kid lunches at school

[chiver78]

she said "considering" but if you're going to process what you want to read, go ahead. 

[chiver78]

and as I'm catching up in here, I'm building my grocery list for tomorrow morning from a couple stores' worth of online flyers. Stop & Shop has pop tarts on sale. damn all of you, I want some now. I couldn't even guess when was the last time I had one.

[milee]

Oct 28, 2016 16:21:38 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

she said "considering" but if you're going to process what you want to read, go ahead. 

I wrote Lunchables were something MJ "listed". That was all I wrote, is a factual statement and agrees with what she wrote.  How exactly is this me "process[ing] what I want to read"?

[chiver78]

Oct 28, 2016 11:33:35 GMT -5 milee said:

Oct 28, 2016 11:20:43 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Yes, that was the whole point of this thread.

Pop Tarts are vile, but you and your boys are welcome to have them without judgement from me. All I ask is the same courtesy when I talk about my kid eating stuff like whole grain bread/crackers.

You have missed or ignored where I've been saying things like that all along - it's complicated and not black/white.  You also seem to have missed where the point of my initial reaction wasn't pointed at the fact that any one food was junk - it was pointed at the fact that the thread seemed directed at the best way to feed kids junk on a daily basis.  I believe I even specifically said that eating junk every once in a while wasn't a problem, it's when the overall diet is junk that the problem arises.  Reading the first few pages of this thread, it appeared based on the number of times certain foods were mentioned that the bulk of the foods being sent in were junk... and that's the problem.  Not any one food and not any particular junk being eaten every once in a while. 

But if you want to put up another straw man post implying someone's critical of you for not feeding your son "organic" food or "vegan water"  (isn't all water vegan?), go ahead...      I don't really care if you want to judge us for eating pop tarts.

since you already had stuff in bold, I'll just make my highlights in red. 

you included things in her "listing" that she hadn't actually already given her son. so please, keep projecting thoughts onto MJ.


I won't hijack this thread any more on this, keep the ideas coming please!

[chiver78]

I have the luxury of a fridge at my office, but I also have pretty solid thermal lunch bags if I didn't want to use them. one of the things I've done lately is to buy the "cracker cuts" of sliced cheese and have that with Triscuits (I actually like reduced fat ones better, less greasy) and cut up pieces of deli turkey. that probably goes with the homemade Lunchables ideas, I'd guess. sometimes I bring in tuna or chicken salad, that I'll eat with the same Triscuits. I just keep a box in my desk - less ideal for kids, though. 

[jeep108]

I'm not sure about anyone's child but I like to take hummus wraps for lunch. Pioneer Woman  has a good recipe.

thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/heavenly-hummus-wrap/

[jeep108]

I make this salad for work a lot too.



www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/cucumber-avocado-and-feta-salad/

[MJ2.0]

Yes, I did mention pizza Lunchables as a consideration. Not because I really want DS to eat them, but more because his lunch needs to be more appealing than whatever is being served that day. The text highlighted refers to a huge blowup that X had with me because it turns out that even though there is no money in DS's lunch account, he was able to run up a tab. If he didn't like what he had packed, he just bought lunch. I think it's crazy that kids can just run up a tab with no money but I guess the school doesn't want to get sued in case he was actually starving with no lunch. We have since told him that he is to eat what is in his lunch and he is not to ever buy lunch (unreasonable IMO but that's X for you - ever the cheapskate), but I'm not an idiot.... I know it will probably happen again. To counter that, we need to make his lunch so appealing that he will be less likely to get in the lunch line. That may include packing him things that aren't 100% healthy sometimes.

[MJ2.0]

Oct 28, 2016 15:48:21 GMT -5 whoisjohngalt said:

I just came back from a co-op where I am not allowed to bring

any kind of nuts or anything that was processed in a nut facility
any kind of gluten
any kind of dairy
nothing with any additives

Co-op is 4 hrs long and is from 1-4pm

I very rarely buy lunch meat, but I guess my kids will be living in the salami heaven mixed with carrots, apples and grapes bc I am completely lost as to what to bring for their lunches.

Salami has nitrates....

[jeep108]

Oct 28, 2016 17:35:56 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Yes, I did mention pizza Lunchables as a consideration. Not because I really want DS to eat them, but more because his lunch needs to be more appealing than whatever is being served that day. The text highlighted refers to a huge blowup that X had with me because it turns out that even though there is no money in DS's lunch account, he was able to run up a tab. If he didn't like what he had packed, he just bought lunch. I think it's crazy that kids can just run up a tab with no money but I guess the school doesn't want to get sued in case he was actually starving with no lunch. We have since told him that he is to eat what is in his lunch and he is not to ever buy lunch (unreasonable IMO but that's X for you - ever the cheapskate), but I'm not an idiot.... I know it will probably happen again. To counter that, we need to make his lunch so appealing that he will be less likely to get in the lunch line. That may include packing him things that aren't 100% healthy sometimes.

Your X would drive me crazy, he can probably buy his lunch cheaper than you can pack it for. 

[MJ2.0]

Oct 28, 2016 17:41:38 GMT -5 jeep108 said:

Oct 28, 2016 17:35:56 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Yes, I did mention pizza Lunchables as a consideration. Not because I really want DS to eat them, but more because his lunch needs to be more appealing than whatever is being served that day. The text highlighted refers to a huge blowup that X had with me because it turns out that even though there is no money in DS's lunch account, he was able to run up a tab. If he didn't like what he had packed, he just bought lunch. I think it's crazy that kids can just run up a tab with no money but I guess the school doesn't want to get sued in case he was actually starving with no lunch. We have since told him that he is to eat what is in his lunch and he is not to ever buy lunch (unreasonable IMO but that's X for you - ever the cheapskate), but I'm not an idiot.... I know it will probably happen again. To counter that, we need to make his lunch so appealing that he will be less likely to get in the lunch line. That may include packing him things that aren't 100% healthy sometimes.

Your X would drive me crazy, he can probably buy his lunch cheaper than you can pack it for. 

It was one of the very few times I actually wished he was a much less involved father.

[Deleted]

Oct 28, 2016 17:41:38 GMT -5 jeep108 said:

Oct 28, 2016 17:35:56 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Yes, I did mention pizza Lunchables as a consideration. Not because I really want DS to eat them, but more because his lunch needs to be more appealing than whatever is being served that day. The text highlighted refers to a huge blowup that X had with me because it turns out that even though there is no money in DS's lunch account, he was able to run up a tab. If he didn't like what he had packed, he just bought lunch. I think it's crazy that kids can just run up a tab with no money but I guess the school doesn't want to get sued in case he was actually starving with no lunch. We have since told him that he is to eat what is in his lunch and he is not to ever buy lunch (unreasonable IMO but that's X for you - ever the cheapskate), but I'm not an idiot.... I know it will probably happen again. To counter that, we need to make his lunch so appealing that he will be less likely to get in the lunch line. That may include packing him things that aren't 100% healthy sometimes.

Your X would drive me crazy, he can probably buy his lunch cheaper than you can pack it for. 

Yeah, I was going to say the same thing.  I've priced it all out before and it's hard to beat the cost packing, it might end up being a $1 a day savings, but add in the inconvenience of having to do it and the only real reasons I see to insist is if the kid doesn't like the hot lunch or if the parents don't like what the school is serving.   Either that or we just have cheap school lunches here and my frame of reference is off.  They're right around $3. 

[milee]

It probably varies by area but the hot lunches around here are a good value $ wise, but they're gross and of questionable nutritional value.  The exception is the salad bar, which is actually pretty nice and I think a really good price at $3.50.  I couldn't pack them the type of nice salad they can make at school (includes lean chicken breast or ham as well as a huge assortment of fresh veggies) for $3.50.

OK, I guess we've already established I'm not always particularly concerned about what others think, but I gotta throw this out there - assuming you're not at school with him, why the heck is it your issue if your son disobeys both of you and does something?  It is total bullshit to lay your son's bad choice on you.  This is not something where if only you'd packed X, Y, Z then your DS wouldn't have disobeyed and would have happily eaten his lunch, this is an issue about DS making poor choices.  Don't take on stuff that isn't yours.  Don't let either your son or your X lay your son's behavior on you.  Time to tell them both to talk to the hand and pack what you think DS should be eating (within the bounds of what you can afford and a reasonable assortment of stuff he can/should eat.)  Seriously.  Your job as a mom is to provide a selection of healthy stuff that is in the range of what DS considers edible... beyond that, it's DS' job to choose what to eat and to follow your rules about spending.

[jeep108]

Some battles are just not worth the trouble.

[milee]

Oct 28, 2016 17:35:56 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Yes, I did mention pizza Lunchables as a consideration. Not because I really want DS to eat them, but more because his lunch needs to be more appealing than whatever is being served that day. The text highlighted refers to a huge blowup that X had with me because it turns out that even though there is no money in DS's lunch account, he was able to run up a tab. If he didn't like what he had packed, he just bought lunch. I think it's crazy that kids can just run up a tab with no money but I guess the school doesn't want to get sued in case he was actually starving with no lunch. We have since told him that he is to eat what is in his lunch and he is not to ever buy lunch (unreasonable IMO but that's X for you - ever the cheapskate), but I'm not an idiot.... I know it will probably happen again. To counter that, we need to make his lunch so appealing that he will be less likely to get in the lunch line. That may include packing him things that aren't 100% healthy sometimes.

No, that means you come up with an unappealing consequence for him disobeying your rule that he not buy hot lunch when you have sent him lunch.  Otherwise you're teaching DS and the X that you are "responsible" for DS' bad choices... bad position to be in. That way madness lies!  Most good parents have at least a few rules that kids don't like. That doesn't mean the kid can ignore the rule. Think about it, I don't want my son sneaking out at night so I have to remove temptation and set his curfew at 3 AM... if there's something my son really wants I don't want to tempt him to steal so I just buy it for him... the possibilities are endless.  DS has to make his own good choices, don't absolve him of that or take it on for yourself.

[jeep108]

Oct 28, 2016 18:35:32 GMT -5 milee said:

Oct 28, 2016 17:35:56 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Yes, I did mention pizza Lunchables as a consideration. Not because I really want DS to eat them, but more because his lunch needs to be more appealing than whatever is being served that day. The text highlighted refers to a huge blowup that X had with me because it turns out that even though there is no money in DS's lunch account, he was able to run up a tab. If he didn't like what he had packed, he just bought lunch. I think it's crazy that kids can just run up a tab with no money but I guess the school doesn't want to get sued in case he was actually starving with no lunch. We have since told him that he is to eat what is in his lunch and he is not to ever buy lunch (unreasonable IMO but that's X for you - ever the cheapskate), but I'm not an idiot.... I know it will probably happen again. To counter that, we need to make his lunch so appealing that he will be less likely to get in the lunch line. That may include packing him things that aren't 100% healthy sometimes.

No, that means you come up with an unappealing consequence for him disobeying your rule that he not buy hot lunch when you have sent him lunch.  Otherwise you're teaching DS and the X that you are "responsible" for DS' bad choices... bad position to be in. That way madness lies!  Most good parents have at least a few rules that kids don't like. That doesn't mean the kid can ignore the rule. Think about it, I don't want my son sneaking out at night so I have to remove temptation and set his curfew at 3 AM... if there's something my son really wants I don't want to tempt him to steal so I just buy it for him... the possibilities are endless.  DS has to make his own good choices, don't absolve him of that or take it on for yourself.

Why are you telling her how to mother?  It's her son.

[MJ2.0]

Oct 28, 2016 18:20:47 GMT -5 milee said:

It probably varies by area but the hot lunches around here are a good value $ wise, but they're gross and of questionable nutritional value.  The exception is the salad bar, which is actually pretty nice and I think a really good price at $3.50.  I couldn't pack them the type of nice salad they can make at school (includes lean chicken breast or ham as well as a huge assortment of fresh veggies) for $3.50.

OK, I guess we've already established I'm not always particularly concerned about what others think, but I gotta throw this out there - assuming you're not at school with him, why the heck is it your issue if your son disobeys both of you and does something?  It is total bullshit to lay your son's bad choice on you.  This is not something where if only you'd packed X, Y, Z then your DS wouldn't have disobeyed and would have happily eaten his lunch, this is an issue about DS making poor choices.  Don't take on stuff that isn't yours.  Don't let either your son or your X lay your son's behavior on you.  Time to tell them both to talk to the hand and pack what you think DS should be eating (within the bounds of what you can afford and a reasonable assortment of stuff he can/should eat.)  Seriously.  Your job as a mom is to provide a selection of healthy stuff that is in the range of what DS considers edible... beyond that, it's DS' job to choose what to eat and to follow your rules about spending.

ITA with all of that. My issue with DS is that he's 5 and doesn't understand the concept of money. He just knows that kids walk into that line and walk out with food. The school uses accounts instead of real money, so no need for actual money. He was upset and I guess ranting and making sure I've been telling him that under no circumstances is he to buy lunch. No, I hadn't been doing that - mainly because I didn't think it was needed. He eats most of what I pack. The problem is/was that X's packed lunches were awful. On the switch days he'd come home with tons of food left in his bag... 2 small yellow apples, raisins, pretzels, nutri-grain type bars, applesauce.... from what I saw it was just a bunch of not very filling snacks cobbled together to make a lunch. What kid is going to eat that as the smell of pizza is wafting through the cafeteria? I told him that and that he needs to pack more substantial and better quality lunches. I told him what I usually pack and said that he better come up with something similar or this will happen again.

[milee]

Oct 28, 2016 18:34:52 GMT -5 jeep108 said:

Some battles are just not worth the trouble.

But the biggies are. And this is a biggie in so many ways...

1)  Food habits are set early but also throughout childhood.  Harder to break bad habits later than to avoid getting into them in the first place.  So for me, starting kids on a good balance of healthy eating is a hill to die on.

2)  Kids DO NOT get to justify their bad choices by implying that mom tempted them.  If MJ gives in to this, she's sending a signal to her son that she will excuse him for bad choices if he uses the excuse that it was her fault because ______.  She also signals that it's OK to disobey a rule that's unpleasant or if you just don't want to do it. 

3)  Lets X think it's OK to blame MJ for DS' behavior when she's not there.  That's a recipe for disaster long term.  Both DS and X are essentially blaming her for son's disobedience... if that's not a hill to die on, I don't know what is.  MJ's DS is little.  If her X and her DS don't respect her or feel it's OK to justify DS' bad choices on her not "tempting" or "cajoling" him sufficiently, I can't imagine how that will grow in the future.  It's line in the sand time.  DS and X do not get to manipulate her or use her for a punching bag if DS goes astray. MJ does her job by sending her son a reasonable lunch.  Period.  End of Discussion.  Next. 

[MJ2.0]

Oct 28, 2016 18:35:32 GMT -5 milee said:

Oct 28, 2016 17:35:56 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Yes, I did mention pizza Lunchables as a consideration. Not because I really want DS to eat them, but more because his lunch needs to be more appealing than whatever is being served that day. The text highlighted refers to a huge blowup that X had with me because it turns out that even though there is no money in DS's lunch account, he was able to run up a tab. If he didn't like what he had packed, he just bought lunch. I think it's crazy that kids can just run up a tab with no money but I guess the school doesn't want to get sued in case he was actually starving with no lunch. We have since told him that he is to eat what is in his lunch and he is not to ever buy lunch (unreasonable IMO but that's X for you - ever the cheapskate), but I'm not an idiot.... I know it will probably happen again. To counter that, we need to make his lunch so appealing that he will be less likely to get in the lunch line. That may include packing him things that aren't 100% healthy sometimes.

No, that means you come up with an unappealing consequence for him disobeying your rule that he not buy hot lunch when you have sent him lunch.  Otherwise you're teaching DS and the X that you are "responsible" for DS' bad choices... bad position to be in. That way madness lies!  Most good parents have at least a few rules that kids don't like. That doesn't mean the kid can ignore the rule. Think about it, I don't want my son sneaking out at night so I have to remove temptation and set his curfew at 3 AM... if there's something my son really wants I don't want to tempt him to steal so I just buy it for him... the possibilities are endless.  DS has to make his own good choices, don't absolve him of that or take it on for yourself.

I did have a talk with DS about that and that he is to eat his packed lunch and he is not to buy lunch anymore. I said it before bed, at breakfast, and at drop-off. To my knowledge, he hasn't. I was also told that I can't punish him hours later for an infraction at school because his brain can't put those events together to understand why he's being punished. IMO that's bullshit - I don't remember how early I learned to fear my mother's consequences but it was at a pretty young age.

[milee]

Oct 28, 2016 18:37:03 GMT -5 jeep108 said:

Oct 28, 2016 18:35:32 GMT -5 milee said:

No, that means you come up with an unappealing consequence for him disobeying your rule that he not buy hot lunch when you have sent him lunch.  Otherwise you're teaching DS and the X that you are "responsible" for DS' bad choices... bad position to be in. That way madness lies!  Most good parents have at least a few rules that kids don't like. That doesn't mean the kid can ignore the rule. Think about it, I don't want my son sneaking out at night so I have to remove temptation and set his curfew at 3 AM... if there's something my son really wants I don't want to tempt him to steal so I just buy it for him... the possibilities are endless.  DS has to make his own good choices, don't absolve him of that or take it on for yourself.

Why are you telling her how to mother?  It's her son.

Are you new here? It's a message board. People share their opinions, complain, argue, offer unsolicited advice and generally butt in... She can argue back, complain, share her opinion, butt in, or ignore it. As can you.  

[NastyWoman]

Oct 28, 2016 18:20:47 GMT -5 milee said:

It probably varies by area but the hot lunches around here are a good value $ wise, but they're gross and of questionable nutritional value.  The exception is the salad bar, which is actually pretty nice and I think a really good price at $3.50.  I couldn't pack them the type of nice salad they can make at school (includes lean chicken breast or ham as well as a huge assortment of fresh veggies) for $3.50.

OK, I guess we've already established I'm not always particularly concerned about what others think, but I gotta throw this out there - assuming you're not at school with him, why the heck is it your issue if your son disobeys both of you and does something?  It is total bullshit to lay your son's bad choice on you.  This is not something where if only you'd packed X, Y, Z then your DS wouldn't have disobeyed and would have happily eaten his lunch, this is an issue about DS making poor choices.  Don't take on stuff that isn't yours.  Don't let either your son or your X lay your son's behavior on you.  Time to tell them both to talk to the hand and pack what you think DS should be eating (within the bounds of what you can afford and a reasonable assortment of stuff he can/should eat.)  Seriously.  Your job as a mom is to provide a selection of healthy stuff that is in the range of what DS considers edible... beyond that, it's DS' job to choose what to eat and to follow your rules about spending.

Isn't being a 5-yo synonymous with making "bad" choices?

xH can go pound sand IMO but expecting "good choices" from a 5yo is a bit much

[milee]

Oct 28, 2016 18:44:06 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Oct 28, 2016 18:20:47 GMT -5 milee said:

It probably varies by area but the hot lunches around here are a good value $ wise, but they're gross and of questionable nutritional value.  The exception is the salad bar, which is actually pretty nice and I think a really good price at $3.50.  I couldn't pack them the type of nice salad they can make at school (includes lean chicken breast or ham as well as a huge assortment of fresh veggies) for $3.50.

OK, I guess we've already established I'm not always particularly concerned about what others think, but I gotta throw this out there - assuming you're not at school with him, why the heck is it your issue if your son disobeys both of you and does something?  It is total bullshit to lay your son's bad choice on you.  This is not something where if only you'd packed X, Y, Z then your DS wouldn't have disobeyed and would have happily eaten his lunch, this is an issue about DS making poor choices.  Don't take on stuff that isn't yours.  Don't let either your son or your X lay your son's behavior on you.  Time to tell them both to talk to the hand and pack what you think DS should be eating (within the bounds of what you can afford and a reasonable assortment of stuff he can/should eat.)  Seriously.  Your job as a mom is to provide a selection of healthy stuff that is in the range of what DS considers edible... beyond that, it's DS' job to choose what to eat and to follow your rules about spending.

Isn't being a 5-yo synonymous with making "bad" choices?

xH can go pound sand IMO but expecting "good choices" from a 5yo is a bit much

A 5 year old is old enough to understand the rule that he is to eat his packed lunch and not get lunch in the lunch line. Come on! Her son is smart and even a normal 5 year old is old enough to learn simple rules like that. Will he make mistakes, disobey or test limits? Yes.  But that doesn't mean he can't learn it or that it's MJ or her X's job to "tempt" him into following the rules by packing junk that's more appealing than lunch line. 

Kids are so smart.  And it sounds like MJ may have the additional challenge of not being on the same page as her X.  So she's got to be even more careful that she draws clear lines and doesn't let DS or X "work" her.

[MJ2.0]

Oct 28, 2016 18:42:13 GMT -5 milee said:

Oct 28, 2016 18:34:52 GMT -5 jeep108 said:

Some battles are just not worth the trouble.

But the biggies are. And this is a biggie in so many ways...

1)  Food habits are set early but also throughout childhood.  Harder to break bad habits later than to avoid getting into them in the first place.  So for me, starting kids on a good balance of healthy eating is a hill to die on.

2)  Kids DO NOT get to justify their bad choices by implying that mom tempted them.  If MJ gives in to this, she's sending a signal to her son that she will excuse him for bad choices if he uses the excuse that it was her fault because ______.  She also signals that it's OK to disobey a rule that's unpleasant or if you just don't want to do it. 

3)  Lets X think it's OK to blame MJ for DS' behavior when she's not there.  That's a recipe for disaster long term.  Both DS and X are essentially blaming her for son's disobedience... if that's not a hill to die on, I don't know what is.  MJ's DS is little.  If her X and her DS don't respect her or feel it's OK to justify DS' bad choices on her not "tempting" or "cajoling" him sufficiently, I can't imagine how that will grow in the future.  It's line in the sand time.  DS and X do not get to manipulate her or use her for a punching bag if DS goes astray. MJ does her job by sending her son a reasonable lunch.  Period.  End of Discussion.  Next. 

I get all that.... I really do. This lunch issue is one of many examples of X's and my differing parenting styles. And that I think DS has behavioral issues needing to be addressed and X has blown me off for almost 2 years. Now teachers are starting to be concerned. There are just so many layers to the dysfunction and I am just tired. I have no familial support here and X makes almost everything into a battle. Yes, I know that's no excuse but I'm just so very tired.

Sorry for the thread detour.

[milee]

Oct 28, 2016 18:52:50 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Oct 28, 2016 18:42:13 GMT -5 milee said:

But the biggies are. And this is a biggie in so many ways...

1)  Food habits are set early but also throughout childhood.  Harder to break bad habits later than to avoid getting into them in the first place.  So for me, starting kids on a good balance of healthy eating is a hill to die on.

2)  Kids DO NOT get to justify their bad choices by implying that mom tempted them.  If MJ gives in to this, she's sending a signal to her son that she will excuse him for bad choices if he uses the excuse that it was her fault because ______.  She also signals that it's OK to disobey a rule that's unpleasant or if you just don't want to do it. 

3)  Lets X think it's OK to blame MJ for DS' behavior when she's not there.  That's a recipe for disaster long term.  Both DS and X are essentially blaming her for son's disobedience... if that's not a hill to die on, I don't know what is.  MJ's DS is little.  If her X and her DS don't respect her or feel it's OK to justify DS' bad choices on her not "tempting" or "cajoling" him sufficiently, I can't imagine how that will grow in the future.  It's line in the sand time.  DS and X do not get to manipulate her or use her for a punching bag if DS goes astray. MJ does her job by sending her son a reasonable lunch.  Period.  End of Discussion.  Next. 

I get all that.... I really do. This lunch issue is one of many examples of X's and my differing parenting styles. And that I think DS has behavioral issues needing to be addressed and X has blown me off for almost 2 years. Now teachers are starting to be concerned. There are just so many layers to the dysfunction and I am just tired. I have no familial support here and X makes almost everything into a battle. Yes, I know that's no excuse but I'm just so very tired.

It's not an excuse, it's reality.  I get it and I'm so sorry you're going through it all together right now.  Of course with all that going on at once whether or not each meal is perfect is not realistic or even in the top 100 things to worry about.  Take good care of yourself - it will be OK.  You're right - your kid will not die is he eats crackers and if you have to pick and choose a fight with X, lunch is not the top priority.  Peace and go get some sleep if you can.  You're doing OK and don't let X tell you otherwise.  

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Portable Pizza Muffins.

I bet you could totally do this with a 49 cent box of Jiffy biscut mix if you want but here's the recipe.  It's from my Sneaky Chef cookbook

1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soad
1/2 tsp salt and dried oregano or basil or italian seasoning

2 large eggs

3 tbs brown sugar
3 tbs canola or vegetable oil
1/4 cup tomato past
1.2 cup Orange Puree (I use either canned pumpkin or squash baby food)
1 cup parmesan cheese

Optional add ins

1 cup mushrooms, onions and or olives

Preheat oven to 350 and grease 8 cups in a 12 cup muffin pan

in a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and seasoning.  In another large bowl whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, oil 1/4 cup tomato paste, orange puree and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese until well combined.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until the flour is just moistened.   Stir in optional extras if desired.

Divide better evenly among the 8 muffin tins.  Top each muffin with a dollop of tomato paste and 1 tbs cheese

Bake 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

No sauce so there is no mess, you can make a bunch and freeze them and there is no need to reheat, he can eat them at room temperature during lunch.   Plus it's cheaper by the muffin than either school lunch or lunchables.

Now everyone back to your regularly scheduled programming.

[lurkyloo]

I love mini quiches for their convenience:  make a big batch, freeze them, pull a couple out a day or so before.  Plus, it's a sneaky way of getting DS to eat broccoli.

Whole grain (whole any grain) is what you want; mixed grain sounds good but is fairly meaningless from a nutrition/fiber point of view.  Though I'm still confused about the logic that white bread is the devil but baked potatoes are OK?  Bread at least has a few other things in it, like some modest amount of protein; potatoes are pure starch.

There was a study I think I read about in the washington post that whole grain vs. white pasta didn't matter much in terms of how long it made you feel full; that depended on how small the grains had been milled.  Larger pieces of pretty much anything equalled feeling full longer.

DS gets a yogurt pouch, aseptic milk, banana, and little tub of fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, watermelon) along with a meat-and-starch entree.  Some of the regulars:
turkey sandwich (turkey ingredients = organic turkey, water and salt; bread is either whole wheat or fresh sourdough)
mini quiches (broccoli cheddar)
pasta (homemade sauce from canned organic tomatoes, usually add grilled chicken)
grilled chicken and rice pilaf
taco meat (ground sirloin), shredded cheese and brown rice
fried rice a la Trader Joes with scrambled egg and diced chicken thrown in.  Sadly, I count this as DS eating veggies. 

He has three Elmo thermos thingies, so we do two cold and three hot lunches in a typical week...since the thermos thingies are hand-wash and I'm lazy.

Also, I would love for DS to at least be willing to eat chicken nuggets or burgers or something, because then we could stop on the fly at a restaurant or fast food place and I wouldn't have to pause to throw diced turkey, yogurt, banana and apple in his freezable (built-in cold packs) lunch box every freakin' time we went anywhere on the off chance he might get hungry.     

[milee]

Oct 28, 2016 20:10:38 GMT -5 lurkyloo said:

baked potatoes are OK?  

Yeah - they're OK. They have more fiber than a piece of whole wheat bread and are a good source of potassium, Vitamin C, B-6 and magnesium.  And they're pretty filling for something that has around 150 calories.  The downers are they're high on the glycemic index and people add toppings that aren't so good for them, but just a plain baked potato is not bad on the whole.

Edited to add- potatoes get a bad rap because of how people prepare them.  But a plain baked potato is in many ways healthier than an apple... apples just have better PR.  Some side by side facts for comparison:

                Apple        Potato        

Calories    95            163

Fiber        4 g            5 g

Sugar     19 g            2 g

Potassium 5% DV         25% DV

Vitamin C 14% DV        70% DV

Vitamin B6 5% DV         30% DV

Magnesium 2% DV        12% DV

Iron            1% DV        9% DV

[whoisjohngalt]

Oct 28, 2016 17:37:46 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Oct 28, 2016 15:48:21 GMT -5 whoisjohngalt said:

I just came back from a co-op where I am not allowed to bring

any kind of nuts or anything that was processed in a nut facility
any kind of gluten
any kind of dairy
nothing with any additives

Co-op is 4 hrs long and is from 1-4pm

I very rarely buy lunch meat, but I guess my kids will be living in the salami heaven mixed with carrots, apples and grapes bc I am completely lost as to what to bring for their lunches.

Salami has nitrates....

I know.....

I think they were mostly referring to food coloring and such

I posted about this kind of stuff a few years ago when I was first entering the world of kiddie play dates and co-ops and it's only gotten worse. 

[Lizard Queen]

I did find some nitrate free ham. Called Naturals honey uncured ham, or something like that.

That list of exclusions would drive me away from that co-op. I'm not good with so much attempted control. It makes me want to rebel for the hell of it.

[whoisjohngalt]

Oct 28, 2016 20:57:37 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

I did find some nitrate free ham. Called Naturals honey uncured ham, or something like that.

That list of exclusions would drive me away from that co-op. I'm not good with so much attempted control. It makes me want to rebel for the hell of it.

Believe me - I am fighting the urge.  What really got to me was the woman whose DD is allergic to gluten, but it's not airborne.  She just worries that my kid will eat a sandwich, won't wash his hands, will hold  hands with her DD and her DD will touch her face.  My kids are 5, 6 and 8.  Her DD is 12.  the are NOT holding hands, I don't think they even play or talk to each other.  There are about 20-25 kids in that co-op

Anywhoooo, I am just annoyed and thought of this thread as I was driving home.