Back to School Time

It’s back to school time and you know what that means, early wakeup, homework and of course school lunches.  This is the first year one of my little people requires a daily lunch and one would think a dietitian who enjoys cooking would have this one in the bag (literally at least).  Unfortunately packing lunches has become a dreaded task since most of my ideas are met with disdain by my six year old. My challenges have nothing to do with lack of ideas, knowledge or even creativity. Oliver wants the same foods every day and quite simply does not enjoy eating lunch.  This is a question I get from countless parents, what to do when my child does not want to eat.  We all know about the importance of good nutrition for school performance but what happens when our child won’t eat what we provide?  For more on this topic, check out this link:  Lunch

 

My simple (semi) solutions:

 

1. Make his lunch appealing. A friend of mine turned me onto these containers  for the lunch box.  Foods I know Oliver will accept like carrots with ranch dip and peanut butter sandwiches look more appealing in colorful containers.

2. Temperature control: my son’s biggest complaint is his sandwich gets warm so I added these freezer packs to keep the temperature under control.

3. Bargain.  I know some might disagree but Oliver gets a dark chocolate kiss in his lunch along with his carrots

 

There is still hope, right?! I have mentally packed away my creative lunch box ideas until Oliver miraculously decides he loves lunch (or until the next Meyer child heads to school).