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We're back-to-school and back to routines, and now that we've had a few weeks in, have you run out of ideas for packing school lunches?
I'm definitely not a veteran when it comes to packing school lunches, but because my grade school kid is so picky, I knew I needed a little extra help.
Thanks to Your Independent Grocer's dietitian services, I was fortunate to bring my kids along on an in-store shopping session with Nolan, a registered dietitian.
The dietitian program is a convenient way to check in with a dietitian about any questions you may have about nutrition or health goals. Consultations are easy to schedule at bookadietitian.ca.
We make grocery shopping a weekend family activity. The kids love getting out of the house and it's a great way for them to see where we get our food. Your Independent Grocer is our go-to for fresh produce, local produce.
Sometimes we avoid certain aisles (ahem, the cereal aisle) since my kids want to put everything they see into the basket. But generally, since we shop the perimeter of the store, they are aware of which foods we typically choose.
For this challenge, my kids and I were tasked with making a back to school list for some healthy bento box lunches. Luckily for us, this is something familiar to the kids.
If you haven't heard of a bento box, it's a meal that's packed in a container with compartments that's commonly found in Japan. Traditional bentos are filled with an assortment of rice, meat, and veggies. If you've been to a Japanese sushi restaurant, you might see bento boxes offered during lunch.
Bento boxes are a great way to have a variety of foods presented in a visually pleasing manner. This is especially true if you have visual eaters, or picky eaters, like my son.
Giving kids the freedom to choose the ingredients during shopping helps foster their confidence and gets them to think about what they are interested in eating. Plus, I like to have them count the items in the basket so that they know they're helping Mommy.
For assembling the bento boxes, the kids chose a lean protein such as sliced turkey, cheese, eggs and whole wheat tortillas. To go along with it, they picked out lots of fresh, whole produce like organic strawberries, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, and broccoli. For their recess snack, they decided on a nut-free granola bar.
I find having a variety of whole foods such as fresh fruits and veggies is key to getting your kids eating healthier. Also, the best part is that fruits and veggies take practically no time to prep. All you need to do is bring the fresh produce home, give them a good wash, and store them in containers. Then, you're all set for the week and you can focus on preparing the "main."
Finding ingredients that are versatile also helps in curbing "lunch boredom." Yes, I said it. Sometimes you get into a rut and you make the same sandwich over and over again. But you just have to think of the ingredient in a different way and boom, you've got a new lunch.
With the turkey, cheese, and tortilla, I can...
- make it into turkey and cheese quesadilla and cut them into quarters or triangles.
- make a turkey, cheese roll-up and cut them into small rolls.
- leave it as a turkey and cheese wrap.
And the rest is up to you and your kids' imagination!
Shopping together and making bento boxes is a fun way to get your kids involved in packing their lunches -- and if they pack their own lunch, there's a high probability they will eat it too! In the end, an empty lunch box coming home from school means the little ones are food lovers... and that makes for a happy Mom! #FoodLoversUnite #RaiseAFoodLover
Turkey & Cheese Quesadillas
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients:
2 slices PC Free From sliced turkey meat
1 slice cheese of your choice
1 x 6" whole wheat tortilla
Method:
Heat up a large frying pan over medium heat.
Place tortilla onto the frying pan. Add a layer of cheese and place the turkey meat on top.
When the cheese begins to melt, use a spatula to fold over the tortilla and press down firmly. Continue cooking for another minute, until warmed through.
Remove quesadilla from heat. Place onto a cutting board and cut into triangles.
Let cool and place into bento box. Serve with baby carrot, broccoli, tomatoes and strawberries or whatever fruit your kids enjoy.
Turkey & Cheese Wrap
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients:
3 slices PC Free From sliced turkey meat
1 slice cheese of your choice
1 x 6" whole wheat tortilla
Method:
Place tortilla on a flat surface. Add a slice of cheese along the bottom 3rd of the tortilla. If you're using cheese slices, you can rip the cheese in half so it's rectangular in shape. Lay the turkey meat over top of the cheese.
Beginning from the bottom, firmly roll the tortilla up.
Slice into half. and place into bento box. Serve with baby carrot, broccoli, tomatoes and strawberries or whatever fruit your kids enjoy.
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