Non Sandwich School Lunch: Tuna and Crackers
The day after the birthday, which also overlapped with our Manic Monday. We got home late after dance classes, soccer practices, and birthday dinner out. Fortunately I had made the lunch earlier in the afternoon. I can't say it enough: make the lunch ahead of time. Just do it. You won't regret it.
The idea:
My oldest daughter (now 8!!) revealed to me the other day that she LOVED tuna. Well, ok then. I did not know this. So tuna it is. When a child tells me they like a food, I jump at that chance, so tuna has been on my list since school started last week.
My menu plan says that one day a week I do a "lunchable" type thing, on Tuesdays. Which to me means basically crackers, with some protein and stuff. So today the protein is tuna. My kids seem to do best when they have plenty of protein, so I try to make the protein the main part of the meal if I can.
What's in the lunch:
Main/protein: Tuna 'salad'. Wild caught yellowfin chunk tuna in water, drained. Mixed with mayo, shredded cheddar cheese, and a little salt. With a few crackers on the side.
Veggie: carrots, cut into sticks, and one little tomato to make it pretty.
Fruit: a piece of banana
Extra: homemade applesauce, and a couple of little Annie's oatmeal cookie bites.
Tips and questions:
I found these jumbo silicone muffin cups, and they fit the EasyLunchboxes perfectly - the come right to the top and touch the lid, so the contents are almost sealed in, and nothing moves. This is the first time I've used them, so I'm a little excited.
Carrots are so easy to cut into sticks. I only buy the pre-cut "baby" carrots when we are having a picnic or something and I just want convenience. But for lunches, I don't mind taking the extra minute to peel and cut carrots myself.
People ask about the bananas. How do I keep them from browning? I don't do anything. They will get a little brown on the cut ends, but my kids never seem to mind. Leaving the peel on the rest though seems to help, and I cut a little slit in it to help them get it started.
Plan ahead. If you take the time at the beginning of the week to jot down a list of 5 lunch ideas, then your lunch packing will be so much easier. Whether you are making it the day before or the morning of, it is so much easier when you don't have to figure it out in that moment. If you already know what you are packing, then it is super fast to just throw it together.
Products I used:
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