities including Ryan Seacrest, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Kimberly Locke just to name a few. Tamara and I went on a spa getaway last year and during our stay I mentioned that I was considering starting a little blog to share my lunch box creations. After listening to me talk through it she looked at me and asked the simple question, “Does it make you happy?”. When I said yes she responded by saying that it never hurts to “do more of what makes you happy.” That was all the motivation I needed to move forward with the project. Two weeks later my blog was up and running and the rest is history!
Recently Tamara gifted me with the necklace shown below as a little congratulations gift on following through with This Lunch Rox. She included my boys’ initials along with the quote that encouraged me to move forward with my blog. Here’s the good news…she has offered to give away a quote necklace to one lucky This Lunch Rox reader! Simply “like” her fan page on Facebook and leave a comment under the photo that looks just like the one below on the wall of her fan page. A random winner will be drawn on Saturday, Aug. 27th at 10am CST. Plus she is giving all of my readers $10 off anything in her store. Simply use coupon code: HAPPY
As we get closer to the start of the school year I’m receiving an increasing number of requests for information about the items I use to pack lunches. There are so many fun products on the market with the current popularity of bento box lunches which makes shopping for new supplies oh, so fun…but I can see how overwhelming it could be to someone just getting started with packing cold lunches. I’ve been busy stocking my lunch making supplies so I thought now might be the perfect opportunity to show you all a little peek behind the scenes and share some of my favorite lunch box gear.
One question I’m often asked is how I store and organize all of my supplies. I like to keep everything in one space so it’s easy to find so I designated a cabinet just for lunch gear. Here’s a picture of the cabinet: (Bottom shelf: lunch boxes and bags, Middle shelf: cookie cutters, Top Shelf: silicone muffin cups, cocktail picks and mini craft sticks, cupcake kits.)
Now on to lunch boxes and bags! Below are a few of my tried and true lunch storage containers along with some brand new products I’m anxious to test when school starts. First up is the Spencer Bento Box and the Mackenzie Lunch Bag from Pottery Barn Kids. This was my “go-to” lunch kit last year as I found it incredibly easy to pack, the compartments were just the right size, and there is enough room under the bento box for two ice packs when placed in the lunch bag. Just know that the compartment on the top left has a lid…this lid does NOT seal tightly so you don’t want to put liquid foods in that compartment (applesauce, yogurt, etc…). I usually use that compartment to hold a sweet treat.
Next up, is the Mackenzie Retro Lunch Bag and Spencer Food Containers (including the Spencer Chip and Dip Container) all from Pottery Barn Kids. This bag works perfectly with my favorite Thermos which you can find in the new “This Lunch Rox” Amazon store I’ve set up so you can browse through some of my favorite lunch making finds. What I love about the bag below is that you can store something warm in the thermos and tuck it away in the top of the bag and there is plenty of room in the bottom to store multiple food containers with room for an ice pack underneath. That way warm food stays warm and cold food stays cold!
New to the line up this year is the Go Green Lunch Box. I haven’t used this one yet, but I’m excited about the sealed individual compartments within the box. It seems a bit large to send with my Kindergartner, but it appears to be about the perfect size for my 3rd grader. I’ll be sure to review this one further once we’ve had a chance to use it a few times.
Another new box/bag added to the line-up is the Planet Box (also available at Pottery Barn Kids). There is much to love about this container…starting with the bag. This is one of the only bags I’ve found that has a designated spot for a water bottle. The compartments are spacious and I love the sealed containers that fit perfectly in the box when closed. This box/bag combination is a little on the heavier side compared to the rest but not heavy enough to deter me from using it.
If you’ve been following my blog I’m sure you know that one of my staple supplies is my collection of Lock & Lock Boxes. These containers are especially great for little fingers as they are very easy to open/close. They are also great companions to any of the lunch bags shown above and they work very well for sending individual snack servings to school.
I’ve tried LOTS of ice packs over the past year and the Rubbermaid Blue Ice packs shown below were the best I’ve found by far! Typically I pack two ice packs under any of the lunch boxes shown above and because I’m placing these in an insulated bag along with the lunch these were usually still frozen by the time my son came home from school.
One of the most frequently asked questions I get is where I find my cookie cutters. I have a crazy knack for finding cookie cutters when I’m out and about but I’ve found some great on-line resources as well. You can find some of my staple cookie cutters including the mini alphabet, circles, etc… in my Amazon store. I’ll be adding fun cookie cutters by category to the store as I can, but you can also find a great assortment at Cheap Cookie Cutters. If you are looking for specialized cookie cutters visit one of my all-time favorite cookie cutter stores at Kitchen Collectables.
Last but not are the silicone muffin cups! These are GREAT for packing fruits, vegetables, trail mix, etc…in a lunch box. This is an easy way to add fun shapes and color to any lunch box.
To all of the parents out there gearing up for back to school…good luck! I hope this post was helpful.
In the past few weeks I’ve received several e-mails from readers asking how I handle breakfast during the school year. Some of you may remember this post or this post in which I talked about how food effects our brains and its ability to function throughout the day. Before we made the transition to healthier eating I was sending my son out the door having had a bowl (or two) of cereal, milk and a glass of orange juice. In the past year I’ve done quite a bit of reading about this topic and have transformed the way we do breakfast as a result.
Studies show that children who eat diets rich in fiber and protein perform better in school than those who consume diets low in protein and high in sugar. Not only does protein and fiber take longer to digest than high sugar foods, but they also supply essential amino acids that combine to form proteins that are essential for managing the neurotransmitters in the brain. So the bowl (or two) of cereal I was feeding my son not only contained at least a day’s worth of sugar, it also had very little protein or fiber to keep him going throughout the school day. My goal now is to feed my kids a breakfast that will sustain their energy levels and keep their blood sugar stable on a daily basis.
As you can see from the photo below, I’ve been busy preparing foods for the start of the school year which is right around the corner! Stay tuned to the blog for a “Monday Morning” series where I’ll continue talking breakfast. In this series I’ll share the recipes I make ahead and freeze which helps school mornings go a little smoother. Here’s a little preview of what’s to come!
Today’s “Monday Morning” feature is one of my kid’s favorites…the Egg Breakfast Sandwich:
Egg Breakfast Sandwich:
Beat one egg, fry egg in preheated fry pan (shape the egg into a circle appx. the same size as your English muffin or bagel), toast muffin or bagel, place egg on top of toasted bread, cover with one slice of cheese. Wrap each egg sandwich in wax paper or parchment paper and freeze. Before serving warm egg sandwich in the oven or toaster oven. (You could probably microwave them, but be VERY careful not to overheat as the egg may explode. I’ve never tried microwaving one…I’m too nervous to try.)
It’s hard to believe that summer is winding down and in just a few short weeks both of my boys will go back to school! One of our goals over the summer was to start working with our boys on budgeting and financial responsibility. The boys had an opportunity to earn an allowance each week and we wanted to use that to teach them about money management. I stumbled across this bank with four chambers including; “Save”, “Spend”, “Invest” and “Donate”.
This was perfect as we wanted the boys to be able to visualize how dividing their money into different areas will allow them to reach various financial goals over time. This has been quite an experience and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how the boys have chosen to divide their earnings. Today is allowance pay day so I thought I’d make a money themed lunch.
Today’s lunch includes: double-decker grilled cheese sandwich, carrots/broccoli, kiwi/blueberries, cheese curds, almonds, sugar-free peanut butter cookies (you could use sunbutter in place of peanut butter if peanut allergies are a concern)
I apologize for the little blog hiatus…my husband and I planned a spontaneous trip out West with our boys so the past few weeks have been a bit of a blur. I must say that all the chaos that went into pulling this trip together was WELL worth it in the end. We had an incredible time and I would highly recommend making a trip to the Black Hills with your kids if you haven’t done so already. This very well might go down as one of our boys’ favorite family trips!
Because the trip as over 1300 miles round trip we thought it might be fun to rent an RV rather than making the trip by car. The boys couldn’t have been more excited when they woke up on the morning of our trip to see the RV waiting outside. They ran out to explore the RV and simply could not wait to take off. I knew the excitement of riding in an RV could very well wear off considering we’d be traveling for over 10 hours so I tried to plan a lot of activities to keep the boys busy. I packed plenty of books, coloring books, and I found a GREAT site for printable road trip games at Mom’s Mini Van. The boys LOVED the license plate game and were thrilled to have found all but 9 of the states by the time our trip ended.
The boys were so excited about the idea of eating in the RV so I packed an RV-themed lunch for them to enjoy along the way. The lunch included a peanut butter Lavash Bread sandwich (if peanut allergies are a concern you might try substituting sunbutter), grapes, carrots, chocolate granola bars
When we finally arrived in the Black Hills the boys could hardly wait to get a glimpse of Mount Rushmore. Luckily, our campground was just a few miles past the famous landmark so they got to see it for the first time as we rolled through town!
When we toured Mt. Rushmore a few days into our stay the boys decided to take part in the Junior Ranger program. If you’re not familiar with the Junior Park Ranger program, it’s basically an educational program provided by the National Park Service. Children are given a booklet of tasks to complete and when they’ve completed the booklet they are officially sworn in as a park ranger and given a badge showing they’ve completed the Jr. Ranger program at that specific park. Both of our son’s took part in this during our Mount Rushmore visit and they were thrilled when they became official Junior Park Rangers!
Also, if you plan a trip to any National Park in the U.S. be sure to pick up a passport book. This is a great way for your kid’s to keep track of when they visited various parks around the country. We bought both of the boys a book and we were able to get three pages stamped on our trip as we visited Mt. Rushmore, Wind Cave and Jewel Cave…all part of the National Park system. The boys are already chomping at the bit to visit more National Parks so they can get more pages of their book stamped. Besides visiting National Parks we spent a lot of time exploring other areas of the Black Hills. We spent time at our campground playing, visited Reptile Garden and Bear Country, explored an old mining cave, went horseback riding through Custer State Park, and took scenic drives around Custer State Park including Iron Mountain Road and the Wildlife Loop. The boys loved touring the caves in and around the Black Hills. By the end of our trip we toured a total of three caves for a grand total of 1703 stairs…YOWZERS!
The night before we left we surprised the boys with a Chuckwagon Dinner. Most of the commercial outfits we found on-line were either booked or they were closed for the Sturgis Rally. We were pretty persistent as we really wanted out boys to experience an old-fashioned chuckwagon dinner while we were out there. We were running out of time finding one when we finally came across Spring Valley Ranch. This is a privately owned working cattle ranch just outside of Custer, SD. When Ned, the owner, heard that we wanted our boys to experience an authentic chuckwagon ride before we left the Black Hills he assured us we found just the right place. He invited us to his property the night before we were leaving and promised our boys would be treated to the “real deal”. We arrived to find he and his wife busy preparing our meal over the coals outside. They explained that everything being served came from right there on the property…a true “farm to table” experience! Cowboy Casey took us on a wagon ride around the property explaining life on the ranch and showed us some historic sites around the ranch. A quick note to Ned and Doris…thank you for your hospitality and for the delicious meal. And a huge thank you to Cowboy Casey for making our wagon ride such a great experience! This was a great way to end our trip out West! Something tells me our boys will remember this one for many years to come.
