lunchtime

today as i was driving back home from dropping cayden at school i observed a boy, maybe 9 or 10, drinking a squeeze-it type drink on his way to school.

first let me say that i realize not everyone is crazy obsessive about what their kids are eating but seriously, a squeeze it .... for breakfast!  sigh.

anyway, that's not really what my post is about, i need not worry about other peoples kids, right?

have you seen jamie oliver's food revolution?  me neither, but, i've read a lot about it and other similar causes/groups/people working hard to overhaul our nations school lunch system.  i think this is important.  supposedly, on one of the first episodes the children were asked to name certain vegetables and fruit.  they failed.  they didn't know what a zucchini looked like.  do your kids know what a zucchini looks like?

it's tough teaching kids healthy habits.  the crap tastes so darn good and by golly, "they're kids, let them enjoy being kids."  i try to remember this.

for example, cayden was assigned to brink snacks/drinks to one of the baseball games to share with the team.  i found myself standing in the grocery store stuck between a rock and hard place.  i'd started the search for something nutritious but not only was it apparent that the options were limited (sad), i also realized cayden would probably forever resent me because i was the mom that brought granola to the baseball game.  so i bought donuts and gatorade and, much to my dismay he was excited. not surprising.

i think there's a balance.  i teach my kids moderation and they get it.  they know dessert is a treat and we have it every once and awhile.  i think they're learning healthy habits and enjoying being kids at the same time.  it is possible.

so ... lunchtime.  my post is about lunch from home vs. school lunch.  every once and awhile cayden likes to have school lunch and every once and awhile i like to not have to pack him a lunch so we made a deal.  we agreed that at the beginning of every month we would sit down together with the lunch menu and he would choose one meal a week and i would choose one meal a week.  the other three days he eats "cold" lunch.  of course, he usually chooses the "breakfast for lunch" and i usually choose chicken dinner or something along those lines.

that's the easy part.  the hard part is compromising on what items go into his lunch box for cold lunch.  he's my pickiest eater so we rotate peanut butter and banana/honey sandwiches with turkey and cheese sandwiches.  i only buy whole wheat bread and am determined to learn how to make my own so "buying" will no longer be necessary.  this is a work in progress.  i also only buy low sodium turkey breast (boar's head).  lunch meat grosses me out.

anyway, so those are the only two sandwiches i can get him to eat.  sides; i usually throw in some fig cookies, pretzels, cheese stick.  he doesn't care for fresh fruit so i slide the banana in the sandwich or i'll send him with a cup of mandarin oranges.  so far so good. but, when it comes to drink choices, this is where i struggle.  right now, i'm sending him with the horizon organic milk boxes.  he likes them but i'm not sure i do.  i need some ideas.

i'm hoping some of you will respond with some lunchtime ideas.  what do you pack in your kids lunch boxes?  do you pack lunch at all?  would you give your kid a squeeze-it type drink for breakfast?  please say "no."