Actually, my menu plan is more a general idea of what ingredients we'll be using up - a good way for me to know what meats, seafood, fruits, and veggies I'll be purchasing and preparing for our family over the week. Sometimes I get the menu 100% for all three meals in one day - other days (many other days) it's more like a facsimile of what was planned. So in the words of the inimitable Captain Barbosa: "...more like, guidelines."
Documenting a preschooler's lunch is definitely the kind of culinary navel-gazing that could send readers into a snorefest, except I have this nagging suspicion that there are others out there who are also trying to give their kids packed lunches that feature real food - and could maybe use some of my ideas in their own quotidien lunchbox making (?). I'm sniffing out other primal / paleo blogs in the hopes of some that feature lunchbox prep, too. Comment if you know of any!
Today's lunch for my preschooler featured (clockwise):
- Organic halved cherry tomatoes and cubed rBGH-free mozzarella
- Chopped macadamia nuts, dates, and a piece of dark chocolate (yes, nuts are allowed at her preschool!! woo hoo!)
- Cucumbers slices, halved with a garlic organic whole milk yoghurt dip
- Strawberries and nectarines, cubed
Just found your blog last night, and I'm thrilled! AND shocked that you don't have a gazillion followers -- this is exactly what I've been looking for! You have greatly encouraged me as I go about trying to raise 3 young 'uns more healthfully (quasi-Primally). I think raising kids this way presents its own set of challenges, but I KNOW the end result is so worth the occasional food-related struggle. Now...to get MY husband to stop eating those sandwiches at work (every) day...
ReplyDeleteSo glad that you found PK! I hope that you'll continue to drop in. :)
ReplyDeleteTry http://www.coffeeandvanilla.com/?page_id=740
ReplyDeleteIt's not primal (includes sandwiches) but you should be able to get some ideas to work with. Lots of fruits and vegetables, tiny portions with quite a bit of variety each day, and they look like they should be visually appealling to little ones. The blog is a daily posting of the lunch boxes packed for a 5 year old.
I am a fitness competitor who has always ate clean, but am switching my whole family to paleo eating, or very close to it. It's only been 2 weeks, finding a lot of resitance, but LOVE this site!! This morning I sent my son with Al Fresco chicken sausage, an apple, carrot sticks and some raisins. But it took me forever to figure out what to pack LOL So thank you!!
DeleteThank you for your lunch box ideas -- I have a challenging 15-year-old to prepare lunches for that are still "cool" and not "hippy" food! My 8-year-old is very easy to prepare a lunch for due to his youth and not pressured by peers as of yet -- he likes foods such as: canned tuna mixed with homemade mayo, Bubbies pickles, apples with peanut butter....
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your 15-year-old's lunches! My two girls are 3 and 1 so I haven't yet reached the zone where my daughters are opinionated enough to reject their options (Well, mostly. Some days my 3-year-old insists that she doesn't like almonds; other days she goes out of her way to ask for them, so the verdict's out there. :-) )
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks very much to Anon for the Coffee and Vanilla link!
Thank you for these ideas. You inspire me to set up my own lunchbox series to show others that it can be done! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI am really interested in the garlic yogurt dip! Can you share your recipe??
ReplyDeleteGreat posts about lunch! Can you share where you got the actual lunchbox? What brand is it? It seems to be a great tool for packing fresh yummy lunch items! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGetting ready for back to school. Thanks for the great pics and ideas. (followed a link from MDA)
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