Processed food woes...

DownToEarthGirl

I guess I've been getting more and more lazy about the kid's lunches (and mine) and I realized I dont' like how much processed food they eat at lunch.  At least dinner and breakfast are usually good things.  Today my kids have uber-processed food lunches and those are way more typical than not.  Point and case...

• - PBJ sandwich (processed Jif "natural" PB, Smuckers Jam, grocery store bread - but nothing has have HFCS, however half the time it's processed lunch meat "natural" and cheese, which isn't much better)
• - Pirate Booty (processed and full of salt)
• - Quaker Granola Bar (processed and full of sugar)
• - Yoplait yogurt (processed and full of sugar)
• - Some juice - 100% juice, but that's all I know (processed)
• - Apple (only thing not processed and they are organic)
• - Kashi oatmeal/choc chip cooking (processed and sugar)

Do you guys have better lunch food choices to inspire me?  Any recipes for homemade granola bars or crunchy items to inspire me?  I used to send roasted chickpeas and such, but haven't since last year. 

 

 

sunnytrees

I am such a huge fan of weelicious as you know and she is always posting great lunch box ideas on FB and her site and they are pretty much always healthy recipes or quick things to make bite size and keep fresh. She advertises in those Bento boxes which I think I'll end up getting at some point just not sure which one is best.

These granola bars have a bit of sugar but you can change out the ingredients to make them more healthy. They always come out great when we make them.

Love these oatmeal cookies too. Again, a sweeter treat but you know whats in them! 

ondrea

I don't have better ideas as DS's lunch looks a LOT like that  but want you to know that you aren't alone

(ham and cheese sandwich on the sandwich rounds) - but we do buy boar's head if that counts for anything.

fresh fruit

yogurt sticks

caprisun - 100% juice

graham crackers/organic fruit roll up/kashi fruit bars for snacks....

Pesky

For yogurt, DD LOVES wallaby yogurt.  organic and not as processed.  King Soopers sells them too.  They are runnier than yoplait but pretty tasty.

Consider making some salsa or getting some and offering up tortilla chips.  WF has these Millagro tortilla chips with NO salt and the chips are really delicious and thin.

Check out the line "Food Should Taste Good" in the chip section.  I'm addicted to their lime tortilla chips.  They are gluten free, simple ingredients and low salt.  Their vinegar sweet potato chips were pretty tasty too as are their multigrain. 

Fresh fruit is your friend and usually a favorite.

Think about hummus and pita bread (or toast it for your own chips).

Cheese sticks -- I go organic on these as well.

sunnytrees

I just linked to some of the weelicious ones on FB for you! Tons of great ideas!

Mrs.Greeko

We generally do a sandwich in Lucy's box, but sides are usually a fruit and veggie instead of processed stuff.   Oh and milk in her thermos (although considering having her buy it instead).  Then usually a "treat.". This week it is freeze dried fruit, sometimes it's a homemade cookie, very rarely it's a store bought cookie or piece of candy.  Sometimes instead of a sandwich she will take a hard boiled egg.

DownToEarthGirl

Thanks for the ideas - I'll take a look at the recipes and stuff tonight.

Mrs.Greeko - What veggies do you send?  We send carrots or cucumbers sometimes, but that's about it and honestly the carrots almost always come home.  I used to send Edamame, but DS#1 said he didn't have time to eat it.  Any other ideas for veggies? 

I wish my kids only ate the same amount as L - my kids eat everything we send and then DS#1 gets an afterschool snack at his aftercare also, then they both come home and have an afterschool snack and a full dinner (which they actually eat the majority of - last night the two of them split one whole chicken breast and tons of pasta and green beans).  I guess my kids are eating machines. 

 

Mrs.Greeko

DownToEarthGirl:

Thanks for the ideas - I'll take a look at the recipes and stuff tonight.

Mrs.Greeko - What veggies do you send?  We send carrots or cucumbers sometimes, but that's about it and honestly the carrots almost always come home.  I used to send Edamame, but DS#1 said he didn't have time to eat it.  Any other ideas for veggies? 

I wish my kids only ate the same amount as L - my kids eat everything we send and then DS#1 gets an afterschool snack at his aftercare also, then they both come home and have an afterschool snack and a full dinner (which they actually eat the majority of - last night the two of them split one whole chicken breast and tons of pasta and green beans).  I guess my kids are eating machines. 

 

I do bento lunches so I send in corn, peas, shelled edamame, baby carrots or steamed broccoli.  That's pretty much the extent of what she'll do in a lunch box.  It comes back sometimes.  I've also sent in bean soup, spaghetti or ravioli and meatballs with tomato sauce, pasta salad, enchiladas, and stuff like that in her thermos.  Oh if you count black olives as a veggie, she'll do those too, but since they are canned it's salty.  Lucy gets two snacks provided in kindergarten so she doesn't have to eat much at lunch...  But since the snacks are provided I don't have control over those and from what ive heard they aren't usually all that great.  Which is a big part of why I try to keep her lunch as healthy as I can.