lunch time again

This time of year everyone is back in the kitchen, packing school lunches. I don't know if the process causes other people as much stress as it does me. I am always trying to keep things exciting and appealing, while avoiding processed foods as much as possible. The big issue is determining what the kids will actually eat. I hate when articles tout all kinds of "kid" meals, full of stuff my kids would never want.

Luckily my lunch packing system is slowly becoming more refined—even if I do still struggle with what to put in the containers! My son's school inspires many of our choices; they require a basket, cloth napkins, and hearty, healthy food. I try to keep the basket waste-free, but some days I do use a wax paper bag that we compost when done.

I noticed the September/October issue of Kiwi magazine has an article about nifty items which help make a waste-free lunch. I'm still loving the stainless steel containers I found last year at Daiso. Another good resource online is called Healthy Kitchens which has similar containers plus many other great food storage and packing items. I like that their stainless containers have a stainless lid.

Since I am so curious about clever ways to make life easier, I'll run another contest. I'd love to see the lunches you pack for your kids. Email me a photo of the lunch and I'll choose an entrant randomly to win. The winner will receive an item from Healthy Kitchens.

Here's a picture of my son's lunch and snack for tomorrow (he has to bring both). He has a ham sandwich, watermelon, apples, plain yogurt with some granola to sprinkle on top, and some homemade bagel chips. I'm not claiming this to be perfect by any means. If you can share some good ideas about packing lunch (containers or recipes) I'd be most grateful.