A New Chapter

Hello again! My posts on This Lunch Rox have been sporadic the past few years, as our family has been shifting out of the era of cute lunches and into a whirlwind of a new adventure. Our oldest is now in high school and our youngest started middle school this year, which means their life (and ours) is now a balance between school activities, homework, and several different sports.  This dramatic shift means we’re out of the themed lunch phase, and have entered the ‘how much food can physically be crammed into this lunch box’ phase. 

 Since both boys are growing like crazy and both are involved in multiple sports year-round, I’ve been trying my hardest to fuel their bodies with nutritious food that they don’t have to be bribed to try! Anyone who has teenage boys knows they can eat a lot (and by a lot, I mean A LOT)! What I'm learning, though, is that when I fuel the boys with the right kinds of food (healthy fats, proteins, fruits/veggies, etc...) they are less likely to crave empty calorie foods. 

 I’ve had a lot of conversations with friends lately about this very topic. The struggle to keep growing, active boys supplied with healthy food seems to be a common dilemma. This challenge has prompted me to start a new chapter here at This Lunch Rox. My hope is that I can continue the conversation about food/nutrition, but in a way that’s more relevant to where we are with older kids. 

 It's easy to get overwhelmed with all the information out there about various foods. For a while I got stuck in a rut because it felt like every other week I'd read studies that showed this food is bad, then that food is bad. You can find articles that tell you to avoid dairy at all costs, avoid meat at all costs, don't eat any non-organic anything. For me, it's been a matter of finding balance and finding what works for my kids. I try to make the best choices I can, but I also need it to be reasonable and practical for my family. 

My hope is that this new focus can explore a balance between healthy, filling foods that fuel active teenagers while being delicious and practical to whip up on a busy schedule.  Thanks for joining me for this new, exciting chapter of healthy eating!

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It felt a bit overwhelming with where to start back in again, so I thought I'd begin with the basics...my "staple" grocery items. Here are my ‘must-have’ items: (Click on the image below to download the grocery list!)