1st September and its back to school, personally I feel its time to get back in to some sort of routine, but I am sure my teenager would not agree…
Just made myself lunch, and I had a flashback to college days! A toasted cheese, cucumber and mayonnaise sandwich I know it sounds slightly strange but the warm toasted cheese and the cold cucumber works really well and it was something us girls use to whip up on a pretty much daily basis, especially in the second year when we often drove to someones house at lunchtime.
Making pack lunches is always a chore and nobody enjoys it, (well please let me know if you do). Inspiration is always the key and I have several books that I use to use to give me some ideas. I will say, after working at schools too that its all about having an appealing lunch. Something that looks nice, not too much food and yes for the younger children if you can put it into little bowls and colourful containers far more exciting to try.
The days of a dried up sandwich and a packet of crisps seem gone and I do remember thinking a lunchbox has started to become the new ‘party bag’ and its all about keeping up with other children around you. So many good books to encourage healthy eating out there but I always enjoyed ‘Charlie and Lola’ on CBeebies this book is worth reading together. There are so many ideas online one of the best inspirations for me was the Lunchbox Doctor, check out her website here and some ideas I posted on my business Facebook page just yesterday – making pasta salads and using wraps with colourful fillings… Dips are brilliant with veg and a few crackers or crisps to dip. Yoghurt and fruit, I remember making flapjacks, muffins and tray-bakes and cutting them up in to small pieces, as I am not against something sweet. Trying to keep it healthy but colourful, fun and still with the occasional treat in!
My youngest has just started secondary school so feeling a little sad its goodbye to the lunch boxes (I am sure it will be short lived) and I guess I look forward to hearing how the school lunches rate. I know that whatever happens it will not stop that moment of coming home from school and needing immediate feeding, so I better up the excitement on the ‘after school’ snacks!
Good luck with BACK TO SCHOOL…