Brown bag lunch - oh no!

The boys went back to school this week.  M began 5th grade and C is in 4th!  It's so crazy to believe they're that big!! When Chris and I began dating M was in kindergarten! How time flies and life changes.  

With school there is lunch.  The boys in past have always eaten "hot lunch", this year we are sending lunches in order to further the healthy lifestyle we are teaching.  So as not to make them feel deprived, punished, or embarrassed it means I'm able to get creative and fun!  I am SO excited about this.  Food is SO important to me and I have wanted to do this for several years now.  

I forgot to take a picture of yesterday's lunch.  I sent italian pasta salad with smoked chicken, fruit, and jello sugar free 10cal dessert.  The boys came home very happy with their lunch!  They were the envy of their classmates! I could not have asked for a better start. It was SO incredibly easy to do too!  I used the boxed pasta salad mix and added some shredded carrots, diced red bell peppers, and some frozen broccoli (just added while the noodles were boiling).  I bought the rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and pulled it from the bone to send.  I cut the fruit into wedges so it was easy to eat and kids like fun shapes!  Took hardly any time and was so nutritious!

Today I sent smoked turkey, 2% cheddar, roasted red bell pepper, and sprouts on a toasted whole wheat bagel.  I used hummus as the condiment to reduce fat and since i used the roasted red bell pepper flavor, it enhanced the flavors of my sandwich!  The sprouts are an interesting twist on lettuce; we'll have to see what they think about it later.  From the picture, I think at least M was excited about it.  :)  I sent some carrot and celery sticks with a little fat-free ranch veggie dip, and I sent more fruit with an easy fruit topping.  Again it took no time to prepare (you can even buy the roasted red bell peppers in a jar at the grocery store).  Presentation is so very important with food.  If the child likes what it looks like, they'll eat it!  I'm so glad I'm getting this opportunity to be creative with their lunches!

I have some other really fun ideas for lunch too!  I saw a "kid sushi" idea for taking bread and rolling it flat, cover with hummus, add long sticks of lunch meat, carrots, and cucumber, roll it up and cut in small pieces to resemble sushi!  What a fun idea!!  

I also just bought a new low fat pasta cook book.  I LOVE pasta.  It's delicious any time of year. You can eat it hot or cold.  It's versatile.  The shapes are fun.  Did I mention that I LOVE pasta?!  Last night I tried one of the recipes - well, I expounded on the recipe I found as I always do.  I used whole wheat pasta, baby portobello mushrooms, fresh spinach, roasted eggplant, roasted garlic, and fresh red bell pepper.  It was served with a low fat ricotta cheese sauce and topped with parmesan.  It was very delicious and nutritious!  I also love left over pasta and am looking forward to devouring mine!

I love my boys and my husband.  I love the creativity and inspiration of the kitchen.  I love sharing my ideas and my foods with the people I love!