How to Beat Lunch Box Blues?

As a mother to a 4 year old, I experience “LUNCH BOX BLUES” on a regular basis. According to a recent study conducted by Coupons.com, shopping and preparing for school lunches stresses out over 50% of moms! So thankfully you & I aren’t the only ones with fussy eaters.

 

As a mother, I constantly try to come up with healthy options for his lunch box & as a true-blue preschooler Zefan dismisses all my efforts in a jiffy. The little man’s behavior forced me to research & experiment with exciting, healthy & new food options. I explored different ways in which I could encourage him to eat healthy foods.

Kids burn up tons of energy growing, learning and playing, they need healthy meals to properly fuel them. With a little imagination and the right tools, lunch can be a surprise they look forward to.

Keep it fun & interesting

Rotate the lunchbox menu. Variety is exciting! Choose from pasta, upma, salads to pancakes, bread jam pin-wheel to poha, aloo paratha to spinach poori, vermicelli pulao to muffins, mini pizzas to sandwiches, fruits on sticks to crackers. Always remember to include at least 1 favourite. Use sandwich cutters to make different shapes.

Kid’s choice

Allow the kids input into what they would like to eat (but let me tell you to keep the boundaries tight, Mamas!). This makes them feel important, independent and confident. And more likely to eat the nutritious food!

Go Seasonal

Fruits & vegetables that are in season are fresh, tasty and cost-effective, while offering natural variation to our diet.

Keep it simple

Simple, wholesome, nutrient-dense whole foods in your kid’s lunchbox help them to concentrate, provide energy, grow and allow them to function at their best. Avoid nutrient deficient products that are processed, artificial and refined, particularly hydrogenated oils, trans fats, preservatives, grain products and sugars.

Organize in advance

Batch cooking with the kids is fun and time-thrifty! The result is yummy food that they have actually prepared. It is special bonding time with the kids where they have your full attention. Freeze home-made muffins, yoghurt, pancakes, idlis, etc. Prepare the night prior with cut up fruits & vegetables, thaw frozen items, or peel hard-boiled eggs.

In the end there are two things we must remember as parents

• The best teacher of good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, to your kids, is you!
• Most of our moms packed us almost the same lunch every single day of our life and probably never spent two seconds of thought on it. Like so many things, we are the victims of our own culture. We have created a society that fetishizes “healthiness” to a degree that is unhealthy at times. Let go & take out stress from lunch packing.

Below are some recipes you might want to try:

Vermicelli Pulao 

Ingredients

• Vermicelli - 2 cups
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1 tsp
• Carrot, diced small - 1 nos
• Potato, diced small - 1 medium
• Peas - ¼  cup
• Salt - To taste
• Boiling water - 3 cups
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Lemon juice (optional)

Method

• Add 1 tbsp oil to a pan, and saute the dry vermicelli until a light brown colour. Keep aside.
• In another pan, heat the remaining oil, and add the curry leaves and mustard seeds.
• When the mustard seeds pop (takes around 10 - 30 seconds), add the diced carrot, potato, peas, turmeric powder & garam masala. Fry for a minute or two, stirring constantly, until well mixed.
• Now add the vermicelli and salt to the pan, stir together, and fry for another minute. Add the boiling water, and cover the pot with a tight fitting lid.
• Cook for 8 - 12 minutes, until the vermicelli is cooked and soft. Open the lid, and fluff up the pulao with a fork before serving.
• Sprinkle 1 tbsp lemon juice, if you like.

Bread Jam Pinwheels

Ingredients

• Bread Slices - 4 (you can opt for brown bread)
• Mixed Fruit Jam
• Butter to Roast

Method

• Trim sides of bread slices & roll them hard with a rolling pin making it look like a sheet.
• Spread jam on top, then from one side, start rolling them inward tightly to join the other end.
• Cut the roll into pieces width wise.
• Heat a pan & place the rolls on it, sprinkle butter & cook on either sides till slightly golden.

Spinach Poori (Indian Spinach Bread)

Ingredients

• Wheat flour - 2 cups
• Clean Fresh spinach - 1/2 kg
• Clarified butter or ghee - 2-3 tsp
• Cumin seed (crushed) - 1 tsp
• Plain Curd - 1/2 cup
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

Method

• Blanch the spinach leaves in boiling water.
• Remove the spinach leaves from the water and make it into a paste.
• Mix the palak paste with wheat flour and add crushed cumin seeds, plain curd, ghee and salt.
• Make a soft smooth dough by mixing all the ingredients and some water as per requirement. Make sure that the dough is firm and tight & not too watery. Otherwise it will be difficult to roll out pooris.
• Keep the dough covered for about 10 minutes with a wet muslin cloth.
• Knead the dough again for a minute and then divide the dough into equal sized lemon balls and roll them each in a flat round disc of 5 inch diameter.
• Heat the oil in a wok or kadai and fry each of the pooris on both sides till golden and crisp.