Make it Monday (lunches)

Taking a moment here to talk about lunch. School lunches are pretty well BAD. Watch Jamie Oliver's food revolution if you don't believe me. I don't even know the cost of a school lunch but I recall in my day they where a $1 and well.. you get what you pay for. The schools have tried to improve and make more healthy options. Of course moms lunch is always going to be better. Packing 3 lunches a night for children with different request can be a bit daunting but doable!
I LOVE my kids lunch boxes its easy and fun. laptop lunch boxes are well worth the purchase. I try to cover the basics with lunch while making it fun & healthy at the same time. Protein, fruit/vegetable & grains and the occasional treat are the basics here. I am lucky that my kids see fruits or fruit leathers as treats and they are not expecting twinkies.
Now packing lunches if well planned can be a very smooth process. I like to plan a few days in advance and I like to cook things in groups for example I might make banana muffins, banana waffles, banana leathers and banana pudding all at once to use up bananas. Now I wouldn't want to over kill them on bananas all in one week so I think about things that freeze well to. I also know that kids bore easily with the same old sandwiches and salads so I try to think of new things. Sandwich's can be very versatile make them on bread, pancakes, waffles, wraps, pitas, english muffins, bagels etc. You can change up salads to My husbands makes an awesome cilantro lime dressing which is wonderful on spinach salad with craisens. YUM. My older daughter loves Cesar salad. Just take a walk through your produce section and inspiration will find you.