When I was about middle-school age, I remember asking my mom if I could start taking my lunch to school. She told me I could if I wanted to get up early enough to pack it myself. That wasn't going to happen, so I ate school lunches just about every day. Most of the time I even enjoyed it.
When my son started school, that sounded like a good rule to me, too. However, he was always VERY hungry (and cranky!) after school. When I would ask him what he had for lunch, he would say, "one chicken nugget," or something similar. He said he just didn't have time to eat more. I was skeptical until I spent a lunch period with him. At least at his school, the lunch period is very short and those that stand in line for school lunch only have a very few minutes to eat once they sit down. I suppose it's still enough time if you expect the kids to only eat and not talk, but these are kids we're talking about. Lunch is one of the few times when they are not required to sit quietly and listen to the teacher. I noticed those who brought lunches had a lot more time to both eat and visit with friends. Mom-guilt started to nag at me and I decided to find a way to send a healthy lunch with him every day.
My first approach was to make it as easy for myself as possible. Those individual snacks and fruit packs are soooo convenient - just grab and go. I was using zipper storage bags for sandwiches and other items and plastic spoons or forks when needed. Toss in a juice box and a paper napkin and he can simply throw away everything at the end of lunch.
Once I was over my "I don't have time for this" feelings and settled into the routine, my eco-guilt started to get to me. He was using a re-useable lunch bag, but everything else was disposable and wasteful. He often did not eat everything in the pre-portioned packages, but the left-overs were rarely in any condition to use again the next day, if they even made it home instead of into the trash. When I packed all his trash back into his lunch bag one day while on a field trip, I realized one little person can make a lot of trash in just one meal! I resolved to start reducing that waste and find some alternatives.
It's taken some time, but he now has nothing to throw away after lunch, except on the days when he takes a yogurt tube. I haven't figured out an alternative to that one, yet, and he really loves them. Here's the gear we use:
- Sandwiches are packed in reuseable sandwich boxes.
- A small thermos is perfect for soup and pasta, but we also pre-warm ours and use it for chicken nuggets and other bite-size items.
- I use very small plastic bowls for some fruits and other snacks. These also offer the advantage of some crush protection so uneaten snack crackers or pretzels can just stay in the lunch bag for tomorrow.
- Go Fresh reuseable snack envelopes are a great alternative to zipper storage bags. My son loves the way these open to a tiny placemat so he can dump out the contents.
- Small GoToobs are wonderful for condiments. He loves a tube of dressing to squirt on veggies or ketchup with nuggets.
- I found some sturdy plastic 8 oz drink bottles that fit nicely in his lunch bag and hold up well in the freezer. I place them in his lunch bag frozen to help keep everything else cool and they are thawed but still cold by lunch.
- A cloth napkin and a "real" fork or spoon and he's ready!
I worried at first that he would throw away or lose things, but he's been great about keeping up with everything. Since he doesn't really throw anything away, nothing gets confused or accidentally thrown out with something else. Everything just goes back in the bag. I do have to wash everything, of course, but most of it goes in the dishwasher and emptying his bag and washing up take less than 5 minutes each evening. As an added benefit, I get to see exactly what he's eating each day - everything he didn't eat is still in the bag at the end of the day.
I bought enough of each type of container that I can make up portions for several days at a time, in quantities I know are right for him. Having the various containers on hand also expands my options on what to send with him - I'm not limited to only things that come in single servings. I even bought myself a lunch bag and am more likely to pack my own lunch occasionally.
As a side note, I have to give credit to Reuseit.com for all the great ideas on ways to reduce waste and invest in reuseables.
So how does this balance for me?
Heart/Body/Mind: Packing lunch for my son lets me make healthier choices for him.
Time: I can't deny that this is more time consuming for me than school lunch or using pre-packaged convenience items.
My Wallet: The upfront investment is higher, but I save by not buying disposables, not wasting when the portions are not right, and avoiding single-serving packages which are typically more expensive.
The Earth: Less waste of food and less trash to throw away!
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