Summer is over for my two young men, so I am making school lunches every day. Finding what to put in their bags can be a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be an insurmountable one.
I start with a fundamental question:
- What will I absolutely not include in their sacks?
This is an important query. Folks will find their own way, but many of the items advertised for lunch boxes are processed crap masquerading as sustenance. We know that it’s unhealthy; we know it’s addictive, yet we still see this stuff marketed at us. It may have “as much calcium as an 8 oz. glass of milk,” but Kraft doesn’t trumpet the trans fats, artificial dyes and other nasty stuff in the ingredients.
Nonfat Milk, Water, Sugar, Modified Corn Starch, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, less than 2% of: Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Yellow 5, Yellow 6.
That isn’t the nutrition I want my kids gobbling, so I will not be including anything like that “pudding.” Once we have that framework, then we discuss what we will include. I ask two questions:
- Will it make me proud to feed them these items?
- Will they eat them?
I understand the balance between healthy and convenient, flexible and diligent, aware and open. I can pack the world’s healthiest lunch, but it does no good if my men won’t eat it. In fact, my oldest regularly requests peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. This is not my personal meal of choice, and it’s not the ideal fuel for his tank. He’s hungry and I’m creative, though, so we can make this work. We may have to compromise on the exact menu, but we don’t have to provide low quality ingredients. I purchase the highest quality bread that he’ll eat sans my “no chance” items like high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, etc. He’ll always get a jelly like this one and as natural a peanut butter as possible.
But even my high quality PB and J only takes us so far. To really plan out a menu, before school starts, we have a family meeting.
Me: “Men, what would you like to see in your lunches this year? I’ll make you whatever you want and buy anything within reason, but I need your help. I don’t want you throwing food away at school. If we need to practice some trial and error for a while until we find the right rotation, so be it. We’ll just keep communicating until we discover our sweet spot.”
My boys: “I don’t know”
Me: “Hell no, that won’t do. Get in the car.”
We went straight to the grocery store and walked up and down the aisles together. This wasn’t our first rodeo. They knew better than to grab Oreos and Doritos (stop salivating). We walked away with somewhat acceptable bread, mixed nuts, nectarines, bananas, Clif bars (I told you I’m flexible), chicken, beef and spinach.
Both boys wanted chicken legs or steak (I cook them in advance; they eat it cold). My younger son digs nuts (cue immature laughter) and fruit; my older son is good with a few spinach leaves. He also had a specific request based on his long days with football practice after school.
“Dad, how about some chicken legs and two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?”
“Consider it done,” I told him.
That’s his typical lunch as we chat here in August of 2014. It checks my two boxes: I know he’ll eat it, and I can lay my head on the pillow after supplying him with it.
I will share one more trick. I always put what I want him to eat most on top with the hope that if he’s in a hurry, he hits that item subconsciously. I put the PB and J sandwiches in his bag at the bottom, and then layer the chicken legs next. The bag of spinach goes in last, resting at the very top.
Is my system perfect? Far from it. That’s not the goal here. I end up with content and nourished young men, and that’s what matters at the end of the day.
What are your systems? Please break it down for us in the comments section below.
Kap
Jacki says
Is the bag of spinach just that, not cooked, nothing on it?
Gabe Kapler says
Indeed, Jacki. As he requests it.
Jacki says
I’m giving it a shot!
Ben says
That’s the only way my family eats it. My boy will dip it in Ranch….which pretty much offsets all the good.
Tracy says
Sliders are one of my kids favorites, grass fed beef and like you said the best bread I can get. Grilled up ahead of time, and they have access to heat them up.
Tracy says
Another favorite is homemade chicken nuggets….essentially chicken breast, oatmeal and seasoning thrown in the food processor, coat in whole wheat bread crumbs and bake. Tasty and filling.
Gabe Kapler says
Nice, Tracy. Thanks for sharing the good stuff.
Michelle says
I always like ending the day with content and nourished men as well. Lol. Another good one, I’m getting used to these now
Gabe Kapler says
And your humor is getting bolder.
Michelle says
Sorry, this is G-rated, isn’t it? I’ll stop. Nice ‘knowing’ you.
Gabe Kapler says
Well played. And, well played.
Msquared says
Kap- I forgot what you wrote after reading about Tracy’s nuggets.
My bad dude.
Gabe Kapler says
Ha. Round and round we go. Nice.
Duane says
Talk about perfect timing. I was making a grocery list and asking our daughter what she wanted when my new email reminder went off and it was for this post. We all started cracking up. Our daughter ask ” so what does is boys like, read it” all excited. Crazy timing. After reading it her list was this:
Apples, grapes, peanut butter, edamame, and Kashi bars.
Over the years it’s been getting easier and now that she’s a senior and headed 1500 miles away to college (hope she gets in) I try to take advantage of what little time we have left together. Fingers crossed that we have educated her enough to maintain healthy eating.
Excellent post as always. Thank you.
Gabe Kapler says
Kudos to you, Duane, for getting to the finish line (hahaha) with your daughter.
Bill Straehl says
May sound a bit odd, but I can be a lot more thoughtful when packing the kids lunches, than when grabbing my own lunch. I find it helpful to make up my own lunch in advance, while my head is still screwed on straight and I’m not craving anything. Then the rule is I can’t even consider the guilty stuff until I’ve eaten what’s on the menu first. After I’ve eaten that, the pangs have evaporated, and I’ve earned a pat on the back for being so wise.
Gabe Kapler says
Evaporated pangs. Always a solid outcome.
kbeyazdancer says
Love the connection between yesterday’s post and today’s post Kap. You are on it!
Your young men are very lucky that you are willing to let them be part of the decision to decide what they eat. I never had that option. We were poor (8 kids) and on a budget. Whatever my mother put in the lunch bag, you eat it and you liked it. She hated junk food and sweets so I had a lot of home cooked meals of chicken with carrots, spinach (I eat alot of spinach because of my anemia), fruits, and nuts (Go there is you wish :)). I wasn’t crazy about everything but I ate it. My father was way more liberal and he would ask what we wanted and we would get what we requested (which was a waste of money too): chips, cookies, etc. And then my mother would promptly ban him from making lunches for an unspecified period of time.
Whether they know it or not (it does sound like your men are very sharp) are learning very valuable lessons that will carry them a lot further in life (makes me think of the post your intern wrote recently about eating well-Flashback).
Much respect to you love.
-Kelebek
Gabe Kapler says
I can’t even imagine raising 8 kids. 2 is plenty. Be well, Kelebek.
kbeyazdancer says
My parents had their hands full so you can imagine how much work went into planning lunches. When my mother would get annoyed with me, I was referred to as numero cinco. LOL
John Beavers (@HutchBeav) says
Just slightly off topic. My kids school has around 70% of the students qualify for free lunches. It breaks my heart too because for some of those kids, that’s all the food they might get in a week. The crap they serve is just that, crap. We remind our kids all the time just how lucky they are.
Gabe Kapler says
That’s right on topic, John. I’ll post on that at some point for sure. Thanks.
Mike G. says
Such an important topic. Kids get bombarded with junk at school – we have to be the well-educated backstop.
Other ideas:
Packages of toasted seaweed, thermos of hot or cold homemade soup, any fruit or veggie they dig, cold pasta salad, leftovers from dinner.
Gabe Kapler says
Word, Mike. Nice job.
Kevin says
“I cook them in advance; they eat it cold”
Thanks for clarifying.
Terri Torrez says
“I purchase the highest quality bread that he’ll eat” – just curious what that is. Bread is one of our compromise items so we’re always looking for good options.
We’re fortunate that my son’s school has microwaves, so lunch is usually hot leftovers from a favorite dinner. He’s been heating up his lunch since he was two so the first time at summer camp he had to eat a cold sandwich he was seriously miffed. But he’ll go with PB and banana if he has too.
darby wright says
Great post.will definitely implement this into the kids school lunch
joe says
Any take on ezekiel breads? bought a loaf the other day. seems better than anything else i could find
Ryan says
Gabe-
Great post as usual…one thing I run into when packing lunch for my boys is the Peanut Allergy epidemic. My 10 year old hasn’t been able to bring peanut butter or any other nut to school for years. I usually stick with chicken or tuna and add a veggie and a fruit. Do you have suggestions for a fat source that won’t kill the kid sitting next to him?
Matthew says
Great post. My wife and I also include my daughter in the lunch planning. We spend Saturday at the farmer’s maket looking for local grown fruits, veggies, and artisan breads and spreads. Also, we spend Sunday baking the “sweets” for the week. I modify the recipes, cutting/reducing refined sugars and most of the wheat using nut flour/meal. Not perfect, but better than most.
Keep doing what you do…
Eric says
Here is a great website Gabe —-> http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/2014/08/packed-lunch-ideas-for-adults/
Judy says
I wish more parents were as concerned about lunches as you. I am a teacher and I cringe when I see what some parents put in their kids’ lunch bags. It is all junk.