Tuesday, August 31, 2010

An Apple a Day




Today:
Grilled Cheddar/apple sandwich on wheat and white
Carrots & ranch
Banana/peanut butter dippers




I know I'm pushing Boo on this one. She is not exactly a sandwich fan (unless it's PB&J) and she hates bananas, or so she says.









Lesson 1: Too much food, pack a lighter lunch.




Lesson 2: Do not buy a whole loaf of wheat and a whole loaf of white to pack one child's lunch UNLESS you are somehow related to the Earl of Sandwich, which we have already stated we're not :)



Lesson 3: Try smooth PB next time.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Houston, We have a Lunch!

While preparing for this experiment, I bookmarked a million fun ideas. This one caught her eye and she decided that was what she wanted on her first day back.


Houston, we have a Lunch:



She even made the pencils herself!

Cheese Pencils
Greek Yogurt w/ Honey and Bear Naked Granola
Carrots & Ranch
Apple Slices

The Box

Meet our box:




Klip It Cube



It has three compartments, is microwaveable, dishwasher & freezer safe AND it's BPA free. I'm thinking this is the best one out there for the sandwich based lunches. I also got a couple of these small food keepers.

Unfortunately, Boo is not exactly The Lady of Sandwich so for salads, pastas, etc. I'm going to have to try a different box because the Klip it lunch cube is not designed to hold liquid based foods.

Why?

Boo is a picky eater. We've struggled for quite a few years now. We've tried a million different things to get her to try new foods, but haven't had much luck. Since she only eats a handful of things, packing lunches has always been a challenge. She would cry before trying a sandwich, carrots with ranch, soup or a tortilla pinwheel. She would rather starve than eat some apple slices with PB or caramel!

This is what Boo's lunch looked like any given day last year:



Yep, the classic stand-by consisting of a cheese stick, yogurt and fruit. That's it. If Boo was feeling adventurous, I would include some crackers and sliced cheese instead of the cheese stick.

And guess what would come back from school in her lunch box each day. . .











wait for it. . .








Yep, the same cheese stick, yogurt and fruit. And yes, sometimes milk from school comes back too.


Then BooBoo came along and as it turns out, she's a foodie in the making. She will try everything and eat anything on the table. It was then that Boo started to try new things. If BooBoo liked it, it must not be so bad, right? You have to love the kid's logic.

So now as I sing It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (and no, it's not Christmas yet) I I've decided to take lunch prep a step further and think Inside The Box.

So here it is, our one school-year experiment, where I hope to boost Boo's foodie future and expect to get to healthier (ie no sugary yogurt, more veggies!)and fully eaten lunches soon.