FAMILY TIME
What’s for
Lunch? Simple Ideas to Keep Lunch Healthy, Interesting and Fun for Everyone By Donna Britt
A
fter months and months of home-based schooling and fractured in-class learning time, many families across Central Oregon are looking forward to this back-to-school season with more anticipation and excitement than ever. Along with gathering supplies and making sure there are shoes and clothes, the next question is, “What’s for lunch?” If your family prefers packing your own lunches, here are a few ideas and tips to simplify the process while getting everyone involved and keeping it on the healthier side of things. Planning ahead will make lunch packing a lot easier. To avoid the dreaded ‘what’s for lunch today’ dilemma, first brainstorm (with the whole family) lunch ideas. Pick at least five or six favorite 32 | BendNest.com
menus. Then make a lunch calendar. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or even a real calendar; in fact, something handmade by the kids could be the best thing of all. Once you have your lunch ideas and your calendar, sit down and start plugging in a lunch for each school day, rotating through your menus. Calendar at least one week in advance and if you’re feeling especially productive, fill out a couple of weeks or even an entire month. Refer to your calendar to make a grocery shopping list. The idea is to know what’s going into the lunch boxes each day and preparing those lunch items ahead of time so that each person can open the fridge or the pantry, grab the items and pack their own lunch. Including the children in the shopping and prepping of the lunch items is a great way to get the whole family involved and a way to keep lunch packing from being a burden on just one person, typically a parent.
