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School Lunch Recipes and TipsYou’ll find lots more school and brown bag lunch ideas in The Vegetarian Family Cookbook
With fast-food franchises elbowing their way into school cafeterias, it's time for parents to take a stand. I am always urging people to say NO to fast food, and that goes double for their presence in schools. Standard school cafeteria fare isn't much better, and oh, those cafeteria ladies! It's better to avoid that scene altogether if possible. Lunch Box Tips and Tricks Keep your lunch-making supplies together in one place to make the process more efficient during morning “rush hour.” In one cabinet, you can store the lunch boxes, sandwich bags, thermoses, plastic spoons and forks, toothpicks, and small plastic storage containers. Put flat dry ice containers in your child’s lunch box during warm weather, or any time you are sending perishable foods such as dairy products or egg dishes. These are available wherever lunch boxes or camping supplies are sold. Vary the types of bread used for sandwiches. Bagels, rolls, pita pockets, English muffins, raisin bread, and even fresh flour tortillas or “wraps” can add interest to standard sandwich fare. Dishes that taste just as good at room temperature are more successful thermos dishes than those that need to stay hot (but usually don't). If your child’s school has a microwave available, your thermos offerings can include macaroni and cheese, soups, and leftover casseroles. I always pack fruit into lunch boxes, but it often came home uneaten until I resorted to some simple tricks. Small chunks of fruit, such as strawberries, grapes, melon, tiny seedless orange sections, and such, served on a skewer (long cocktail toothpicks are perfect), are always eaten; similarly, apple slices are more likely to be eaten if I supply a tiny container of peanut butter to dip them into. Similarly, raw vegetables become more of a draw when you supply a dip; When sending carrot stocks (or baby carrots), celery, or bell pepper strips, add a tiny container of natural, low-fat ranch or Thousand Island dressing. For very young children—preschoolers, especially—a sandwich becomes more appealing when cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Main Event Options Cereal for breakfast is standard fare, but is an unexpected treat when served for lunch. Pack some nutritious cereal in a lidded bowl-shaped container, and your child can add milk to it when it’s time to eat. Teamed with a banana, this makes a filling meal. Hearty muffins—homemade (see recipe for Zucchini-Raisin Muffins) or store-bought—can be a welcome change-of-pace from sandwiches. Pack a wedge of cheese or a container of yogurt, plus fresh fruit to go along. Salads in pita bread appeal to kids with more adventurous palates. Augment these salads with chickpeas, chunks of baked marinated tofu, or grated cheese (see recipe for Salad Pitas) Keep pita sandwiches fresh by wrapping first in foil, then in sandwich bags. For warm weather, a container of yogurt and fruit salad (don’t forget the dry ice!), and a roll (with nonhydrogenated margarine, fruit spread, dairy or nondairy cream cheese, or any type of nut butter) is a refreshing option. The yogurt and fruit salad can be eaten separately, or you can suggest to your child that the yogurt can be mixed into the fruit salad. Expand your PBJ horizons by exploring other nut butters (such as cashew or almond) and no-sugar added fruit spreads or apple butter. Soy-based faux meats can be a boon for expanding lunch box variety. Try Litelife’s Foney Baloney (or their Fakin’ Bacon in a classic BLT combination). Soy deli slices or “pepperoni” on sub rolls might especially appeal to teens (see recipe for Soy Deli Heroes). “Chicken” or “turkey”-style soy slices on soft whole grain bread appeal to tastes of any age. Baked marinated tofu can be served sliced on bread or mashed, “tuna”-style and served in a pita (see recipe for “Tofuna” Sandwich Filling). Pasta salad is an appealing lunch option. Use fun shapes such as wagon wheels, small shells, or tiny tubes. Small shapes pack best into containers. Add your child’s favorite veggies—mine like steamed broccoli, black olives, and carrots (see recipe for Lunch Box Pasta Salad). Snacks and Sides Snacks packed for school, whether for snack time or as an extra treat for the lunch box, should be simple and neat. Explore natural foods stores for other simple snack ideas. Their cookies, cereals, fruit bars, and such, are often naturally sweetened and low in fat. Similarly, natural chips, cheese puffs, rice crisps, and other crunchy snacks have less salt and fat than their supermarket counterparts. Prices can sometimes (but not always) be a little higher, but you're getting more value for your money. Here are some suggestions for school snacks:
Lunch Box Pasta Salad Makes: 6 lunch box-size servings Using small pasta shapes makes this pasta salad easy to pack into small containers or shallow thermoses. Feel free to substitute other vegetables that your kids might enjoy—such as green peas instead of broccoli. I like to make this the evening before I plan to send it for lunch. We serve some with dinner, then save enough to pack for lunch the next day.
Drain and rinse under cold running water until the mixture cools. Drain well and combine in a mixing bowl with the olives, corn, and dressing. Season to taste with salt. If you make this the night before, taste and add more dressing if needed before packing into containers. Soy Deli Heroes Makes one sandwich This is a good sandwich idea for hungry teens. The array of choices in the soy “deli” have helped expand vegetarian lunch options. This recipe is for one sandwich; increase the quantities as needed if you are making more than one.
Salad Pitas Makes one to two sandwiches Kids who have learned to like salad will enjoy this fresh-tasting sandwich. Use your child’s favorite salad dressing for extra appeal. Increase quantities as needed for more sandwiches. Use the amounts given here as a guideline—there is no need to measure or to be exact.
Zucchini-Raisin Muffins Makes one dozen This is one of our favorite instead-of-a-sandwich muffins. Good accompaniments are a small container of yogurt or a wedge of cheese, plus some fresh fruit. If you won't be using the whole batch within a couple of days, pop some in the freezer for later use. make these simple muffins in the evening, and what a pleasure it is to know that you need only put them in the lunchbox in the morning, instead of making sandwiches!
Combine the first 6 (dry) ingredients in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the yogurt and oil. Stir together until smoothly combined. Stir in the zucchini, raisins, and optional walnuts. Divide the batter between 12 muffin tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a small knife inserted in the center of a muffin tests clean. Cool on a rack. Wrap well in plastic wrap to send in a lunch box. |
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