School Lunch--Packed Consciously at Home

                                                                                        Source: drfuhrman.com via Brittany on Pinterest

     This school year our family has decided to start packing lunch for school. While I believe our school has come a long way in offering healthier meals for our kids, and I truly appreciate the efforts of the lunch staff to provide an entire Gluten Free lunch menu for the handful of kids who suffer from Celiac Disease there, the bottom line is: my family needs to save every penny these days! School lunch is reasonably priced, but with three kids buying every day we would be spending more than if we packed our own. Not to mention, that as well as the school does with their menu...I feel even better when I know exactly what my kids are eating and where it is coming from. I like that I can control the quality of the meals I prepare for them, where it comes from, and the portions. My kids have really big healthy appetites (which would surprise you because they are itty bitties) I try to serve them fresh fruits and veggies that are local and organic more often than not. I steer clear of overly processed foods. I'm not trying to sound like a food snob here, I'm just saying this is the ideal I am striving for, this is what I want for my kids. Packing their lunches myself means I can meet my goals more fully.

     With such "high ideals" for healthy meals, it should come as no surprise to you that I am also concerned about many of the chemicals found in conventionally made food storage containers and lunch boxes out there. The good news is that many companies are jumping on the bandwagon now and either removing harmful things like BPA (to name only one) from their products or creating new products made from things like stainless steal, silicone or even cloth! If you've been following us over at Ladies Holiday then you know how much we love AgainBags reusable snack and sandwich bags. I have been coveting the LunchBots bento boxes for some time now, but my wallet keeps saying "No!" to me, boo.

*Be that as it may...if any kind soul over at LunchBots wants to send me something to try, I'd be happy to give it a whirl and tell everyone why they are worth the money!! :)

     I was absolutely delighted--only one day after deciding that I'd start packing school lunch--to literally just happen upon these nifty lunch boxes from SmartPlanetHome.  I had been wandering my local BJ's Wholesale Club while waiting for my new car tires to be mounted and BEHOLD! There they were. With great excitement I present to you, the consciously made collapsible ECO Lunch Box, made from silicone (dishwasher and microwave safe, BPA free.) The best part? On the SmartPlanetHome website these beauties cost $17.99...while I'll say I still think that is a great price in comparison with similar products out there, I probably couldn't have afforded to shell out the cash to get one for each of my three littles. BUT, at BJ's, I spent only $9.99 each! What a steal!!

     From top to bottom you will see:

• The ECO Lunch Box comes with minimal packaging (one thin sleeve of plastic and no paper but for the label.) 
• The ECO Lunch Box collapses to a slim, easily store-able size, but then pops open to DOUBLE it's size with lots of room for good, healthy eats. 
• It has secure, yet easy to use, snap closure lid on all four sides.
• Comes with a built in spoon/fork/knife (fork has a serrated edge to use as a knife--genius!)
• A nicely sealing small silicone cup on the top outside of the lid holds condiments.
• I packed my gluten-eater, Isaac, a PB&J on whole grain bread, strawberries, and multi grain chips, it all fit nicely.
• My two gluten-free kiddos got a Mom-Made-Gluten-Free-Lunchable on their first day using the ECO Lunchbox. Shown above (clockwise from the top right): Sharp cheddar, Applegate Farms Turkey Slices, Driscoll's Organic Strawberries, garden fresh cucumber, and packed in the AgainBags snack bag (to keep them from getting wet next to the fruit) Food Should Taste Good brand all natural chips called "The Works."

     I was a little nervous that first day, I'll admit it. Would they have trouble opening the box or putting the lid back on properly so there wouldn't be a mess on the way home? Would their food stay fresh? Well, they didn't seem to have a problem with the lid, they loved their lunches so I assume they hadn't spoiled to the point of smelling or tasting bad. I am still in search of an insulated lunch tote that will fit these babes (won't fit in a regular 9" lunch tote) in fact, I've got my eye on this one--but all in all I am loving this product. I did notice on the SmartPlanetHome site that there are smaller sized containers (square one compartment or round with two compartments, see them here) that would likely work for most kids and fit in regular lunch totes. For my kids though, the larger size was the way to go! Another thing I might try is getting some small, non-toxic cold packs that could lie flat in the bottom of the large section to keep a tuna sandwich cold (or the like.) I'll let you know how it goes.

     In other lunch system innovations, I know Seana from the Ladies Holiday team bought a couple of the PackIt lunch totes for her kids this year and is loving them! If I can fit one of our ECO Lunch Boxes into a PackIt, then you better believe I will be hopping on that train...especially because they have a great BOGO offer right now!

     What eco friendly lunch systems have you tried? What do you like? I'd love to hear!

All packed and ready to go, 

Tamar

 

French Kids Eat Everything

www.karenlebillon.com

As mentioned on our Welcome/Bienvenue/About page this blog was in part motivated by an abundance of food related posts that weren't getting screen time on Ladies Holiday and really needed their own home. For my part, this blog was also inspired by my realization that I am a bit of a Francophile - food philosophy wise.


As a vegetarian I can not abide coq au vin, cassoulet or foie gras, but as far as the traditional slow-food and intimate relationship, both physically and emotionally, to food, the French way, appeals to my sensibilities.

The books French Kids Eat Everything furthered my affection for the French approach in particular in the ways children are taught, from an early age, to enjoy real food. Author Karen Le Billon notes French playwright Moliere's take, “Manger Bien et Juste.” Eat well and right. Simple enough. I can usually handle simple.


As I turned page after page I found that my approach to nourishing my children echo's the French approach or at least Le Billon's interpretation. At times my children have returned home from school mentioning other kids have criticized their lunch box contents. Crudites and hummus, lentils, rice and veggies, corn chips, salsa and guacamole are apparently warrant leers and jeers in the ten and under set.


I wasn't sure what to say (or do) in response. This is just the way we eat.
This is the way we like to eat.
We like real food.

Don't get me wrong, my kids wouldn't turn down an Oreo, but they understand those are "sometimes foods" and what we eat day-to-day is mostly whole, relatively unprocessed, fresh and when we can get it local- seasonality can at times present a challenge. But we try.


Deeply engrossed in French cooking and eating, I temporarily wished we lived in some quaint French village or in sophisticated Paris, never mind the fact that we collectively know only a couple dozen words in French. Food seems to be a language unto itself there, rapt as I was, in that momentary fantasy, I figured we'd manage.


French Kids Eat Everything the title causing a bit of alarm in my younger child, "What does it mean they eat everything? Like everything? Play dough? Wood? Flip-Flops?"

"No dear, they just aren't picky. They find a variety of foods appetizing."
"Like me?"
"Oui, like you."
This is just what Le Billon learned as she journeyed with her family for a year in her husband's native France where she faced the challenges of not only adapting both herself and her children to a new culture, but navigating the particular French ways of eating.

Source: etsy.com via lindsay on Pinterest

Long, leisurely meals where children and adults alike engage in polite and engaging conversation, the absence of short-order cooking, like so often happens in American homes: quiche and salad for the adults and mac-n-cheese for the kids is not typical at all in France. Quite remarkably they also have a nearly opposite model for Public School lunches. 


This captured my attention. A couple years ago I was riding closely on the heals of Jamie Oliver's School Lunch Revolution after my daughter became very ill after eating lunch at school. It was her first day and she wanted to carry her tray and collect items along the line in the cafeteria. Well, she collected a little more than she bargained for and needless to say it was her last time eating school food as she said emphatically, "I'm never eating school food, never, ever, never again."


Le Billon offers up explanation and an outline of the school lunch program in France or Cantine. The meals are prepared from fresh produce, are nutritionally balanced, the frites aren't typically considered a vegetable as they are stateside. And almost most remarkably lunch-time is a considerable amount of time, not the fifteen minutes my children are typically given with staff admonishing them to "hurry-up." She also relays that this time of the day is a social time where the meal is enjoyed together, another aspect of French dining I admire. Good food, good company, what's not to like?

When Le Billon returned to Canada after her year with her family in France, she came up with the following, “Find a balance between the foods available where you live and a schedule that lends itself to mindful cooking and eating.” I think this is reasonable given the reality of most of our lives, preparing and then enjoying a meal for upwards of two hours is more of a luxury than an everyday way of life, we can still seek to find this same balance Le Billon describes. At the very least it is more appealing than the harried meals wolfed down between activities, in the car or worse separately not at the table and as for getting your kids to eat beets, it is more about the journey than the destination as they say. The idea is to try new things, to be open and adventurous.


In our home we already have a decent handle on this, but one thing I've found helpful is to offer a small amount of mixed greens topped with a simple vinaigrette.
Here is a recipe for just such a thing from Karen Le Billon's book, French Kids Eat Everything.

Vinaigrette from French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon

Time: 2  minutes

Serving: Makes a little less than 1 cup, to serve a family size salad

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon-style mustard

Optional: 1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Optional: 1 Tablespoon finely minced shallot, scallion, or onion

Put ingredients in a jar with a lid, close jar, and shake vigorously. (Deirdre's Note: I often let the kids help with the measuring- they enjoy being a part of the food prep and especially the shaking!)

Taste before serving and adjust quantities for your preference.

Can also be served as a dip with crudités (sliced veggies) and can be used as a dressing over cooked vegetables.

***

Please share any stategies you have in getting your kids to eat a variety of foods or what you think of the book French Kids Eat Everything.

Bon  Appetit,

Deirdre