When it comes to packing healthy lunches for your kids, it’s best not to search for “wholesome school lunch ideas” online. Your first result will likely lead you to a site like bonappetit.com, where childless experts suggest things like Asparagus and Gruyere Panini and Curried Egg Salad Pinwheels as quick and easy options. The instructions tell you to roast asparagus the night before or shave it into delicate ribbons with a vegetable peeler, then add gruyere cheese and drizzle lemon juice before cooking it all up in a panini press the next morning. Or how about hard-boiling some eggs and whipping up a curried egg salad ahead of time, only to spend your morning cutting the crusts off bread and rolling them into “pinwheels” secured with toothpicks? The image accompanying this idea shows the pinwheels arranged on a bed of lettuce—not just any lettuce, mind you, but the kind that’s trendy and hipster-approved.
I genuinely care about my child and want him to eat nutritious foods. Ever since he started preschool, I’ve been packing his lunches with sliced turkey without nitrates, fresh veggies, and halved grapes to avoid choking hazards. I even went so far as to cut his cheese into playful shapes during his shapes phase—circles, squares, and even irregular pentagons.
While I fully support meal prepping on weekends—think cold salads or casseroles to ease the weekday rush—I refuse to press a panini while managing a toddler who’s running around naked at 6 AM on a workday. Drizzling? No thanks. Pinwheeling? Absolutely not. The mere thought of using “pinwheel” as a verb sits uncomfortably with my parenting style; I need to conserve my energy for the essentials.
Even if I didn’t have a job, I doubt I’d dedicate my time to pinwheeling. My own mother was a stay-at-home parent, and the lunches I remember most fondly consisted of a simple bologna sandwich on white bread and a thermos of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup with a handwritten note. I can assure you there were no shallots involved. I never witnessed her preparing homemade pesto or grilling vegetables for some elaborate lunchbox creation. Instead, she spent quality time reading books with me.
Moreover, as one reasonable commenter pointed out on that “25 Quick and Easy School Lunches” article, “I don’t really think sending kids to school with skewers is a good idea.” Amen to that.
For more insights into parenting and fertility, feel free to check out some articles on our other blog, including boost fertility supplements. You can also find useful resources at Women’s Health for issues related to pregnancy and home insemination. Kindness matters, too; visit Acts of Kindness for inspiration.
In summary, packing school lunches doesn’t have to be a gourmet endeavor. Keep it simple, focus on nutrition, and remember that sometimes, the simplest meals can foster the best memories.