Oh, My Lunch

This time of the year there is this ongoing discussion regarding school lunches. Even though the cafeteria food has been upgraded and can – at least partly – be considered semi-healthy I, like many other parents, try to steer away from it. Yes, fish and chips with a whole grain roll, and organic spring mix is not bad, but as I know my kids, I also know that they would pick cheese pizza, skip the free garden bar and chocolate milk. I know, technically they have to stick to fruit and veggies on their plates, but will they eat them? So, we do cafeteria lunch once a week, pick a day that works for you as pizza is off limits. This week their choice is the “Welcome Back Picnic” – read: giant sub, whole grain chips and strawberry shortcake.

Nuff said, I’m down to packing lunches for three kids four mornings a week. As school started less than a week ago, I still join all those other moms at Costco, stuffing the cart with healthy foods knowing that later in the school year I will be bound to throw protein bars with a bag of popcorn into their lunch boxes. Yes, sadly, I am that mom. But at this point I am still creative, PB&J or cheese on organic hemp bread creative, ham and cheese muffins creative – two out of three ate them, so I consider that a success – or string cheese with sausage bites creative. I do stick some fruit or veggies in there too, and on Friday’s they get a goodie, but this is the end of my creativity. Partially knowing that anything fancier will come back untouched with the answer to my look: “I wasn’t that hungry today, mom.” So, we stick to the basics, and I feel proud of myself every morning I do not give in to the urge of goldfish crackers, mango-chia bars combined with a box of raisins. This, is what I call success.

I know there are moms out there packing their kids’ fresh wraps, warm meals, roast beef sandwiches, quesadillas. Topping those off with love notes. My kids have a meal, and I’m happy with that. I’m no lunch miracle, and I have always been very honest about my feelings toward those lunch boxes. Luckily my three have so far been okay with this.

Yet, I bake. I jam. I cook. Tonight, I served my family roasted potatoes with hatch chiles, steak, garlic sauce and salad. Most mornings we skip the cereal boxes, and I actually serve them warm breakfast, whether we’re talking hot cereal, scrambled eggs and sausages, waffles or pancakes. But lunch boxes. So. Not. My. Thing.