School Lunches

School lunches, here we are half way thru October and I am still dealing with the school lunch issue each week and in the debate as to what to send.

Most kids I know want a lunch box filled with crap, sugary granola bars, packaged cookies, sugary sweetened yogurt containers, candy, chocolate, Lunchables! My daughter is no different and asks me constantly for a range of the above items, which I, for the most part deny. Don’t get me wrong, and certainly don’t let my kids fool you, they get their share of unhealthy sugary sweet “treats”, however I prefer to keep them controlled, to a minimum and preferably out of their lunch boxes when I can.

Kids, adults too, all of us really, need proper fuel to get us through the day. Sometimes what is proper and what offers itself up as convenient are complete opposite ends of the spectrum.

Protein, fats, vegetables and fruits are what I typically try to get into the lunch box each day. I try to avoid simple carbs as much as possible and only use whole grains if I can, however have to keep in mind that I’d like my daughter to eat and not binge after school at snack time.

I find it difficult to find good protein sources that she will happily eat in her lunch, I try and limit sandwiches and avoid as much pre-packaged, pre made foods as I possibly can.

Some lunch box choices that are common in our house (for the 5 year old anyway)

• Hard boiled eggs – a little nutrition powerhouse, contains B vitamins, K, D, selenium and protein, keep some handy in the fridge for quick easy snacks
• Yogurt – not the sweetened kind, plain, whole, full fat yogurt with no added sugar, greek yogurt is taking centre stage lately as it is produced naturally without added sugar and is naturally low in fat (which for some seem to be a priority). 
• Yogurt is something that I buy on occasion, as it is a dairy product, dairy is mucus forming and so in my house we tend to limit the dairy products. Kefir is supposed to be an excellent substitute, which is dairy free, however I have not yet tried it
• It’s too bad that peanut allergies are such an issue these days, I love using nuts as a protein, however they are a strict no no when it comes to school!
• Cheese, again you run into the dairy issue here, I try and use this on occasion
• Meats – leftovers are handy, this is where a sandwich comes in handy, I find she eats anything if it’s in a sandwich, more so than if I put it by itself in her lunch.
• Lunch meats are highly processed, often full of sodium, bad fats, preservatives etc so should be avoided as much as possible.
• Canned tuna and salmon – although fresh fish is certainly much healthier and tastier, I find these to be quick protein sources in my house that she will eat without complaint
• Raw vegetables and fruits, homemade apple sauce (without sugar), homemade soups (this we’re still working on!)
• In place of jam I prefer to use organic apple butter, it is yummy and there is no added sugar to worry about

A treat that I made last week seemed to be quite enjoyed in the lunch box was Chocolate Banana Bread, made with Chick Pea Flour. Chick pea flour is gluten free, a good source of protein, high in fibre and a good source of minerals as well.

I adapted this recipe from one I found online at http://www.luculliandelights.com/

Chocolate Banana Bread (made with Chick Pea Flour!)
3 eggs

200 ml sugar

100 g salted butter, melted

3 ripe bananas, mashed (used some I had in the freezer)

2 full tablespoons sour cream

1.5 cups chickpea flour

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

• Using a hand blender, whisk or beat eggs with sugar until it becomes extremely fluffy (will increase in size!) before adding butter, sour cream and the mashed bananas.
• Mix with a hand blender
• Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into the batter and stir until completely mixed.
• Pour into a greased loaf tin and bake in a pre-heated oven (175°C/350°F) for 40 minutes or until done. The original recipe stated 25-30 minutes, however I found mine to be too liquid at that point so I baked it longer, probably closer to an hour, you may need to experiment with your oven!

 So the lunch box saga continues on, as I experiment with a few more items I will be glad to post, in the meantime I am open to suggestions as well.