School Lunches

Last year my children ate a school lunch every day. I only packed a lunch on days that required me to do so, like feild trip days.

While I was working full time and had to have three kids out the door by 7am- it made great sence to take full advantage of the cafeteria. They had nice healthy options for the kids.

This year I've made every lunch (only 5 days into school but still). I just don't trust my kids to make healthy choices when they're face with these options: some kind of chicken substitute or a salad. You know they're going with fake chicken.

I've also decided that while time is no longer a concern I can have the luxury of actually saving money on lunches rather than paying for convenience. It's also a way for me to controll the amount of crap they ingest while still providing variety.

On sundays I make up "snack cups" of my own with fresh fruit, fat free home made pudding, or sugar free jello. I make enough to give two choices and last a week. They eat things like pasta salad and have water or crystal light to drink. I also make two days worth of sandwiches at a time. Less work for me!

I probably spend half of what I did on school lunches by making them at home. Also by making batches of pudding or jello and putting it into gladware instead of buying the pre packaged cups I save quite a bit. More than $5 a week. Don't get me wrong, some things are just so much easier, like go gurts. I freeze them then they keep the whole lunch cool and are defrosted by lunch time.

Now that Dustin is in school he too benefits from my lunch selection.

I think I will allow them to buy once a week. So junk food can be a treat and not become acceptable everyday fare.