Paleo School Lunch
I don't push the Paleo Diet on my kids. They are very smart 14 and 12 yr old boys who tend to rebel against change as is natural at that age. I give them the information and guide them towards healthy choices and then let them make their own decisions. My 12 yr old is very good with eating healthy and will try almost anything. My 14 yr old is a bit more difficult as he has always been a picky eater. They like to make their own lunches, it is just their one little bit of freedom. I make sure that we have good snacks and lunch options for them to pick from but there is always a loaf of bread and some sliced meat just in case they are feeling like a sandwich that day.
My husband had an early meeting this morning where there were to be muffins and pastries provided for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. I had to make sure he had a good breakfast in him so that he didn't have to settle for a muffin and pack a lunch so he had something to eat instead of a sandwich. Since I was preparing one lunch, it was easy to make a bit more and turn it into 3. The boys are ok with it if I make their lunch once in awhile. They have been doing it long enough that I'm sure it is even appreciated once in awhile. My 12 year old likes hot lunches so I packed some left over Paleo Chili in a thermos. My husband and 14 year old got a mix of sliced chicken breast and sausage with some left over steamed broccoli (raw for my son, he doesn't like cooked veggies), baby carrots and snap peas. My husband is doing the Paleo Challenge through the Academy of Lions so he can't have fruit but the boys each had an apple and juice. Voila, 3 perfectly paleo lunches and they are all happy.
Some lunch box ideas:
~ Left over anything in a thermos - soup, chili, stew
~ Sliced or squared cold left over meat (plan ahead and make a bit more with supper)
~ Sliced or cubed sausage
~ Tuna salad in a container (with some home made paleo mayo and any kind of veggies - green onion, celery, dill, flax seeds and as a bit of a cheat I will throw in some capers)
~ Any mixture of veggies (sliced or baby carrots, sliced peppers, raw snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus - whatever you have on hand) I like to cut and prepare veggies when I get them home from the store and keep them in containers in the fridge or do extra when making for a meal. That way you can just grab some and go when you need a quick lunch packed. The only one I don't do ahead is avacado, it turns brown too quickly.
~ Fruit or a mixture of (grapes, apples, oranges, melon, mango, kiwi, berries) again whatever you have on hand or make it into a fruit salad.
~ My kids can't take nuts to school but for my husband to get his 'sandwich fix' a sanwich on some Paleo Walnut Bread is an option once in awhile.
My 12 yr old had a teacher once in grade 3 who based a large part of their health grade on what they brought for lunch. We were not yet eating Paleo and I was trying to transition my kids from white bread to whole wheat. I started with Smart Bread - looks like white but is somehow whole wheat - not too sure how it works, don't really trust it but it worked as a transition (they now eat only whole wheat and have never complained). Anyhow, she took marks off for having 'white bread' even though he told her what it was and she docked him for bringing home made treats (clean cookies and granola bars). I was quite upset with her expectations for 9 yr olds. I wonder if she would approve of his lunch today...
My husband had an early meeting this morning where there were to be muffins and pastries provided for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. I had to make sure he had a good breakfast in him so that he didn't have to settle for a muffin and pack a lunch so he had something to eat instead of a sandwich. Since I was preparing one lunch, it was easy to make a bit more and turn it into 3. The boys are ok with it if I make their lunch once in awhile. They have been doing it long enough that I'm sure it is even appreciated once in awhile. My 12 year old likes hot lunches so I packed some left over Paleo Chili in a thermos. My husband and 14 year old got a mix of sliced chicken breast and sausage with some left over steamed broccoli (raw for my son, he doesn't like cooked veggies), baby carrots and snap peas. My husband is doing the Paleo Challenge through the Academy of Lions so he can't have fruit but the boys each had an apple and juice. Voila, 3 perfectly paleo lunches and they are all happy.
Some lunch box ideas:
~ Left over anything in a thermos - soup, chili, stew
~ Sliced or squared cold left over meat (plan ahead and make a bit more with supper)
~ Sliced or cubed sausage
~ Tuna salad in a container (with some home made paleo mayo and any kind of veggies - green onion, celery, dill, flax seeds and as a bit of a cheat I will throw in some capers)
~ Any mixture of veggies (sliced or baby carrots, sliced peppers, raw snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus - whatever you have on hand) I like to cut and prepare veggies when I get them home from the store and keep them in containers in the fridge or do extra when making for a meal. That way you can just grab some and go when you need a quick lunch packed. The only one I don't do ahead is avacado, it turns brown too quickly.
~ Fruit or a mixture of (grapes, apples, oranges, melon, mango, kiwi, berries) again whatever you have on hand or make it into a fruit salad.
~ My kids can't take nuts to school but for my husband to get his 'sandwich fix' a sanwich on some Paleo Walnut Bread is an option once in awhile.
My 12 yr old had a teacher once in grade 3 who based a large part of their health grade on what they brought for lunch. We were not yet eating Paleo and I was trying to transition my kids from white bread to whole wheat. I started with Smart Bread - looks like white but is somehow whole wheat - not too sure how it works, don't really trust it but it worked as a transition (they now eat only whole wheat and have never complained). Anyhow, she took marks off for having 'white bread' even though he told her what it was and she docked him for bringing home made treats (clean cookies and granola bars). I was quite upset with her expectations for 9 yr olds. I wonder if she would approve of his lunch today...
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