You guys you guys you guys! Monday afternoon I was hanging out, minding my own business, when a giant box arrived at my door. It was a food dehydrator, an early birthday gift from my loving husband! My dreams have come true! Watch for Monday's post when I will give you the lowdown on my new bff and our drying adventures.
Here it is, Easter weekend. It's a holiday but LUNCHES TAKE HOLIDAYS FOR NO ONE. And so the Ladies Who (Make) Lunch soldier on, whipping up tasty things for our families. Here's a quick recipe roundup for spring-like tasty treats you could whip up this weekend. Spoiler alert: my family will be enjoying dried pineapple!
For a quick and tasty lunch, try Dave's Tomato and Cucumber Salad.
For a decadent dessert, try Marilyn's Lemon Marscarpone Cheesecake.
Speaking of lemon, Hannah's recipe for Dorothy's Lemon Muffins are quickly becoming famous. Note: I attempted a vegan version of this recipe yesterday, and it was kind of a bust. So go ahead with the eggs and butter, unless you're looking for a sad, scone-like version.
Do you have some dying bananas hanging around? Try my Very Best Banana Bread (also makes a GREAT lunchbox addition).
This recipe for Strawberries with Cocoa Whip is making me drool.
Too much chocolate this weekend? Get things back on track with a Green Monster Smoothie, or try my friend Lyn's husband's recipe for a super-sour vitamin C rich smoothie:
1 grapefruit
1 apple
ice
touch of sweetener
BLEND THAT SUCKER UP, PUCKER UP, BUTTERCUP.
Have a lovely weekend, everyone. Happy lunching!
Friday, March 29, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
keeping your goods in the shop window
I was chatting casually with a reader of this blog a few days ago, and she said something that made me pause.
"I read your lunch blog," she said "and I kind of feel, well... I LIKE making cute special lunches for my kids!"
And right away I knew what she meant, because we here at The Ladies have a tendency to not only say "just eat the damn sandwich" but also to remark disparagingly about those moms who do the Bento box / smiley face sandwich thing.
So first, to that mom, I apologize.
I don't do the twee lunches because frankly, I do not have the time, patience, or skill. This doesn't mean I don't think they are cute! I do. I just practice keeping my kids' expectations low. Begin as you mean to go on, my mom said to me when I was deciding what traditions to try and create for our families' Christmases. That way, when you do feel inclined to go above and beyond, it's a surprise, not an expectation.
Cynical? Maybe. But I've found it invaluable over the years. It's why with three kids and the oldest one creeping up on eight years old that I've never thrown a birthday party. (I know, I know. But I work with other people's kids all week. Letting that creep into my weekend too just turns my stomach.)
That said, I *do* look at Pinterest links of beautiful lunches and think "man, that's cool". We all love to eat food that looks enticing. There's a reason why a late-night commercial for McDonald's will make you want a Big Mac, and it's not because they taste good - it's because an army of food stylists have spent their careers learning how to take two-all-beef-patties-special-sauce-lettuce-cheese-onions-pickles-on-a-sesame-seed-bun and make it look like something Gordon Ramsay would serve at one of his restaurants.
Food preparation and consumption at its best tickles all of our senses.
It's another reason to try and pack some variety in our kids' lunches. Brightly-coloured fruits. Unsquished sandwiches. A nice-smelling piece of cake or sweet bread. Vegetables that make a satisfying crunch. These are all important things to keep in mind if we want our kids to eat their lunches instead of trading them away or bringing them home untouched.
So, to all the moms who spend the time making their kids' lunches look like modern art: I salute you. Really. It's not something I'm prepared to do, but you've made me think. And this week, I've been putting more effort into making sure that the boys' lunches feature an array of colours, tastes, and textures, because they're as bored with eating packed lunches as I am with packing them.
***
This week we've had hummus and small whole wheat pitas for dipping, honeydew melon, black grapes, cheesestrings, egg salad with Italian parsley, corn & shrimp chowder, and popcorn (because kids are weird and don't mind cold popcorn).
"I read your lunch blog," she said "and I kind of feel, well... I LIKE making cute special lunches for my kids!"
And right away I knew what she meant, because we here at The Ladies have a tendency to not only say "just eat the damn sandwich" but also to remark disparagingly about those moms who do the Bento box / smiley face sandwich thing.
So first, to that mom, I apologize.
I don't do the twee lunches because frankly, I do not have the time, patience, or skill. This doesn't mean I don't think they are cute! I do. I just practice keeping my kids' expectations low. Begin as you mean to go on, my mom said to me when I was deciding what traditions to try and create for our families' Christmases. That way, when you do feel inclined to go above and beyond, it's a surprise, not an expectation.
Cynical? Maybe. But I've found it invaluable over the years. It's why with three kids and the oldest one creeping up on eight years old that I've never thrown a birthday party. (I know, I know. But I work with other people's kids all week. Letting that creep into my weekend too just turns my stomach.)
That said, I *do* look at Pinterest links of beautiful lunches and think "man, that's cool". We all love to eat food that looks enticing. There's a reason why a late-night commercial for McDonald's will make you want a Big Mac, and it's not because they taste good - it's because an army of food stylists have spent their careers learning how to take two-all-beef-patties-special-sauce-lettuce-cheese-onions-pickles-on-a-sesame-seed-bun and make it look like something Gordon Ramsay would serve at one of his restaurants.
Food preparation and consumption at its best tickles all of our senses.
It's another reason to try and pack some variety in our kids' lunches. Brightly-coloured fruits. Unsquished sandwiches. A nice-smelling piece of cake or sweet bread. Vegetables that make a satisfying crunch. These are all important things to keep in mind if we want our kids to eat their lunches instead of trading them away or bringing them home untouched.
So, to all the moms who spend the time making their kids' lunches look like modern art: I salute you. Really. It's not something I'm prepared to do, but you've made me think. And this week, I've been putting more effort into making sure that the boys' lunches feature an array of colours, tastes, and textures, because they're as bored with eating packed lunches as I am with packing them.
***
This week we've had hummus and small whole wheat pitas for dipping, honeydew melon, black grapes, cheesestrings, egg salad with Italian parsley, corn & shrimp chowder, and popcorn (because kids are weird and don't mind cold popcorn).
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
The Dangers of Stereotyping
Do you ever see a dessert and it looks like something you've had before, something you like just fine, but don't love. And so you try one and...OMG! It tastes so much more deliciously awesome then the thing you THOUGHT it was?
No? Maybe you just need more context.
Imagine you see a date square. It's oatmeal-ish and date-ish and pleasant enough to eat but it's one of those on-the-fence squares. It wants to be a dessert but the dates sandwiched in between the oat layers makes it feel slightly fraudulent; almost healthy. It would surely fail the dessert lie detector test.
However, beggars can't be choosers. And since you feel like you need something sweet to go with your coffee or tea or whatever, you take one. When you bite into the "date square" you discover that the filling is not date-like at all. Rather, it's chocolate and caramel all melded together in what can only be described as "a symphony of decadence." It is deliciously seductive and most certainly dessert.
What's the take away here? Clearly, we shouldn't make assumptions about what might be hiding between innocuous layers of oats, butter and sugar because doing so could cause a person to miss out on something fantastic.
Stereotypes hurt. In this case, you. Because by assuming that you know what is waiting for you inside a square that is disguised as a barely passable dessert item, you lose the opportunity to indulge in a veritable taste sensation.
More importantly, you lost the opportunity to pack the ultimate square in your kids' lunches.
What's for lunch (beside squares?)
Chicken salad sandwiches on whole wheat bread
Pineapple chunks
Apple slices with cinnamon
Crispers
Yogurt
No? Maybe you just need more context.
Imagine you see a date square. It's oatmeal-ish and date-ish and pleasant enough to eat but it's one of those on-the-fence squares. It wants to be a dessert but the dates sandwiched in between the oat layers makes it feel slightly fraudulent; almost healthy. It would surely fail the dessert lie detector test.
However, beggars can't be choosers. And since you feel like you need something sweet to go with your coffee or tea or whatever, you take one. When you bite into the "date square" you discover that the filling is not date-like at all. Rather, it's chocolate and caramel all melded together in what can only be described as "a symphony of decadence." It is deliciously seductive and most certainly dessert.
What's the take away here? Clearly, we shouldn't make assumptions about what might be hiding between innocuous layers of oats, butter and sugar because doing so could cause a person to miss out on something fantastic.
Stereotypes hurt. In this case, you. Because by assuming that you know what is waiting for you inside a square that is disguised as a barely passable dessert item, you lose the opportunity to indulge in a veritable taste sensation.
More importantly, you lost the opportunity to pack the ultimate square in your kids' lunches.
What's for lunch (beside squares?)
Chicken salad sandwiches on whole wheat bread
Pineapple chunks
Apple slices with cinnamon
Crispers
Yogurt
Monday, March 25, 2013
I got syrup duct taped to my hands
That's the way we do Spring Break.
Finally, finally it is my turn to write about Spring Break! It seems like for the rest of the country, Spring Break has come and gone and is largely filed under "forgotten". Out here in Alberta, we are just getting warmed up! Put your hands up! Put your hands up! SPRING BREAK!
Okay, so maybe it's not so much PARTAY mode around here as it is CARB LOADING WITH SYRUPY GOODNESS mode. I've mentioned before that even though my children come home for lunch every day, they do not get served a hot lunch due to time constraints. Non-school days, therefore, call for all sorts of brunchy items: French toast, waffles, and pancakes.
A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I regularly purchased pancake mixes for weekend breakfasts and brunches. Silly me! Making pancakes from scrach is minimally more involved than using a mix. The recipe I use can be thrown together in five minutes, and utilizes ingredients that likely already in your cupboards.
There has been a lot of buzz around the amount of sodium in pre-packaged and processed foods, and pancake mix contains a surprising amount - surprising for something that is not actually salty tasting. One third of a cup of Aunt Jemima pancake mix - which makes about four little pancakes - contains 740 mg of sodium, or 31% of the "recommended daily total". That's a lot for four little pancakes!
It occurred to me that cold pancakes would be a fun sandwich item for lunches, for those of you non-Albertans who are back to the lunch-packing grind. Cold pancakes, spread with cream cheese, would be a welcome surprise in a lunch box, I think. I customize my pancakes with chocolate chips or little blueberries made into smiley faces; wouldn't that be a cute way to put a smile on your child's face? When I'm feeling especially artistic, I make Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes, but realizing I'm now veering into bento box/ cookie cutter-shaped sandwich territory, I will close by sharing my favourite, super simple pancake recipe.
Nicole's Easy Basic Pancakes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/4 cups milk
2 eggs
Stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Pour in oil and milk. Lightly beat eggs with a fork, then add to the bowl. Stir everything together until just combined.
On a hot, ungreased griddle pour batter into desired shapes (plain circles are just fine!) and sizes. If desired, place chocolate chips or frozen blueberries in decorative patterns on the batter. When the top bubbles and the edges look dry, it's time to flip! Just try not to flip them onto each other or the side of the griddle, as sometimes happens in my house.
I received a fancy bottle of single-pressed syrup as a hostess gift, and once you've gone there, you cannot go back. I tried to keep it all for me, but one of my children has discovered it and its mapley deliciousness.
Finally, finally it is my turn to write about Spring Break! It seems like for the rest of the country, Spring Break has come and gone and is largely filed under "forgotten". Out here in Alberta, we are just getting warmed up! Put your hands up! Put your hands up! SPRING BREAK!
Okay, so maybe it's not so much PARTAY mode around here as it is CARB LOADING WITH SYRUPY GOODNESS mode. I've mentioned before that even though my children come home for lunch every day, they do not get served a hot lunch due to time constraints. Non-school days, therefore, call for all sorts of brunchy items: French toast, waffles, and pancakes.
A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I regularly purchased pancake mixes for weekend breakfasts and brunches. Silly me! Making pancakes from scrach is minimally more involved than using a mix. The recipe I use can be thrown together in five minutes, and utilizes ingredients that likely already in your cupboards.
There has been a lot of buzz around the amount of sodium in pre-packaged and processed foods, and pancake mix contains a surprising amount - surprising for something that is not actually salty tasting. One third of a cup of Aunt Jemima pancake mix - which makes about four little pancakes - contains 740 mg of sodium, or 31% of the "recommended daily total". That's a lot for four little pancakes!
It occurred to me that cold pancakes would be a fun sandwich item for lunches, for those of you non-Albertans who are back to the lunch-packing grind. Cold pancakes, spread with cream cheese, would be a welcome surprise in a lunch box, I think. I customize my pancakes with chocolate chips or little blueberries made into smiley faces; wouldn't that be a cute way to put a smile on your child's face? When I'm feeling especially artistic, I make Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes, but realizing I'm now veering into bento box/ cookie cutter-shaped sandwich territory, I will close by sharing my favourite, super simple pancake recipe.
Nicole's Easy Basic Pancakes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/4 cups milk
2 eggs
Stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Pour in oil and milk. Lightly beat eggs with a fork, then add to the bowl. Stir everything together until just combined.
On a hot, ungreased griddle pour batter into desired shapes (plain circles are just fine!) and sizes. If desired, place chocolate chips or frozen blueberries in decorative patterns on the batter. When the top bubbles and the edges look dry, it's time to flip! Just try not to flip them onto each other or the side of the griddle, as sometimes happens in my house.
I received a fancy bottle of single-pressed syrup as a hostess gift, and once you've gone there, you cannot go back. I tried to keep it all for me, but one of my children has discovered it and its mapley deliciousness.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Achievement
The Girl brought home the proofs from her Grade 8 graduation pictures last night, if you want to talk about time's wing'd chariot and all that. "Celebrate the Achievement!" the text on the picture sheet read, which I thought was sort of overstating matters, since passing grade 8 seems like something a parent should just EXPECT and all.
But she's off to HIGH SCHOOL in the fall, and that's what the pictures are about. Goodbye, childhood! And she looks suddenly older in the pictures, her adult bones whispering around her shy adolescent smile. "Did you think," whispers something mean inside, "That she would be a little girl forever, that you could keep her?"
She's a vegetarian - of sorts - again right now, which I saw coming. So her lunch today is lentil soup, mostly, which she has always loved (and I don't know how or why. Lentils WERE one of the foods I fed her a lot of when she was a toddler, but I also did that with the other two and they're rather cool on the topic. She just loves lentils.), and whole grain crackers, baby carrots and a yogurt and an apple. Not too exciting, but she enjoys it, the dour little soul.
"Are you going to eat at the cafeteria?" M's friend asked her, in my hearing. "Nah," M said. "I like the lunches my mom packs me. And the cafeteria's too expensive."
I've been packing her lunches for the past ten years of school - good grief! a decade! - and it is a reasonably thankless task. My kids generally don't comment on their lunches, lunches being something (like clean laundry and new running shoes) that just happens. I always presumed that - given the choice - they would pick other options then their bagged lunches and I am PLEASANTLY ASTOUNDED that this turns out not to be the case for at least one of my kids. She likes the lunches her mom packs her! And also, pragmatically, she has figured out that spending less money on cafeteria food = more pocket money for her. But she likes the lunches her mom packs her, too! Aw.
It is hard, sometimes, to remember in the day-to-dayness of looking after kids that this is not permanent, that what we're actually doing is attempting to raise worthwhile adults, to raise people who can leave us and high school is a loud alarm clock for the countdown that has always actually been happening. Four more years, her Grade 8 graduation pictures fairly shrieks, and in the meantime - while she is still my girl at home - I will keep packing her lunches as long as she wants them. Packing my kids' lunches is a boring type of drudgery but it is also something concrete from home, carrot sticks and juice boxes and something sweet. It is a pragmatic love letter to fleeting, lovely childhood.
But she's off to HIGH SCHOOL in the fall, and that's what the pictures are about. Goodbye, childhood! And she looks suddenly older in the pictures, her adult bones whispering around her shy adolescent smile. "Did you think," whispers something mean inside, "That she would be a little girl forever, that you could keep her?"
She's a vegetarian - of sorts - again right now, which I saw coming. So her lunch today is lentil soup, mostly, which she has always loved (and I don't know how or why. Lentils WERE one of the foods I fed her a lot of when she was a toddler, but I also did that with the other two and they're rather cool on the topic. She just loves lentils.), and whole grain crackers, baby carrots and a yogurt and an apple. Not too exciting, but she enjoys it, the dour little soul.
"Are you going to eat at the cafeteria?" M's friend asked her, in my hearing. "Nah," M said. "I like the lunches my mom packs me. And the cafeteria's too expensive."
I've been packing her lunches for the past ten years of school - good grief! a decade! - and it is a reasonably thankless task. My kids generally don't comment on their lunches, lunches being something (like clean laundry and new running shoes) that just happens. I always presumed that - given the choice - they would pick other options then their bagged lunches and I am PLEASANTLY ASTOUNDED that this turns out not to be the case for at least one of my kids. She likes the lunches her mom packs her! And also, pragmatically, she has figured out that spending less money on cafeteria food = more pocket money for her. But she likes the lunches her mom packs her, too! Aw.
It is hard, sometimes, to remember in the day-to-dayness of looking after kids that this is not permanent, that what we're actually doing is attempting to raise worthwhile adults, to raise people who can leave us and high school is a loud alarm clock for the countdown that has always actually been happening. Four more years, her Grade 8 graduation pictures fairly shrieks, and in the meantime - while she is still my girl at home - I will keep packing her lunches as long as she wants them. Packing my kids' lunches is a boring type of drudgery but it is also something concrete from home, carrot sticks and juice boxes and something sweet. It is a pragmatic love letter to fleeting, lovely childhood.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Honeydew & Lemons
March.
MAAAAAAARRRRRRCCCCCHHHH.
Last year, spring came early here. Really early. Like, 26C in the third week of March early. Flowers blooming! Birds singing!
We had a proper spring, and it was lovely. It was so lovely that we all managed to forget that we live in Canada, and that winter does not end because of Daylight Savings Time.
Today is the first official day of spring. It is a snow day. By 7:30 I had already shoveled a ridiculous amount of drifted snow off the steps and gotten windburn from the ice pellets scudding into my cheeks. Winter is back. And I am despondent.
And I'm sick to death of lunches.
The kids are, too.
This is the time of year when I want to throw all my principles about fresh food and healthy eating out the window, and just give them pizza pockets every day. EVERY DAY PIZZA POCKETS, LUCKY CHILDREN!! (I just asked my kids. They've never tasted a pizza pocket. Now they know of the existence of pizza pockets and I've probably bought a world of trouble for the sake of truth in reporting.)
But I don't! I forge ahead. This week I bought a giant honeydew melon, because why not. Turned out to be an excellent choice as the children actually whooped when they spotted it in the fridge.
(Aside: does anyone else wish the kids would tell you ahead of time when they have a preference like that, instead of leaving you in the store guessing week after week? Guessing right is vastly satisfying and makes you feel like a Super Genius Perfect Mom. Guessing wrong makes you feel like a stressed-out mess. End of aside.)
I spent some time on Sunday night cleaning and cutting my honeydew into bite-sized chunks. I store the chunks in a large plastic container, and then when I'm packing the lunches I just scoop out smaller portions. It tastes sweet and fresh. I checked and it is high in Vitamins C and A, as well as being an excellent source of potassium and a modest source of calcium. It's easy to chew for babies and toddlers, is delicious on its own or mixed with other fruit like strawberries or blueberries, and adds a great flavour to smoothies.
All this for only $3.99! BARGAIN.
This week I also made these lemon muffins, which go nicely with fruit or a cup of tea.
Dorothy's Lemon Muffins
Sift together in large bowl:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Combine in small bowl:
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
grated rind of 1 or 2 lemons
Pour wet into dry and stir to combine. Sprinkle tops of muffins with white sugar.
Bake at 400F for 15 minutes. Makes 12 smallish muffins.
All in all, not a bad week when I consider that what I really feel like doing today is lurking in the garret writing sad poetry.
MAAAAAAARRRRRRCCCCCHHHH.
Last year, spring came early here. Really early. Like, 26C in the third week of March early. Flowers blooming! Birds singing!
We had a proper spring, and it was lovely. It was so lovely that we all managed to forget that we live in Canada, and that winter does not end because of Daylight Savings Time.
Today is the first official day of spring. It is a snow day. By 7:30 I had already shoveled a ridiculous amount of drifted snow off the steps and gotten windburn from the ice pellets scudding into my cheeks. Winter is back. And I am despondent.
And I'm sick to death of lunches.
The kids are, too.
This is the time of year when I want to throw all my principles about fresh food and healthy eating out the window, and just give them pizza pockets every day. EVERY DAY PIZZA POCKETS, LUCKY CHILDREN!! (I just asked my kids. They've never tasted a pizza pocket. Now they know of the existence of pizza pockets and I've probably bought a world of trouble for the sake of truth in reporting.)
But I don't! I forge ahead. This week I bought a giant honeydew melon, because why not. Turned out to be an excellent choice as the children actually whooped when they spotted it in the fridge.
(Aside: does anyone else wish the kids would tell you ahead of time when they have a preference like that, instead of leaving you in the store guessing week after week? Guessing right is vastly satisfying and makes you feel like a Super Genius Perfect Mom. Guessing wrong makes you feel like a stressed-out mess. End of aside.)
I spent some time on Sunday night cleaning and cutting my honeydew into bite-sized chunks. I store the chunks in a large plastic container, and then when I'm packing the lunches I just scoop out smaller portions. It tastes sweet and fresh. I checked and it is high in Vitamins C and A, as well as being an excellent source of potassium and a modest source of calcium. It's easy to chew for babies and toddlers, is delicious on its own or mixed with other fruit like strawberries or blueberries, and adds a great flavour to smoothies.
All this for only $3.99! BARGAIN.
This week I also made these lemon muffins, which go nicely with fruit or a cup of tea.
Dorothy's Lemon Muffins
Sift together in large bowl:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Combine in small bowl:
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
grated rind of 1 or 2 lemons
Pour wet into dry and stir to combine. Sprinkle tops of muffins with white sugar.
Bake at 400F for 15 minutes. Makes 12 smallish muffins.
All in all, not a bad week when I consider that what I really feel like doing today is lurking in the garret writing sad poetry.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Get back on that horse
There really should be some kind of service to help parents get through the shock and trauma of having to make lunches again after March Break.
Maybe a hotline you can call to talk you down from the counter where you are perched, hands clapped over your ears in a fierce physical display of denial.
Perhaps an app you could download that repeats motivational phrases like, "Stop staring into that open fridge!" and "These lunches aren't going to pack themselves."
Or the deluxe option: a comforting matron who could come by your house, make you coffee and press a cold compress against your temples while murmuring encouraging, lunch-making nuggets of wisdom in your ear.
Sadly, such a service doesn't exist. Thank God for this blog post, then. Lucky, lucky you!
So you say it's only Tuesday and you're already out of fresh fruit? And you bought a Costco-sized box of string cheese only to learn that some of your kids hate it when you send string cheese because the consistency gets "weird" in the lunch bag? Well buck up, Buttercup: you could have no legs. (That's what my mom used to tell me when I was feeling sorry for myself in high school. Helpful, yes?)
Today I will send a lunch, with canned fruit and no string cheese, and it will be fine. There will be Oreos and too many carbs but I will buy some more fruit and tomorrow lunch will be easier to make and the next day's, easier still. Because making lunch really isn't all that hard...it just feels that way the week after March Break.
Maybe a hotline you can call to talk you down from the counter where you are perched, hands clapped over your ears in a fierce physical display of denial.
Perhaps an app you could download that repeats motivational phrases like, "Stop staring into that open fridge!" and "These lunches aren't going to pack themselves."
Or the deluxe option: a comforting matron who could come by your house, make you coffee and press a cold compress against your temples while murmuring encouraging, lunch-making nuggets of wisdom in your ear.
Sadly, such a service doesn't exist. Thank God for this blog post, then. Lucky, lucky you!
So you say it's only Tuesday and you're already out of fresh fruit? And you bought a Costco-sized box of string cheese only to learn that some of your kids hate it when you send string cheese because the consistency gets "weird" in the lunch bag? Well buck up, Buttercup: you could have no legs. (That's what my mom used to tell me when I was feeling sorry for myself in high school. Helpful, yes?)
Today I will send a lunch, with canned fruit and no string cheese, and it will be fine. There will be Oreos and too many carbs but I will buy some more fruit and tomorrow lunch will be easier to make and the next day's, easier still. Because making lunch really isn't all that hard...it just feels that way the week after March Break.
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