Back To School 2012

School got out when I was on a trip abroad. A month later I headed into the culmination of the biggest work project I had on the calendar for 2012. This week I realized that school starts in three weeks. Time to get cracking and make this school year the most smooth sailing.

Three weeks from the start of school:

• Clean and inventory lunch supplies from last year, order new containers, cookie cutters and accessories as needed
• Make a list of ten lunch menus, create shopping list for two weeks of lunches
• Make a list of three different "snack day" ideas if your children attend a school where parents provide the class snack on occasion
• Stock up on items to fill lunch boxes (prepackaged items or staple items such as crackers, peanut butter, raisins, pirate bootie, fruit leather, tetra-packed milks)

Two weeks from the start of school:

• Plan a few picnics or pack lunch to take in the car, have your kids help, you might discover they have developed some new skills in that department since the previous school year
• Print out some lunch notes or gather up scraps of paper and jot down a few notes to tuck in their lunches for mornings when you want a little something extra to send with them
• Check with your school about the school lunch menu/pricing in case you need to do a last minute subsitution one day

The week before school starts:

• Make sure all of your ice packs are in the freezer
• Stick yogurt sticks, halved grapes (in a zip lock), juice boxes and freshly baked muffins in the freezer so you are ready to grab them on busy school mornings
• Purchase perishable items for the following weeks lunch
• Purchase the non-perishable portions of one "class snack" and tuck it away for when it's your turn to bring it

The night before school:

• Pack lunch
• Tuck in a note
• Don't forget to set up your coffee maker

Seeking inspiration?
Try Pinterest, EasyLunchboxes or just google lunch box ideas!

Giving Thanks!

My goal when I started Little Lunches was to get and share ideas about making easy, fun, healthy lunches for my kids as they grew from tiny babies into actual eaters. Four years into this I am still in awe of the inspiring lunches I see other moms making. I am grateful for the feedback and suggestions I get from the nearly 1,000 other parents who have joined the conversation.

The next seven weeks of holiday madness can make us crazy. Here are a few tips to make things a little smoother in the lunch department:

• Baking cookies? Do a couple of batches of muffins while the oven is going and freeze most of them for popping in the oven on rushed mornings or sticking into school lunches (they will thaw by noon).
• Speaking of cookies - use those cookie cutters to make some fun themed lunches. See what our friend Shannon is whipping up over at What's For Lunch at Our House.
• Keep a bowl of mandarin oranges on the counter (they are usually easy to find this time of year) - great to toss to a hungry kid for a snack, easy to include in a lunch or to take the edge off your hunger while baking those yummy holiday treats.
• When you are baking your holiday dressing - scoop a few extra servings into silicone baking cups and freeze for lunches later in the season.
• Stock up on your basics while you are at the store anyway - big holiday meals require big shopping trips, don't forget to get some lunch stock while you are out. It's easy to get too focused on the big meal and forget to get things for the next week's lunches.
• Stick more fruits and veggies in the kids lunches than usual...they are going to be getting plenty of baked goods, try to encourage a little bit of crunchy, healthy snacking.

Alternatives to PB & J - Coping with a Sandwich Strike

Over the three years of lunch packing we have gone through a series of "sandwich strikes." The oldest of my three Ps goes through weeks of wanting PB & J (actually Sunbutter and J) in every lunch followed by weeks or months (basically all of last school year) of refusing to eat any sandwiches, regardless of content.

Basically, we moms like sandwiches because they are an easy way to deliver whole grains, protein and a fruit or vegetable serving in a handy carrying case, oh and most of us can make a PB & J before we have had our coffee, with our eyes closed, while carrying a baby. Kids like them, when they like them, because they are easy to eat, taste good and look like what everyone else is eating.

So what to do if (a) you get bored making the same three or four different sandwiches every week or (b) if your Little Luncher goes on a sandwich strike?

Trader Joe's onigiri, cheese flowers and grapes

Think in terms of creating a simple lunch entree that has the same key components as the sandwich:

1. protein - hard boiled egg, sandwich meats, meatballs, meatloaf, hummus, cheese, nutbutter
2. whole grains - pasta, whole grain crackers, pita, bagels
3. fruit and/or vegetable - self explanatory category 
4. some sort of sauce, condiment or garnish - nutella, ranch dressing (check the ingredients), organic ketchup, pizza sauce

Some of my daughter's favorite sandwich replacements are: 

• pita cut into triangles, shredded mozzarella & pizza sauce for dipping (each in a separate container so she is fully in charge of the mixing)
• a bagel cut into quarters, nutella and raisins
• muffin (made with vegetable puree and added cheese) with cream cheese
• an assortment of crackers (we love the butterfly shaped ones), cheeses (also cut into shapes with cookie cutters) and shredded carrots 
• pasta (spirals or penne hold up best for a day in the lunch box) sprinkled with parmesan ("snow cheese") with a few olives in a little silicon cupcake holder (Wilton Square Silicone Baking Cups, 12 Count)

We came across this article called "School Lunch Box Cheat Sheet" last week that has a fantastic list of ideas that might work for your Little Luncher in the place of the usual sandwich. She alludes to next week's topic...Make Ahead Lunch Items.

What have you packed for your Little Luncher instead of sandwiches?

New Year's Resolutions

Love them or hate them, it's that time of year again. If you aren't a Resolver then you spend a lot of time over the holidays telling people how you don't need them. If you are a Resolver you spend that same time plotting, planning or feeling guilty about past resolutions.

Before I had kids, I set three resolutions ever year, one each in three categories - (1) Learn to cook X, (2) Some physical accomplishment, such as walk three days a week, be able to do the splits again or try a new exercise class and (3) Some sort of brain activity - take a class, learn to speak French, take up chess. Some stuck, some didn't but the beauty to me is the time spent reflecting on yourself - past, present and proposed.

Now, I have three kids, two dogs and a somewhat picky eating, unathletic (but with other redeeming qualities) and my resolutions seem to be (1) Learn to cook what they will actually eat (2) Get everyone outside for an hour a day and (3) learn to speak Toddlerese.

Okay, not really but that would be the easier route!

I resolve this year to learn to make one new freezable make-ahead food item each month
I resolve this year to walk in two formal half-marathons
I resolve this year to take at least six college credits worth of new classes

Phew, that was actually not as hard as it looked.

Anniversary of Little Lunches

Two years ago, I had the idea to create a community for moms to help them with the tedious (at times) task of packing lunches. Technically it began as a class project for an extension course I was taking at UCLA. Through all the interations, two years later, Little Lunches is a great fan page on Facebook, has a growing following on Twitter and many visitors to the blog. I am glad to be a part of this group of moms (and a few dads) and hope that the tips and ideas I share help you out.

Thank you!!!

Fostering a Healthy Relationship with Food

Okay, I do try to give my kids healthier food more often than not. There are the occasional trips through the drive thru, nights of take out pizza and in a pinch yes, frozen chicken nuggets or mac 'n cheese. I know there are true food purists who balk at such things and there are those who think it's just too much work to worry about nutrition all the time. I fall somewhere in the middle. I think what is most important for my kids is that they get a balance of foods, a lot of good nutritious choices and the fun of occasional "junk."

My number one goal as far as food is concerned is that my kids have a healthy relationship with food. I want them to appreciate good food, to have a wide range of foods that they enjoy (I know this comes further down the road than age four), that certain foods evoke positive memories and traditions, etc.

I  have been taking them to the farmers market from day one and my older daughter's preschool has a garden, so I feel pretty comfortable that they are learning where food actually comes from. I also am slowly introducing them to cooking. It's fun to let them share in the process when and where it's appropriate. They love to play "kitchen" and have a few real but kid sized kitchen gadgets.

What are you doing to foster a healthy relationship with food for your children?

NOTE: Let me know, I'd love your ideas and I have a prize to give away!!! Little Lunches is giving away our first Thank You gift! It's this charming Limoneira Master Chef Kit : " These delicious little Master Chef Kits ensure that your child gets a jump start as the next celebrity chef. Little chef hats and aprons provide the professional career touch. Miniature rolling pin, wisk, wood spoon, spatula and scraper –the necessities that got Wolfgang Puck and Alice Waters off and running are also here. Limoneira Kids recipes are included for preparation for the next nutritious fun family feast."  Limoneira lemons, oranges, specialty citrus and avocados are shipped to restaurants around the world. 

To enter, please post your answer/comment here and/or refer friends to our Facebook page. A random drawing from these entries will be done on November 12. Good luck!!

Taking Lunch on the Road

The last month has been very action packed. Speaking of packed, each day brings a different challenge of lunch packing. Some days the smaller kids stay home with a sitter and don't need a lunch packed, other days they head off to daycare and I need to pack lunches for them as well as their big sister. All of this is good preparation for our upcoming holiday train trip.

We are going from Southern California to Oregon on the train.

It's a 27 hour journey...that means two lunches, one dinner, one breakfast and several snacks (times five people that is 35 "meals"). The train does have a dining car but the logistics and expense of going to the snack car or dining car all together for each meal are daunting. So, I am planning on packing 12 Easylunchboxes of meals, several free-standing snack bags and bringing lots of these Horizon milks in the aeseptic packaging.

Clearly the things I pack need to require little to no refrigeration and will be supplemented by the occasional onboard meal or snack. Bringing a cooler is a logical option except...we have three kids who are four and under which means we are already bringing a lot of gear. As I begin the journey to this journey, I am looking for ideas, tips and suggestions from others who have done this before.

Many of my friends said take the plane as their suggestion...we will do that another time...this is a chance for our little family to bond and learn to travel together without as much restriction as a plane or car. It's a beautiful ride that I last took with my brother 20 years ago!

"This legendary train now features enhanced Coaches and Sleeping Cars, along with exclusive new amenities. The Dining Car offers fresh cuisine served on real china and table linens, while the Arcade Room will entertain kids of all ages with a great selection of arcade-style video games. Coach passengers enjoy big, comfortable seats, plenty of legroom and new, larger pillows, plus available at-seat meal service." (We know where the biggest kid - aka my husband - will be!)

Would love to hear your tips!