The Simple Life

Work/Life Tools

Family and Friends

• Make a list of lunch food categories (sandwiches, fruits, vegetables, etc.) and under each category let your kids check off the foods they like. Refer to it when you go grocery shopping. Click here.
• Let your child make his own lunch. Store all the "fixings" in an easily accessible drawer and one shelf of the refrigerator.
• Plan evening meals so there are leftovers for the next day's lunchbox. If your child liked last night's pizza, spaghetti, fried chicken, taco fixings or meat, it's likely he'll enjoy them again.
• Variety is the spice of life! Break out of the sandwich mode and include such "main dishes" as hearty salads, cheese chunks or string cheese, hard-boiled eggs or soup in a thermos.
• When you do make sandwiches, vary the types of bread: rolled pita or tortillas, rice cakes, muffins, crackers, bagels, hot dog buns, sour dough and whole wheat slices, etc. And don't forget the old trick of cutting sandwiches with a cookie cutter to make them more appealing.
• Avoid sandwich-spread monotony. Don't abandon your tried-and-true mayo and ketchup, but occasionally slip in salsa, different types of mustard, barbecue sauce, cranberry sauce, cream cheese or nut butters (other than the ubiquitous peanut butter).
• Banish boring sandwiches. Use one of these creative and healthy fillings or alternatives to sandwiches. Click here.
• Get kids to eat crunchy raw veggies--carrots, peppers, celery, snow peas, jicama, broccoli, chayote, water chestnuts, zucchini, by pairing them with low-fat dip or salsa. (Pack the vegetables in a plastic container with an ice cube to keep them crisp.)
• Have a variety of pickles and olives on hand to add some lunchtime zip.
• Make fruit easy to eat. Cut bunches of grapes into small clusters. Skewer melon balls and kiwi chunks on a kabob stick or toothpick. Hull strawberries. Slice apples or pears (and dip in lemon juice to keep them from turning brown). Peel and segment oranges. Pack fruit in a rigid container (old margarine or yogurt containers works just fine) to prevent its getting squished.
• Try "exotic" fruits, such as kumquats, sliced starfruit, Fuyu persimmons or Asian pears.
• Make a yogurt-, applesauce- or peanut butter based dip for the cut-up fruit.
• Don't stop at raisins when it comes to dried fruit. Try dried cranberries, cherries, strawberries, apricots or apples.
• Try substituting pretzels, bagel chips, popcorn, crackers or a cereal mix for potato or corn chips. Boost the nutritional value of chips by including a healthy dip, such as hummus or refried beans.
• A cold pack (or frozen juice box) will help keep food safe and more palatable. Wrap the frozen juice box in a napkin and place in a plastic bag. As the juice defrosts, the napkin soaks up the condensation and keeps other items from getting wet. As an added bonus the damp napkin can be used as a wet-wipe!
• Don't skip dessert, but make it healthier by baking your own lower-sugar, reduced fat cookies. Some kids may think dry cereal is a treat, so pack a baggie of that sugarcoated stuff you won't let your child eat for breakfast. Try trail mix for variety.
• Pack a treat, labeled "To share with a friend." · Send a countdown note in the lunch box announcing a special date. · Pack a readable treat. It might be a cartoon strip clipped from the Sunday paper, a funny item copied from a book of children's jokes or riddles or an "Incredible Inedible" to read at lunch. Click here to print out our BeyondWork starter set. If your child isn't reading yet, buy an inexpensive book of mazes or a dot-to-dot book; tear one out and pack it with a crayon when the weather is bad and you know lunchtime will be indoors.
• Send notes in your child's lunch box, and remember that a little humor goes a long way, especially when times are tense. Take your child's personality into consideration; though some kids may like the idea, others may find it embarrassing to get a note from you. To print out BeyondWork's formatted sheet of notes for older elementary-age kids, click here.
  

 

Creative Sandwich Fillings

Turkey and Cranberries
Ingredients: turkey, cranberry sauce and lettuce. Don't wait for Thanksgiving to make this one! It's a real winner with most kids.

Chicken Apple Spread
In a food processor mix: 1 cup of chopped precooked chicken, 2 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt, 1 teaspoon minced parsley or basil, 3 tablespoons apple juice, I tablespoon lemon juice. Mix in a food processor, add one finely diced apple and garnish with lettuce and tomato. If your child likes curry, add ¼ teaspoon curry powder to the basic ingredients.

Tuna Pineapple Spread
Mix together: 1 can drained water-packed tuna, 2 tablespoons orange juice, 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce, ½ teaspoon prepared mustard, 2 tablespoons nonfat yogurt and ¼ cup crushed pineapple (drained).

White Bean and Herb Spread
Combine in food processor until smooth: 1 cup canned white beans (drained), 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 teaspoons dried dill, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Garnish sandwich with cucumber slices.

Confetti Yolkless Spread
Mix together: 2 hard-cooked egg whites (discard the yolks, each of which contains 260 milligrams of cholesterol), 2 tablespoons finely chopped red pepper, 1 tablespoon chopped green onion, 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish, 2 tablespoons finely chopped tomatoes, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Top with lettuce.

Sweet and Spicy Bean Burrito
Combine: ¼ cup nonfat vegetarian beans, ¼ cup mashed cooked sweet potato or baked butternut squash and dash of cumin. Spread down the middle of an 8-inch soft flour tortilla and top with salsa, lettuce and tomato. Fold over opposing edges of the circle and then fold over the remaining two edges, roll, and wrap in plastic wrap.

Texas Burrito
Place these ingredients down the center of a soft 8-inch flour tortilla: lettuce, ¼ cup canned vegetarian baked beans, 1 teaspoon catsup, ½ teaspoon mustard and thinly sliced tomato. Fold over opposing edges of the circle and then fold over the remaining two edges, roll, and wrap in plastic wrap.