Day 1: Tuscan Kale and Bean Soup
Day 2: Pan roasted chicken with lemon garlic green beans and potatoes
Day 3: Homemade pizza topped with tomatoes and basil
Day 4: Pork chops with apples, Sauteed zucchini
Day 5: BLT chopped salad, Cubed muskmelon
Day 6: Baked salmon, Caprese salad (tomato, basil, mozzarella drizzled w/ balsamic vinegar and olive oil)
Day 7: Burritos with carrots, corn, black beans, and onions
Notes: Many schools are back in session this week or next, and even if things look a bit different, everyone needs a break for lunch. What are you planning for your family? With a lot of kids virtual schooling this year, one bonus is that some will be at home and won’t have to pack a lunch (lucky you)! If your kids are in childcare or able to go back in person then you are still stuck figuring out what to send that won’t end up in the garbage. The first rule in my house is no processed/packaged food. That’s right, I’ve kicked the granola bars, fruit snacks, and lunchables to the curb. I’ve found that the food I pack now is healthier, helps us avoid waste, prevents cavities (those gummies are terrible for teeth!) and is much cheaper than the packaged stuff. It wasn’t a popular decision, but now that everyone is used to it, lunch packing has gotten a lot easier. Here are my tips that we use to pack lunches:
- Leftovers are consumed first so that we don’t have any food waste. Since the kids don’t have access to a microwave for reheating, usually that means mom and dad take the leftovers. Super simple.
- After leftovers, we focus on fresh fruit and veggies that are in season. In the winter it is sometimes pickled or fermented veggies, like pickles or kimchi. Right now that means cucumber and tomato slices, grapes, melon, carrot sticks, peaches, nectarines, and plums. The good thing about this is since the produce changes with the seasons, it keeps the kids from getting bored with the food.
- Then we round out the meal with a protein and grain, usually cheese slices, a nut butter/sun butter sandwich, or a homemade muffin (take out of the freezer in the morning and it is defrosted by lunch – right now we have zucchini muffins and corn muffins in our freezer).
Lunch making used to be one of my most dreaded tasks, but now that we follow this formula it is like clockwork. My kids can even pack their own lunches, which means it is more likely they will eat it. I have to tell you, my stress level is so much better now! I’m always looking for good lunch packing tips though, so if you have any to share please post in the comments.
CSA Breakdown: For those of you also using Crossroads Community Farm, here is a breakdown of how I will use each piece of produce this week. See the first CSA post from this season for details on how I structure the plans.
- 1 Carrots (1.0 bag) – 2 in Tuscan bean soup, 2 for burritos. the rest will be cut up for lunches and snacks
- 1 Tomatoes (1.0 Unit) – pizza, BLT salad, caprese salad, the rest will be used for breakfast with eggs or sliced and sprinkled with sea salt for lunches
- 2 Onion, Yellow (1.0 count) – 1 for Tuscan bean soup, 1 for burritos (diced and sauteed with carrots, corn, black beans, and taco seasoning)
- 1 Beans, Green (1.0 bag) – pan roasted chicken
- 1 Lettuce, various (1.0 head) – BLT salad
- 1 Kale, Green Curly (1.0 bunch) – Tuscan bean soup
- 1 Muskmelon (1.0 count) – cubed and served with BLT salad
- 1 Zucchini, Green OR Gold (1.0 count) – sauteed in olive oil and served with pork chops
- 1 Basil (1.0 bunch) – 1/2 bunch on pizza, 1/2 bunch for caprese salad
- 1 Garlic (1.0 count) – Tuscan bean soup, pork chops, pan roasted chicken
- 6 A1 Corn, Sweet (1.0 count) – 3 cobs for BLT salad, 3 cobs for burritos
