Apple Days, The Great Pumpkin Express, Oktoberfest ... It’s definitely fall in Durango. The school year is well underway, and the excitement and novelty of back-to-school have worn off, leaving parents faced with months of the lunch-box dilemma: How to pack a lunch that is nutritious, easy and won’t end up in the trash.
From picky youngsters who look at anything healthy with a big “Yuck!” to middle-schoolers and high-schoolers who are more likely to be influenced by food trends, diets and peer-pressure, scrambling in the kitchen on school mornings can be stressful. Several local families have found some simple tricks to streamlining the lunch process and keeping the peace.
“Plan ahead,” says Abbi Munn, whose two boys, Jack, 5, and Logan, 7, keep her and husband, John, running. “Prep is key in our household. It definitely helps with morning craziness.” Get everyone thinking about lunch the night before. Spend a little weekend time chopping carrot sticks, creating easy grab-and-go items and making homemade treats to avoid too many processed snacks.
Mary Polino and Gage Sippy emphasize the importance of getting the kids involved. Their son, Ivan Sippy, a seventh-grader at Mountain Middle School, likes “small tastes of a lot of things,” so the fridge and cupboards are stocked with things he can pull together himself, like chocolate-covered almonds, different kinds of healthy chips, cheese and dried fruits and nuts. “For him, it has to be easy,” Polino says, “so I let him pick snacky things but help by chopping apples and veggies so they get eaten.”
On the other hand, their daughter, Camryn Sippy, a senior at Animas High School, is completely self-sufficient. “She likes leftovers but also eats things in small bits like nuts and banana chips. She’s all about prep the night before, too,” Sippy says.
No matter what their age, teaching kids kitchen skills and how to prepare even super-simple foods – and how to clean up after themselves – will benefit them into adulthood. Some families create a workstation in the kitchen and stock it with things such as bread or wraps and sandwich fillings, bowls of fruit, or leftovers from dinner with small Tupperware containers that the kids can fill themselves.
“Mix it up,” is another tip from the Munn family. They like “roll-ups” – rolled slices of deli meats. Pita pockets are a great change-up from sandwich bread. “Jack’s school is completely peanut-free, so he has gotten used to almond- and sunflower-butter sandwiches,” Abbi Munn says.
Variety is key. “Rollups with a small yogurt, chips and pretzels one day, or the bento boxes with little chopped cheese and things another day. We have to change it up, or they get bored.” Try a tortilla- or lettuce-wrap: Wrap shredded vegetables with some turkey and cheese and a little dab of salad dressing inside a tortilla or large leaf of romaine lettuce.
Especially for kids who have long days with after-school activities or jobs, it’s important to start the day with a good breakfast. Lucie Hickox, a junior at Durango High School, says she prefers a bigger breakfast and dinner, so she eats light during the day. Like many high-schoolers, she often eats lunches out, but she also packs her own. “I try to be healthy – it gives me more energy. Like peanut butter packets, or a baggie of almonds and dried fruits and nuts,” she says.
Don’t underestimate the importance of flavor, advises registered dietitian Ashley Lucas, owner of PhD Advanced Nutrition in Durango. Try to balance out what they will eat with what they should eat, Lucas says. On the flip side, it’s great to start trying out new things when they are impressionable and living at home – just be realistic about the expectations to avoid morning food-fights on the way out the door.
How to create a nutritionally balanced lunch-box mix? From her professional perspective, Lucas emphasizes that protein and good fats are the most important things for growing kids. “So many of today’s foods are high in carbs, which means sugar,” Lucas says. “We see kids eating too much sugar and not enough healthy fats. Brains need good fat, and protein is key for longer lasting energy.”
Lucas recommends good-quality deli meats and cheeses and fruit as a perfect quick lunch. Turkey jerky, celery with nut butter and carrots with hummus for dipping are a good choice. “Check nutrition labels and make sure that sugar is not one of the first three ingredients,” Lucas says. “Always include a protein and a full fat – not low-fat or non-fat – and watch the carbs.”
Have an idea for a local food story? Reach Herald food writer Pamela Stewart at pstewart@durangoherald.com.
