Did you know that this week is National School Lunch week?
Unfortunately the school lunch program is still not yet up to par, which is why we encourage our children to take lunches from home.
In our house we’ve made a compromise.
I am fully aware of the “happy-meal” culture that we live in and school lunch is a part of that culture. And because of this, my kids are allowed to have school lunch once a week (or 4 times a month if they choose to allocate it that way). This helps them from feeling totally deprived and we’ve talk extensively about the choices I hope they are making when they have hot lunch.
For the rest of the week it’s home-packed cold lunch! Having something “trade-worthy” is not only exciting for kids, but also contributes to their social atmosphere at school. This does not mean that I want or expect them to trade anything, but rather about getting them excited about lunch instead of dreading it. The older my kids get the trickier this is to balance. For my kids it’s all about the “treat”. They want something tasty and I want to make it as healthy as I can (for a treat that is).
I am also not so naive as to believe that my kids eat everything that I send with them (especially the older ones) and so I have had to learn to WORK WITH them when it comes to school lunch. There is no point filling there lunchboxes with items that they simply won’t eat.
So today I share with you a lunch that my 7 year old chose. He happens to love this broccoli salad, which is great for both of us! And his treat was a homemade muffin. This is not always what his lunches look like, but it will give you another idea for a great lunch.
Broccoli Salad (Vegan)
6 cups broccoli florets (bite size)
1 cup of seedless grapes
¼ cup of sliced almonds
3 green onions, chopped
½ cup Vegenaise
2 TBS white vinegar
1 TBS agave nectar
½ tsp fresh grated ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl….it’s that simple 🙂
This can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days.
This next recipe comes from The Cancer Survivor’s Guide book which can be downloaded for FREE here!
Applesauce Muffins
21⁄2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1⁄4 cup sugar ( I used honey)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1⁄2 cup fortified soymilk or other nondairy milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon light molasses
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1⁄2 cup raisins
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly mist 10 muffin cups with
vegetable oil spray.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt
in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly.
3. Combine the applesauce, soymilk, oil, molasses, and vinegar in a
large bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the flour mixture and stir until
just combined. Stir in the raisins.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about
three-quarters full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick
inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
5. Stored in a covered container in the refrigerator, Applesauce Muffins
will keep for up to 3 days. If longer storage is needed, freeze the
cooled muffins in heavy-duty zipper-lock bags for up to 1 month.
Defrost at room temperature or in a microwave.
Variation: Add 1⁄4 cup of chopped walnuts to the batter and/or replace
the raisins with 1⁄2 cup of dried cranberries.
PER SERVING: 178 calories; 2.2 g fat; 0.3 g saturated fat; 11.1% calories from fat; 0 mg cholesterol;
4.8 g protein; 37.7 g carbohydrate; 12.5 g sugar; 4.5 g fiber; 134 mg sodium; 41 mg calcium;
1.7 mg iron; 0.6 mg vitamin C; 5 mcg beta-carotene; 0.6 mg vitamin E
Source: WFM 1-10