Tasty and nutritious school lunches can be one of parents' biggest challenges. To please the kids and meet the basic dietary guidelines, make them part of the planning and shopping. Within reason, try to accommodate their lunch requests, keeping nutrition guidelines in mind.
A nutritious lunch doesn't have to revolve around a traditional sandwich; consider different pita breads or tortilla wrappings filled with a favorite sandwich meat or salad, meat and cheese kabobs, or a macaroni salad. Salsa and chips, assorted pickles, or veggie sticks and slices with dip make a lunch box bonus sure to please most kids. Fun foods like ants-on-a-log or jiggly gelatin desserts are good choices for the younger kids.
Here are some lunch and snack recipe ideas and links to more sandwich recipes and kid-friendly food.
PEANUT BUTTER CRISPY RICE BARS
1/4 cup butter
1 package (10 oz.) marshmallows
6 cups chocolate-flavored crispy rice cereal
1 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chopped peanuts, optional
Butter a 13-by-9-inch pan. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the marshmallows and butter, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in cereal, peanut butter chips, and peanuts, if using; mix until well combined. Press into pan and cut into bars. Makes about 32 bars.
CORNUCOPIA SANDWICHES
2 square slices bread
1/2 cup chicken, tuna, egg or ham salad sandwich spread
Trim crusts from bread and flatten with a rolling pin. Spread filling not quite to edges and roll each slice up into a cone shape, keeping one end open. Fasten with toothpicks and refrigerate. Remove toothpicks to serve. Makes two sandwiches.
EASY HAYSTACK CANDY
1 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup peanuts
2 cups chow mein noodles
Microwave the butterscotch chips and peanut butter on 50 percent power for 3-5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and blend to coat noodles thoroughly. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper.
EASY NO-COOK SALSA
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
1 can (4 ounces) diced green chiles
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4teaspoon salt or to taste
Drain tomatoes, reserving only 1/4 cup of the juice. Combine tomatoes and juice with remaining ingredients; cover and chill at least 4 hours. Serve with tortilla chips.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Diana Rattray is an avid home cook and recipe collector living in Mississippi. Diana's love of and experience with cooking is lifelong. She was introduced to the culinary arts by her grandfather, a chef who cooked at farms, resorts and restaurants throughout Maine. On the Web, Diana has been an active participant in food forums, and mailing lists for many years. Southern cuisine has long been Diana's passion, and she has collected a vast array of cookbooks on the topic. See the Web site: southernfood.about.com.