Wellness Wednesday: Packing Lunch (part 1)
Next week our little Bug starts "school." This will mean lots off changes but the most constant new thing is that his lunch will have to be packed every day. And that means we have to be ready. Every. Day. This is not really my style.
Also, even though I have been feeding him nearly everyday for over two years (sometimes I let him starve ;-) I still feel unsure about how to pack a lunch. Because we eat a little here, a little there. We eat messy leftovers and lots of apple sauce. And fruit, tons of fruit. But not so much sandwiches or whatever. Hummus and crackers. Things that seem a little hard to pack with out a) mess and b)waste. Two things I don't really like. I'm sure we'll get though it and I'll be a pro in no time but right now, I'm a little obsessed.
I started with trying to figure out what kind of containers would work for a toddler to be able to get into and out of easily. This is really hard. (and turns out, not too important. his teachers will be helping him a whole lot. whew!) I found two really fabulous things: one is called "lunchskins
" and is perfect for nuts and crackers and grapes. We have been using these the last few weeks and we all like them. The velcro goes all the way across and keeps things very neat. They can be a little tricky for small hands because of that.
Even better are the sandwich/snack wraps my sister-in-law is making. I put in an order as soon as she announced she was selling them. Very easy for a small person, doubles as a place mat and a napkin. Freaking brilliant. We already use them daily.
You might want to know why I didn't just pick ziploc bags. They are easy but then you have all that waste. Something like 300 days a year we will pack lunch. That is way to much to trash. (Also, plastic bags aren't cute and teach your child that it is normal to make trash every time you eat.) Erica told me that her son's school encourages the kids to be good stewards of the planet, so they remind parents to use reusable containers and waste-free packaging and to pack healthy lunches. They'll even send home junk food if it appears in a lunchbox. All of his lunch items are in reusable containers, including his water bottle, and he even has a cloth napkin. Isn't that what we want to be doing for ourselves and our children?
Now we just have to figure out how to pack a rainbow every day. I'll be back next week to talk more about what we are actually packing and how it is going.
What do you pack for lunch?
ps- I also just ordered this
for hot/cold/or messy things (like quinoa
. how much are the teachers going to hate me??)
Also, even though I have been feeding him nearly everyday for over two years (sometimes I let him starve ;-) I still feel unsure about how to pack a lunch. Because we eat a little here, a little there. We eat messy leftovers and lots of apple sauce. And fruit, tons of fruit. But not so much sandwiches or whatever. Hummus and crackers. Things that seem a little hard to pack with out a) mess and b)waste. Two things I don't really like. I'm sure we'll get though it and I'll be a pro in no time but right now, I'm a little obsessed.
I started with trying to figure out what kind of containers would work for a toddler to be able to get into and out of easily. This is really hard. (and turns out, not too important. his teachers will be helping him a whole lot. whew!) I found two really fabulous things: one is called "lunchskins
" and is perfect for nuts and crackers and grapes. We have been using these the last few weeks and we all like them. The velcro goes all the way across and keeps things very neat. They can be a little tricky for small hands because of that. Even better are the sandwich/snack wraps my sister-in-law is making. I put in an order as soon as she announced she was selling them. Very easy for a small person, doubles as a place mat and a napkin. Freaking brilliant. We already use them daily.
You might want to know why I didn't just pick ziploc bags. They are easy but then you have all that waste. Something like 300 days a year we will pack lunch. That is way to much to trash. (Also, plastic bags aren't cute and teach your child that it is normal to make trash every time you eat.) Erica told me that her son's school encourages the kids to be good stewards of the planet, so they remind parents to use reusable containers and waste-free packaging and to pack healthy lunches. They'll even send home junk food if it appears in a lunchbox. All of his lunch items are in reusable containers, including his water bottle, and he even has a cloth napkin. Isn't that what we want to be doing for ourselves and our children?
Now we just have to figure out how to pack a rainbow every day. I'll be back next week to talk more about what we are actually packing and how it is going.
What do you pack for lunch?
ps- I also just ordered this
for hot/cold/or messy things (like quinoa. how much are the teachers going to hate me??)
Comments
My kids love crackers and cheese and grapes. Or tunafish with crackers and carrots. They liked keeping the stuff seperated until they ate it so i loved these dishes.