Peanut Butter Eggs and Pickles

As moms we try hard to ensure our kids have a healthy lunch in their lunchbox each school day but sometimes that isn’t always easy to accomplish.  Each child has their own tastes and preferences, much like adults feel like certain foods each meal so do they.  In my kids school system there are many restrictions on the types of foods they allow, following those guidleines while keeping the ideas fresh and healthy but true to your childs tastes can be a big challenge.  How do you accomplish this?

When asked what their dream lunch would be, most kids would say things like chocolate, chips or something of that sort.  If my kids had their way, their dream lunch would include the simple, but never under-estimated, classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich thickly spread between two soft pieces of white bread and the crust cut off.  Unfortunately due to peanut product restrictions for some kids in the schools that have allergies, we are not allowed to send peanut products of any kind to school.  One of my ways to abide by these restrictions, ensure a healthier choice and be able to send something similar is to spread grape jelly and sliced bananas on white bread; this allows the sandwich to be a little healthier plus another take on the classic PB & J.

My 10 year old daughter, Miss Priss, on the other hand would like egg salad sandwiches with pickles, olives and cheese on the side.  All healthy choices however other than those food choices, she doesn’t like many other things.  Armed with the knowledge of my kids likes and dislikes, I try to create a balanced lunch using the main food groups including a meat, a vegetable and a fruit; after that I try to include a treat of some sort which usually includes a couple of cookies, a chocolate granola bar or something similar.  Keeping my lunchbox ideas coming over an entire school year isn’t always easy but with the new lunchbox recipes site from Dempster’s, when I do get stuck I can grab a few mom approved recipes to keep me going.

If you asked your child what their dream school lunch would be, what do you think their answer would be?  Would it be a healthy choice or would it most definitely include sugar?  Your child may surprise you with this answer as mine did.

Disclosure – I am participating in the Dempster’s Lunch Box Inspirations program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Dempster’s Canada. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.