Laptop Lunches

My kids are responsible for packing their own lunches. Lately they've decided this means slap a piece of lunchmeat on a piece of white bread (bad mom for buying it!), folding it in half, and calling it a sandwich. Stick in a piece of fruit that likely gets thrown away and they call it lunch. Um...notsomuch. Other times they "pack" a lunch and "forget" it and get a school lunch. The school lunches are loaded with fat and crappy simple carbs, and are completely processed foods. Again, notsomuch.

I've always tried to teach the kids good eating habits, but lunch is one that's hard to do the older they get. I can make sure they have a healthy breakfast before school, I can serve a good healthy dinner, but lunch is out the door. Since I've had gastric bypass and they're hitting the "bottomless-pit_ growth spurts, healthy eating for the whole family is even more important.

I also watched the pre-view of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution the other night. He started a re-vamp of the lunch programs in Britain and has now started in the "fattest city in the US." Seeing the resistance that he's getting from the school system and the horrible requirements from the USDA has even further steeled my resolve that it's up to ME to make sure the kids are eating healthy.

Soooo...I had been playing with the idea of "Laptop Lunches" for a long time, but couldn't bring myself to order the lunchboxes because they're kind of pricey. I finally sucked it up and ordered some yesterday and they're being delivered today. YAY!

There are tons of different websites that are dedicated to kid lunch ideas. Some of them are just obsessed. Please God, don't let me get that bad! They're great for ideas though, and once your head is in that groove it's easier to come up with your own ideas. One of my favorites, though, is EggFace. Shelly is another gastric bypass patient and she takes bento/laptop lunches with her all the time. They're high protein and healthy, so great for weight loss AND kids. If I have EF next to an idea, it's from her website and she's got a recipe listed. (Here's her site http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/)

So here's my list so far. I'm so excited to get the kids more involved in healthy lunches again!

Leftovers from dinners. Duh.
Zucchini Egg Bake squares
Whole wheat veggie pizza strips
Spinach & zucchini turkey meatloaf balls
Ham & cheese quiche squares
Mini turkey burgers
Gyoza
drained ramen w/shrimp
Hard Boiled Eggs (Bug's new obsession)
Tuna salad rolls
Hummus & veggies or pita chips
Tomato & mozzarella stick skewers
Fruit w/ sweetened ricotta
baked greek shrimp w cucumber salad & yogurt dipping sauce (EF)
Mini egg bites (EF)
Shrimp (coconut, southwest, whatever other flavor we can come up with)
Quesadilla wedges w/salsa
Pepperoni & cheese picks
pudding & graham crackers
taco salad
PB & fruit tortilla sushi
Roasted Veggies (EF)
Lemony Chickpea & Tuna salad (EF)
Naked chicken nuggets
Meatballs (italian, greek, sweet & sour...)
Fajitas
Carnitas



That's what I've got so far. I'll add as I think of more, or as the kids do. Tonight when we're getting lunches ready I'll slice the leftover Ricotta chicken from last night into little wheels. Yum.