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One of the best things about being away last week was a reprieve from the monotony of packing school lunches for the kids. But they go back to school in a few days, and there are still 60 or so more school days this year, so I’m determined to keep refining our school lunches to get them made more easily and get them eaten more often. With those goals in mind, I’ve found a few great tips to make school lunches better:
- Pack school lunches right after dinner—this way you can even use dinner leftovers as part of the lunches. Put the any items that don’t need refrigeration right into the lunchboxes and everything else into a specially designated spot in the fridge. If you find you forget to add the refrigerated items in the morning, put your car keys in there as well, or leave a large note on your purse or the lunchboxes.
- Avoid brown apples (they never get eaten) by keeping a small spray bottle filled with lemon juice and water in the fridge. Just give the cut apples a spray before packing—kids will love to help with this step.
- Cut sandwiches into seasonal shapes with cookie cutters to add an element of fun.
- Make your own trail mix using your child’s fave cereal, raisins and mini-pretzels. You can even throw in a few fruit gummies as a surprise. Pack in a reusable container and you have a nut-free snack which is much more economical that the pre-made single serving packs.
What are your favourite school lunch tips?
I have been collecting cookbooks for quite some time now, and there are always some that I peruse through more than others. There is one in particular that is so badly in need of replacement simply because I am constantly using it. It is a cookbook that I swear by, have yet to be disappointed by, and haven’t seen one quite like. While it has been around for awhile, it’s still worth investigating, especially since its renowned author, Sheila Lukins (as in The Silver Palate Cookbook, and who succeeded Julia Childs as PARADE’s food editor in the 80’s), passed away last year.
I’m an international foodie—I love exploring recipes from different continents, but I also like exploring ones that are accessible and easy-to-make. This is why the All Around the World cookbook is the one I would take with me (should I ever be stranded on a desert island). Aside from the great selection of recipes from her travels around the globe, Sheila also includes anecdotes from her experiences in those countries, making it feel like a fabulous travel guide with treats included.
In the middle of the book is a section where she has created international meal menus, from breakfast to dinner, as well as celebration meal ideas and afternoon teas. Each menu includes three or four selections and when appropriate, wine selections. Here’s a taste: Russian Nights (which includes Wild Mushroom Blinchiki with sour cream), A Taj Table (includes Curried Golden Squash Soup), The Andalusian (includes Steak Rollos), Santa Lucia Dinner (includes Osso Bucco with Artichokes and Mint Gremolata)… My personal favourite is the Chilean Tastings offering Empanadas and Avocado Salad with Lemon-Mint Yogurt Dressing as two options.
Another fun element in the book is her Chicken Soup graph, where she looks at how different countries create this classic recipe. In China, it’s filled with garlic, ginger, mushrooms, bean sprouts, snow peas, cilantro, bean curd and noodles. In Scandinavia, it’s a soup with mushrooms, beets, potatoes and red cabbage, spiced with tarragon, dill and chives.
So while there are plenty of new (and wonderful) books on the market, I still treasure this wonderful internationally-themed book that still continues to surprise and inspire me.
What’s your favourite cookbook?
($19.16, available at Chapters and Indigo and www.amazon.ca.)
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