Balanced Meals Unbalanced

One of the hallmarks of maturity is the capacity to consider future consequences of present actions. Children, by definition, lack maturity. What does this have to do with bento? We all have days when there is not that much in the fridge to pack for lunch. We want every meal to be balanced, but the average school cafeteria is a minefield of bad food choices. If you send food your child doesn't like, there are lots of sympathetic friends who will offer alternatives. Can they resist? The fact that your child ate a thing for dinner last night and it's the only "balanced" food in the house is irrelevant if it ends up in the trash.

My philosophy about "what to pack when there's nothing to pack" is, stick to nutritious food you know they'll eat, and balance it over the course of the day. It's just one meal. Imagine this scenario: "Gee, my mom thoughtfully packed me a nutritious lunch, but Lilly says it looks like vomit. She keeps making retching noises. Lilly has kindly offered me half her peanut butter sandwich. However, the jelly may be manufactured using corn syrup, which will give me a tantrum later in the day, so I'll just thank her politely and stoically eat this vomit." If your child is like mine, she will take the proffered sandwich and you will be dealing with a miserable kid all afternoon.

It may seem like the only "real" food in the house is the bean soup from last night, but apples and peanut butter do make a wonderful meal. Seriously. Sometimes I have sent lunches made up mostly of fruit, or cut up vegetables with fake ranch dressing (see recipe below). Sure, I'll try to get some kind of protein and fat in there to help them feel full, but it can be nuts, or cheese, or a couple homemade cookies--even potato chips! Remember the secret weapon for balancing everything up: The after-school snack.

Most kids come home from school ravenous; it's a great time to have something ready that makes up for whatever was missing in their lunch (and if you're really lucky, you'll have time to shop before they get home). You can put cut up vegetables on the table. You can now heat up that bean soup from last night. The hummus that looks like vomit in the lunchroom becomes ambrosia after school. By packing food that is fun to eat and not getting too tied to the food pyramid, you help your child resist temptation at school and come home in a good mood for the rest of the day.

Fake Ranch Dressing

One blob of mayo
One blob of plain yogurt or kefir
a shake of garlic powder
a shake of Italian seasoning or poultry seasoning
a drip of light-colored vinegar or a squeeze of lemon
salt and pepper to taste

This is a great "emergency" dip. Be sure to put it in a container with a tight-fitting lid, or put it in a small lidded container inside a larger lidded container that holds the veggies. You can make a passable main course with a carrot and a stalk of celery, or a little broccoli, or a piece of cucumber, and that last pickle from the jar. If you have some potato chips or tortilla chips, those can be fun to dip, too. Tomorrow, go shopping!