Making morning lunches can be daunting, overwhelming......even painful. And trying to make healthy choices while keeping the kids happy, can be an even larger task. So when a friend of mine decided to tackle school lunches and actually make them fun, healthy AND creative, I was intrigued.
As a working Mom with a very busy schedule, Lisa Kelley, like many of us Moms, found that making lunches in the morning was a chore she'd rather skip. But when her daughter Leela started Kindergarten, her tune quickly changed. "The public school lunchroom is a minefield of chocolate milk and doritos. I know she's going to try junk food; it's a right of passage... but I wanted to keep her interested and excited about healthy foods too. I also wanted her to be involved in making the meals, so she would own those choices."
Lisa realized that making lunch was a priority she needed to embrace and turning the oh so daunting lunch making task into a fun family activity, was the perfect solution. As a former artist without any time to paint or draw, Lisa quickly turned lunch making into a creative opportunity.
Lisa realized that making lunch was a priority she needed to embrace and turning the oh so daunting lunch making task into a fun family activity, was the perfect solution. As a former artist without any time to paint or draw, Lisa quickly turned lunch making into a creative opportunity.
So how does Lisa make the act of lunch making an activity to look forward to rather than a task to dread? Easy. She gets ultra creative and looks at it as a family moment to remember.
"Surprisingly, I've found this time to be really fulfilling. I get to be creative, spend time with my daughter, AND nourish her with healthy foods. It's a win, all around."
"Surprisingly, I've found this time to be really fulfilling. I get to be creative, spend time with my daughter, AND nourish her with healthy foods. It's a win, all around."
LISA'S TIPS ON HOW TO TAKE THE HASSLE OUT OF LUNCH MAKING AND GET CREATIVE!
• Get a bento box. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and help keep foods separate. It's much easier to be creative with a bento box than a just a brown bag!
• Get accessories like tiny cookie cutters to cut food into shapes, egg molds to press hard boiled eggs into fun shapes, and really anything else you can think of.
• Put together a family lunch menu that they can choose from each day.
• Give them a treat. Even just one or two animal crackers can be special.
• Put a 'treasure' in their lunch for them to find. Maybe hide a gummy bear in their yogurt, or a goldfish cracker in their carrot sticks. Something to keep them interested, and eating...
• If they can read, put in a little love note, or write a message in ketchup or mustard.
• Get accessories like tiny cookie cutters to cut food into shapes, egg molds to press hard boiled eggs into fun shapes, and really anything else you can think of.
• Put together a family lunch menu that they can choose from each day.
• Give them a treat. Even just one or two animal crackers can be special.
• Put a 'treasure' in their lunch for them to find. Maybe hide a gummy bear in their yogurt, or a goldfish cracker in their carrot sticks. Something to keep them interested, and eating...
• If they can read, put in a little love note, or write a message in ketchup or mustard.