With all the work that goes into making sure your child eats a variety of foods, packing lunches can feel like a chore. Do not worry; the care givers from our after school program in Silver Spring, MD are here to help! It’s very easy to get stuck in a rut and make the same old sandwiches every day.
This post will give you ideas if your kids are bored with their lunchboxes or if you want to get them to eat different things at lunch. We’ve come up with some tasty choices to help you change up their lunch menu. Because we know how busy family life can be, they’re all quick and easy to make.
Salad sticks are an excellent method for encouraging your children to consume all of their vegetables. Not only is it more enjoyable to consume than a typical salad, but you can also make a nutritious lunchbox option by chopping up chunky pieces of vegetables and piercing them into kebab sticks. Adding fruit or a combination of ingredients, such as apple slices and chunks of cheddar cheese, would also work incredibly well alongside this.
Putting together lunchboxes is easy if you use leftovers from dinner. Fried chicken drumsticks or fillets, rice or couscous with vegetables, sausages, eggs, or even pizza or pasta all taste great the next day when they’re cold. Plus, you can use the food you cook for two meals.
Consider putting an ice pack in your child’s lunchbox to keep veggies or meat cool. Freezing a bottle of water is a simple way to make your version, and it works as a cold afternoon drink.
Put peanut butter on one slice of bread and jelly or jam on the other. Put the two pieces together and use a cookie cutter to make a fun shape. Do it again with the rest of the bread and ingredients. Put the sandwiches on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to freeze them. Freeze for about an hour or until solid. Put it in a freezer bag and keep it there for up to three months.
Add the ricotta, Parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a medium bowl and mix them all together. Place the noodles on the work surface and spread the ricotta mixture to cover them all. You can add three pepperoni slices and a few bits of basil to top each one. Eight rolls will be made by cutting each one in half. Put four pieces in each lunch box, ruffle side up, and put them in the fridge. Put 1/4 cup of marinara sauce in a different container and give each customer that.
Making pasta salad for lunch is always a good idea, especially if you use up leftovers from the night before. You can change this recipe to suit your needs, so feel free to use a different type of spaghetti and add items your child likes.
Add the spaghetti to a medium bowl. Then, add the balsamic vinaigrette and use tongs to coat the pasta well. Toss the lettuce, salami, and giardiniera together well after adding them. Place on a serving platter and top with the provolone. Add pepper and salt.
Cut the apple into round slices that are 1/4 inch thick. Start cutting from the middle to get even pieces. Put lemon juice on the apple slices. I put down an apple slice as the base of the sandwich. Then I put two turkey slices, one cheese slice crossed over, one bacon slice crossed over, and 1/4 cup of lettuce on top. Add another slice of apple on top, and continue with the rest of the ingredients. Add one more apple slice on top. To take the sandwich with you for lunch, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
Cut the peppers’ tops off and take out the seeds. Using a plastic spatula, break up and stir the cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl until it is smooth. Add the corn, parsley, ham, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Put a lot of the cream cheese filling inside each pepper. Refrigerate for up to three days in a sealed container.
Put a slice of roast beef in the middle of each of two soft tortillas, then top them with cheese. Put things in the lunch box’s largest section. Fill the other sections with your favorite toppings, like guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and more. Put the seal on it and send it to school.
Cover the apples with lemon juice in a small bowl to keep them from turning brown. Spread the herb and garlic cheese on the bottom of the bread after cutting it open. First, put the walnuts on top of the cheese. Then add the apple and greens. Put honey on top and cover with the top half of the bread.
Silver Spring child care center workers say it’s important to find balance when packing your school-aged kids lunch. Each lunchbox doesn’t have to be perfect but try to include at least two things in the above method. Think about your kid. You should put in at least one safe food you know your child will like. If they want their bread, vegetables, or other food cut a certain way, do what they enjoy.
Talk to your kid. But remember that you don’t want to give them too many options. Pick TWO items from the same food group. For example, “Would you like pasta or bread? Pick a banana or cherries. They’re more likely to eat what they picked out.
Take a sealed lunch box with soft sides and put at least two cold packs inside it, one on top and one on the bottom. Water bottles can also be frozen. Put in about ¼ of the way full and set it on its side to freeze. Put the frozen water in the lunch box with the rest of the items in the morning!
Put cold foods in the fridge until you’re ready to pack. Place the foods that go bad the fastest next to the ice pack. Things that need to stay cold can be frozen, like sandwiches, muffins, fruit, yogurt tubes, applesauce tubs, and so on.
Care givers in our school age programs in Silver Spring, MD emphasize it’s important to never give up! No matter what, some days, the lunch box you packed will not have been touched at all. Do not worry or get angry. Instead, it’s best to keep giving them a choice of foods while keeping their tastes in mind. Over the next few days and weeks, your child will get the food they need to grow and do well.
MCCA has been recognized by the Maryland State Legislature for its commitment to Montgomery County issued a quality programs and special needs child care Proclamation in 2016 to MCCA for its commitment to Montgomery County child care for more than 50 years. MCCA was also selected as a 2018 nonprofit finalist for a MOXIE Award for boldness and innovation
MCCA is the oldest nonprofit licensed child care provider in Montgomery County and started its work in 1968 as a Community Action Project of the War on Poverty. Recognizing the need for quality child care programs in their neighborhoods, a group of local activists formed an association to establish centers in Montgomery County that would serve a diverse population and establish high standards for child care. Now, more than 50 years later, MCCA’s dedicated and expertly trained staff continue their tradition of providing high quality child care and play-based education for children.
Families with school aged children who can afford their child care expenses during the school year often struggle to afford the all-day programs they need when school is out for the summer. The Richard Krampf Summer Adventures Scholarship Fund was established to help provide children a safe and stimulating place to spend their weeks when school is out. Please contact an MCCA Director for details on how to apply.