Admittedly, I’ve got a great young eater. Sure, there are strikes, changes of mind (she will, every day, ask for an ‘eggy sandwich’ and then refuse to eat it. Mea culpa for continuing to make it for her). But all in all, she’s great.
She is, however, not above the classic kid food aversion—MY FOODS ARE TOUCHING. I don’t quite remember when it started. Sautéed spinach and coconut fish? Happy to oblige. Spinach touched my fish? CONTAMINATION. GET IT OFF MY PLATE, THROW IT IN THE TRASH, PUT THAT TRASH OUTSIDE, IT’S STILL TOO CLOSE TO ME. Arg. Someday I’m sure it will pass. In the meannnnntime, I count on these plates or these plates to keep foods safely tucked away from each other.
And for lunch, we use this awesome bento-style lunch box to pack her off to school. Food touching issues aside, this thing is awesome in its own right. In the crunch of the morning, I find it easier to think in those little square compartments than to conjure up a lunch out of thin air. My strategy for packing her lunch usually looks something like this—open fridge and see what we’ve got that falls into these major categories (along with some of our favorites for each)–
Grain: Rice, quinoa, hunk of bread, pasta, corn tortilla
Veggies: Corn, peas, sweet potato, sautéed spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers
Fruit: Clementine, raspberries, strawberries, half a banana, grapes, blueberries, peaches, applesauce
Protein: Black beans, chicken, ground turkey, greek yogurt, sliced lunch meat (turkey, ham, etc.), pepitas (here is where I’d send nuts if that were allowed)
Bonus: pickles, olives, random snack (pirates booty, crackers, veggie straws), or something in the sweet treat family (cookie, donuts, chocolate chips, chocolate covered raisins, fruit leather)
Milk: Always milk on the side.
This works for me because I can think in the categories, see the compartments, quickly fill each spot (category), and move on with my life. And, if she only eats 2-3 of the 5 or 6 things I send, great. It increases the odds she’ll get some good stuff in her as compared to her refusing the one and only item I sent, like one soup or one pasta dish (which she likely ate the night before but oh mom, so passe to eat leftovers for lunch the next day).
I should also note that this works because I have this stuff in our fridge. No, I’m not making quinoa, roasting sweet potatoes, or even microwaving corn in the morning. Everything is from the 1-3 nights before. Your lunch options should largely mirror whatever your kid at for the past few dinners. If it was chicken fingers and tator tots, great—you’ve got your grain, protein. Add a fruit, a veggie, a cookie, and done. AND, if your kid only eats a very select few things from each category, that’s ok too. Really. Mix up the combinations as much as you can, and always send 1-2 things you doubt they’ll eat. Exposure is important and you never know. (Kids eat in color is an awesome person to follow on IG for tips along these lines).
When supplies allow, sometimes it’s fun to make theme lunches—I wouldn’t aim for this—I’d aim to send some food to school you know she’ll eat, or at least try. But for fun, here are 5 ideas for living the toddler foodie life:
The roast chicken: roast chicken leftovers, root veggies, quinoa, cranberries, raisins, roll
The Greek: Hummus, pita, Kalamata olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheddar cheese
The Italian: Genoa salami or roast beef, American cheese, pickles, roll, raspberries, veggie straws
Breakfast for lunch: Crepes, pancakes, or waffles, chicken sausage, sweet potato, strawberries, chocolate chips
The there’s really nothing to send: Sunbutter and honey sandwich, thin carrot rounds, cherry tomatoes, raisins, half a banana
You don’t have to, but I like using these cups to keep everything in place–note that this bento box isn’t liquid tight, so if you’ve got something squishy/watery like pickles or hummus, it’s good to use one of these liners. They’re dishwasher safe, and C really likes putting them in her lunchbox. She also likes telling me where to put what food, and sometimes helping to pack, too. I think her involvement in the packing encourages her partake in the eating that much more.
And finally, I tuck the bento box and milk in this freezable lunch box and we’re ready to go. Or, ready until it’s get your jacket and hat on and get out the door negotiation time, and for that, we’ll need another blog post. And some wine.
