Yesterday I was at my friend's house and her 4 1/2 yr old twins were asking about lunch. I overheard one ask "what am I going to have for my protein?" Later my friend explained that her lunch rules are that they pick 1 grain, 1 fruit and 1 protein. The best part about this is that her kids know these expectations and have learned what counts as a grain, protein and fruit in her home. I love this idea, especially for lunches on the go or pickier eaters. I know from her kitchen that her grains are probably always whole grains. I try and give my kids 2 options for lunch and sometimes I feel like a short order cook, but it certainly helps with getting a decent meal down them. We all know there are some days when it seems all our kids ate were refined carbs. Here are some ideas: examples of grains might include a homemade granola bar, whole wheat (ww) bread or other bun, ww pasta, ww tortilla, whole grain crackers, leftover ww pancakes or french toast or even a bowl of whole grain cereal. Who says you can't have breakfast for lunch? My 4 1/2 yr old would eat breakfast for every meal and snacks. Proteins might include string cheese, sliced cheese and lunchmeat on a sandwich (I would put these together since a slice of ham has little protein), peanut butter or any nut butter or nuts, yogurt, cooked beans like black or pinto (I add these to cheese on a tortilla for a quick quesadilla) egg cooked any way (my kids love hard boiled eggs with a little salt and pepper to dip them in) or maybe tuna. My friend makes "bugs in the mud"- much like ants on a log, but the "mud" or nut butter is on a whole grain cracker instead. Brilliant. Homemade granola bar recipe to follow tomorrow.
~Here's to Healthy Eating
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