The Girl's That Lunch

Scoop, pour, fill, stuff. Click, Click, Click. I snap the tops on the mini Tupperware boxes filled with different foods for the girls lunches. Fruit, one with olives and carrots, crackers, hummus and then a little bigger one for their main lunch. I'm definitely not a nutritionist but I am a dad, and what I pack up plays on my mind like a Rubik's cube of ingredients i'm trying to solve constantly. 

Lucy and Tilley have been heading to school/daycare full days. This means navigating the treacherous waters of packed lunch. Am I packing enough food? Am I packing to much food? Am I covering the food groups? Are the teachers going to see that I was exhausted last night and just made Mr Noodles and added a dollop of pasta sauce. Even though for the most part I try to plan the girls lunches pretty well these things still go through my mind as I look down at their lunch and analyze what it contains. I will say some days I do just have to trow together and whirlwind lunch that probably could be better but that's the joy of parenting I guess and in my book as long as i'm not doing it everyday, who cares.
Our family eats mainly vegan diet and has done since a few months after Lucy was born.  You would think this would make it harder to put together a balanced lunch for the girls but I'm seeing quite the opposite. Things that I see in the grocery store packaged up for kids lunches in snack size container with cheese and meat slices or covered in sugar aren't available to us any more. So I don't have to think about the nutritional value of a snack-able treat or pour over the back of the label to see whats in it. In fact most of the thing in their lunches have just a few ingredients at most. When I think about it i'm sure its easier packing vegan than not, at least for our family. I know countless none vegan or veggie families who rock a balanced lunch too, so don't take offence. ​As far as I'm concerned we are all looking out for our kids health whether its meatless, gluten free, meat full or just feeding them three square meals of cabbage (although I probably wouldn't suggest only cabbage).  Kids that get fed are happy kids that have the energy to play and learn, and really that's all I want for my girls. To give the the fuel to get on with getting on. 

Just in case you fancy trying a meatless, dairyless, eggless lunch for your munchkins here is how I pack my lunches. I try to stick to this simple plan for each lunch and seems to be going pretty well (also the mini boxes really help me portion out the right amount for the girls so that little if any of their lunch comes back home).

• Box 1: Berries - My girls love blueberries and would eat a punnet at a time if I let them. Sometimes we swap for blackberries, raspberries or strawberries too. They are packed with vitamins and add a sweet treat to their lunch that's not candy!
• Box 2: Olives and veggies - Again my girls will eat olive like they are going out of fashion. I think there would be a mini uprising if they didn't find them in their lunch. Olives have a good amount of iron and vitamins plus some good fat in there. The veg usually swaps between carrots, celery and cucumber. 
• Box 3: Crackers and hummus - I like putting this in because hummus if full of protein, iron and B-6. The girls will dip everything in it but the crackers are a good start with some great fiber. 
• Box 4: This is where I put their main meal - It can be a whole range of stuff. Pasta, Pie, rice and peas, veggie bake, the list goes on. Usually I try to make extra dinner the night before and pack that up but if not I have a couple of quick simple recipes that can be  whipped up while they are having a dance party after dinner and put in their lunch.
• Piece of fruit: as well as their berries I try to send a piece of fruit like a tangerine or kiwi for their snack. It's sweet and nutrition's and I find the girls like having them as a snack at home so why not at school.