Lunch Boxes

Do you also wish your kids would expand their palate and eat something other than butter pasta, cheese pizza & peas?

My kid will not eat a sandwich to save my life so our lunch boxes need to be a bit more creative. We do lunch boxes per day of the week. I keep the key part of their lunches the same each day of the week. It helps them tell where they are in the week. Rice balls means halfway through the week! Mini hot dogs means one day to go before the weekend!

I keep this magnetic mini whiteboard on the side of the fridge to remind me of the menu and make sure I got the key lunch box ingredients covered.

I try and give them plenty of protein and fiber along with the carb (pasta, rice, tortilla). If they eat it or not is up to them, but I make sure it is there…

This list is color coded by food category and reminds me to check if all are present in the lunch box:

• Protein: smoked salmon, hot dogs, ham, sausage, Canadian bacon, shrimp, mozzarella balls, string cheese

• Fiber: avocado, apple, pear, carrots, celery, berries

• Green: broccoli, peas, edamame, cucumber
  (a lot of these are also fiber full or protein but here I am mostly going for the color, so kids get used to having a green something on the plate - this programming their subconscious mind, hopefully leading in the future to - missing a green on a plate means meal incomplete)

The weekly visual anchors for the lunches stay the same, and I improvise other ingredients by what’s in the fridge or what they favor. Leo used to love apple and now apples are out, berries are in.

• Monday = pesto pasta

• Tuesday = Fish with crust burritos

• Wednesday = Rice balls

• Thursday = butter pasta & mini hot dogs

• Friday = bean, rice & cheese burrito
  

I like the Planet Box lunch boxes, and their silicone mini containers. My 3yo has the “rover size” and the 5yo is a big eater so he has the “Launch” size. These lunch boxes are pricey but last a long time. We went through two lunch boxes for half the price last year when I finally realized just spend $50 on these and you’ll be done for years to come.