How to Make a Sack Lunch for Your Child

You’ve read “Fast Food Nation,” watched “Super-Size Me” and witnessed the preteens mobbing the grocery store, buying bags of candy and two liter bottles of pop. Now that you’re sure that nutrition can’t be safely handled by the school lunch ladies or students with pocket money, you know what you have to do. You’ve got to haul yourself out of bed and make those lunches yourself—lunches that will satisfy nutritional needs, boost brain power and scholastic success, and are tasty enough that your kids won’t drop them in the gutter on the way to school! Follow these steps to learn how to make a fantastic sack lunch for your child.

Step1
Allow your child to choose the lunch sack, satchel, backpack or thermally insulated enclosure of his or her choice.

Step2
Ask your child what he or she would like to have in a sack lunch; allow time for all the preposterous requests to spill out—chocolate cake, popcorn, pickled herring, cream puffs—before taking note of more helpful suggestions.

Step3
Pay attention to five categories: protein, carbohydrates, vegetables, fruit and hydration. Make a roster of foods that fill these slots for your children to choose from and tell them that they must choose and eat one from each category.

Step4
Load the lunch boxes yourself. While it would be lovely to let the kids do it, doing it yourself will ensure the balanced lunches you're seeking.

Step5
Look in the lunch sacks when the kids get home to check what they’ve eaten and what they’ve left behind. Adjust the foods you include to encourage healthy eating and honesty about what they do and don’t like.

written by, Beren deMotier

How to Choose a Lunch Box

Your choice of lunch box reflects your inner self. Are you strong and quirky like an old metal lunch box? Light and colorful like a plastic lunch box? Or soft and cozy like a lunch bag? Here are some things to consider when choosing your lunch box.


Step1
Consider what you'll use the lunch box to carry. Use a tough metal or plastic lunch box to protect foods that can bruise, break or smush. If you plan to pack your foods in plastic containers, a soft lunch bag is fine.

Step2
Choose a lunch box or lunch bag that is large enough to accommodate all your items without having them move around when jostled.

Step3
Consider how you'll be handling your lunch box. If you'll have to fit it in your backpack or book bag, a hard exterior will keep your food from being squashed.

Step4
Purchase a soft-bodied, insulated lunch bag if you'll be carrying items that need to be kept cool or hot. Few hard-shell lunch boxes offer insulation.

Step5
Purchase an insulated beverage container (either with the lunch box or separately) just in case you decide to bring along a little soup, coffee or another beverage.

Step6
Think about the image you'd like to project to your coworkers and companions, and choose your lunch box accordingly. Most plastic and metal lunch boxes will carry images of some sort, including superheroes, cartoon characters and even political figures.

Tips & Warnings

• The time-tested brown paper sack is an alternative to lunch boxes. Though it is practical - it never needs to be cleaned - it may not be the most ecologically sound choice.
  
• When purchasing a vintage metal lunch box, be aware of the lunch box rating system: 10 equals mint condition; a 9 has little apparent wear; 8 equals some wear or damage to the rim; a 7 will have a few dents, scratches and dings; 6 means dents, rust and chipped paint; a 5 will have serious damage.
  
• Lunch boxes often become collector's items, so hold on to yours even if you don't use it anymore.

written by, eHow

Healthy and Practical Lunch Box Suggestions

The first part of “The Magic Lunchbox,” article included some nutrition tips for the healthy lunchbox. Part 2 (below) outlines some healthy and practical lunchbox items that will magically vanish (by being consumed by your child) during their physically and mentally challenging school day.

When putting together a “Magical Lunchbox” include a variety of healthy foods from each of the food groups (breads and cereals, fruit and vegetables, lean meats or protein substitutes, and dairy foods). Healthy lunchbox suggestions are outlined below under the following headings: 1) The Main Meal, 2) Dairy, 3) Fruit and vegetables, and 4) Snacks. This way you can mix and match healthy ideas, provide variety and interest and ensure a balanced meal. Time and space precludes me from outlining recipes, although there are many recipe books available on the market.

1. The Main Meal

• Leftovers from the night before
  
• Sandwiches with simple fillings on different types of breads (pita, rolls, jaffles, bagels, french, paninis, muffins, crumpets, mixed grain, wholemeal, high-fibre white, rice or corn cakes etc) cut in small sizes for little people.

Try these sandwich fillings:

• Light cream cheese, grated carrot, sultanas and celery
  
• Low-fat cheddar cheese, sliced apple and celery
  
• Cottage cheese, celery tuna and sprouts
  
• Cottage cheese, chopped dates, pineapple and sprouts
  
• Avocado, celery, tomato and lettuce
  
• Avocado, grated carrot and bean sprouts
  
• Lean ham and fruit chutney
  
• Chopped skinless chicken, cottage cheese and tabouli
  
• Mashed bananas and cottage cheese
  
• Homos, dried tomato and sprouts

• Quiches
  
• Pastas and noodle dishes
  
• Rice dishes
  
• Fish cakes, nuggets
  
• Potato baked or as salads ie: withtuna, cheese etc.
  
• Meat and vegetable filled triangles
  
• Boiled eggs (kept cool in the lunchbox)
  
• Chicken nuggets
  
• Pizza
  
• Baked beans or tinned spaghetti

2. Dairy

• Plain or flavoured milk (or Soy with calcium added). Try freezing the night before.
  
• Yogurts, fruche, fromage frais, fruit and custard packs, tropical smoothies, mousses, ricotta and yogurt dip, yogurt jellies, and rice custards, plain custards.
  
• Cheese fingers, slices, triangles

3. Fruit & Vegetables

• Fresh fruit (children tend to prefer it sliced which is easier to handle). For cut fruit that tends to go brown i.e. Apples - squeeze lemon juice
  
• Fruit snacks
  
• Dried fruit
  
• Jellied fruit
  
• Canned fruit
  
• Fruit juice (frozen popper used as ice block) 100% fruit juice preferred.
  
• Fruit salad
  
• Fruit kebabs (ie. piece of banana, strawberry, rock melon and paw paw per kebab)
  
• Frozen oranges
  
• Fruity yogurt salad
  
• Cherry tomatoes (for children older than 5 years as they can be a choking risk)
  
• Fruit smoothies and fruit whips
  
• Celery, carrot or zucchini sticks topped with soft cheese and sultanas
  
• Corn (canned or microwaved\steamed)

4. Snacks

• Healthy cakes, fruit buns and biscuits
  
• Pikelets, Muffins and scones
  
• Muesli and fruit bars (check food labels and choose brands lower in sugar)
  
• Celery boats
  
• Rice cakes or low-fat cracker biscuits with scrape of reduced fat cheese or vegemite
  
• Rice crackers or baked wheat pretzels
  
• Mini wheat or weetbix breakfast cereal
  
• Popcorn and you could add a small amount of dried fruit for variety
  
• Pita chips (cut pita bread into triangles, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes)
  

Despite all the theory and best intentions in the world, children can be unpredictable, unfathomable and exasperating, and therefore, putting theory into practice is always a challenging.

Nutrition Tips for The Healty Lunch Box

• Children eat different amounts of food according to their growth patterns. For smaller appetites pack smaller serves, i.e. Fruit and vegetables chopped up, sandwiches quartered. The foods appear more appealing, are easier to eat, and there is still time to play.
  
• Calcium is often lacking in children’s diets – provide calcium rich food each day i.e. Low fat milk, cheese and yoghurt.
• Fruit has more fibre and less energy than fruit juice. Fruit should be a regular lunchbox item.
  
• Our busy, time-poor lifestyle is conducive to using convenience (pre-packaged) foods. Unfortunately many of these foods are high in fat, salt and energy and should be used sparingly. When using convenience foods, check labels and choose foods that are higher in fibre and lower in fat and sugar.Avoid: packet potato crisps or other snacks of this type, lollies, chocolate bars, chocolate biscuits, cordials and soft drinks, and some muesli bars.
  
• Involve your children in choosing their own lunch from a range of healthy options.
  
• Use wholegrain or wholemeal breads (for sandwiches where possible), and cakes rather than the low-fibre white varieties.
  
• Encourage children to eat crusts on sandwiches. If this is impossible, then cut off the crusts before packing to reduce waste.
  
• Use a variety of breads so that the children don’t get bored when the same ingredient is used regularly.
  
• To ensure sandwiches stay fresh, put them in a plastic wrap, snap-lock sandwich bags and\or an airtight lunchbox to prevent them from getting squashed.
  
• Use foil or greaseproof paper for smaller children who may have trouble taking off plastic wrap.
  
• Ensure filling is not too dry or too moist. If the filling is too dry, add alittle low-fat yoghurt or grated vegetables to make the sandwiches more stable.
  
• Cutting sandwiches into different shapes - squares, triangles, animal shapes, fingers, rolled up or as small rolls provide interest.
  
• If the mornings are always a rush, save time by freezing prepared sandwiches. You can prepare and freeze quantities for about 2 weeks and choose suitable fillings such as: lean cooked meals, lean skin-free chicken, canned fish, low fat cheese, grated cheese, avocado, baked beans or a hard boiled egg. They can be removed from the freezer and put straight in the lunchbox and will thaw out (and be fresh) by mealtime.
  
• Most lunchboxes are kept out at room temperature for many hours – an ideal environment for undesirable bacteria. By including frozen foods; i.e. frozen sandwiches (see above), frozen drink bottles (leave room for expansion) or poppers, frozen oranges or mandarins, yoghurts and\or an ice pack.
  
• Lunchboxes come in interesting shapes, colours and materials appealing to children. Choose an insulated lunchbox where possible.
  
• Wash lunchboxes daily and make sure that they are completely dry with the lid off before storing. Discard all foods brought home that can become contaminated.
  
• For the little children, (i.e. Preschoolers) avoid foods that could potentially cause choking such as: popcorn, cherry tomatoes, nuts or cheerios with skins.
  
• Avoid peanuts or any foods containing peanut products as these can cause severe allergic reactions in some children. Discourage children from swapping or sharing their lunch for this reason.
  
• Encourage children to drink lots of water while at school either from water bottles (frozen overnight) or from the bubbler.
  
• Remember, parents are the best role models (even if the children won”t admit it). If parents eat well, then the children are more likely to copy. If children refuse foods, encourage them to just give it a try (without an unpleasant scene). If they don’t like it, then try the same food item again, prepared in a different way, in a couple of weeks time and repeat the exercise. As in Dr Suess’s famous book – “Green Eggs and Ham” you don’t know whether you will like it or not until you have tried it.

The Magic Lunch Box

Most children spend at least 7 hours at school each school day. Their time at school is physically and mentally challenging. Good nutrition helps provide them with the energy and vitality required to function effectively in the classroom and on the sporting field

Children that have a more substantial lunch at school are also less likely to binge or graze on high energy/fat snack foods when they get home.

Most parents appreciate the importance of good nutrition and aim to provide healthy food choices for their children. Creating “the magic lunchbox” (whereby the healthy contents magically vanish - by being consumed) is important for children’s overall nutrition. Uneaten and discarded lunches are a waste of ‘food’, ‘effort’ and ‘money’. All of which are rare and precious commodities.

This article aims to outline some suggestions on how you can create a “Magic Lunchbox” for your child.

History

The lunch box is a relatively new addition to American pop culture.

In 1950, Aladdin Industries created the first children's lunch box based on a television show, Hopalong Cassidy. The Hopalong Cassidy lunch kit, or "Hoppy," as it is also called, was Aladdin's "box" of gold. Debuting in time for back-to-school 1950, Hoppy would go on to sell 600,000 units in its first year alone, each at a modest $2.39 USD. Aladdin Industries moved to Nashville, Tennessee from its home in Chicago.

Aladdin Industries was not the first company to create a lunch box aimed at children. In 1935, Geuder, Paeschke and Frey produced the first licensed character lunch box, Mickey Mouse. It was a lithographed oval tin, with a pull-out tray inside. It had no vacuum bottle, but did have a handle. No sales figures are available as to how many units were sold.

While television was growing leaps and bounds during the 1950s, lunch box manufacturers now had something to sell to children. Other manufacturers include ADCO Liberty, American Thermos (later King Seeley Thermos, or KST), Kruger Manufacturing Company, Landers, Frary and Clark (Universal), Okay Industries, and a large number of other producers through the 1980s.

Lunch boxes have been manufactured using various materials. Originally all steel, the lunch box migrated to plastics over time. The first use of plastics accounted for the lunch box handle, but later spread to the entire box, with the first molded plastic boxes produced during the 1960s. Vinyl lunch boxes debuted in 1959, geared more towards girls, with the "purse-like" feel to them, and with themes like Bobby Soxer, Ponytails, and Pen Pals.

During the 1960s, the lunch box had few changes. The vacuum bottle steadily evolved during the course of the decade and into the 1970s. What was originally a steel vacuum bottle with glass liner, cork or rubber stopper, and bakelite cup became an all-plastic bottle, with insulated foam rather than glass. Aladdin produced glass liners into the 1970s, but they were soon replaced with the basic plastic bottle that would endure until the demise of the lunch box at the end of the 1980s. 1950s bottles were works of art, but their 1980s distant cousins seemed nothing more than a required piece.

1972 is a key year in the history of American lunch boxes. This is an important year because this is the supposed year the steel lunch box died.

In 1971-72, a concerned group of parents decided that metal lunch boxes could actually be used as weapons in school-yard brawls. With petitions signed, they marched all the way to the Florida State Legislature, and demanded "safety legislation" be passed. It eventually was passed, and other counties in Florida, and even other states adopted this legislation.

The migration to plastic was probably nearing anyway, and probably was as much a factor in the stoppage of metal lunch boxes as any law could have been. This is not to say that plastic quickly killed metal production. From the early plastic boxes in 1972, they stood in the shadow of metal boxes until 1987. 39% of all lunch box production from 1972–1987 was steel.

By the time the 1980s came, lunch box sales were still strong, but they were waning. Many popular licenses were around during this time, including Pac-Man, GI Joe, Dukes of Hazzard, The A-Team, Strawberry Shortcake, Knight Rider, and other characters.

As the decade drew towards the end, lunch box manufacturers simply stopped producing new boxes for the back-to-school season. Generally, it is accepted that Rambo, produced by KST, was the last lunch box of the golden era (1950–1987) to be sold. Lunch box production did not stop, but companies now moved to plastic and vinyl as a means of making lunch boxes. These boxes were generally solid colored with a label on one side and no other decoration beyond the thermos.

Article source From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What's Lunch Box

The lunch box, also referred to as a lunch pail or lunch kit. The essential idea of a food container has been around for a very long time, but it wasn't until people began using tobacco tins to haul meals in the early 20th century, followed by the use of lithographed images on metal, that the containers became a staple of western youth, and in turn, a marketable product in the eyes of manufacturers.

The lunch box has historically most often been used by schoolchildren to carry a prepared meal to school. The most common modern form is a small case with a clasp and handle, often printed with a colorful image that can either be generic or based on children's television shows or films. Use of lithographed metal to produce lunch boxes in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s gave way in the 1990s to use of injection-molded plastic.

Lunch kits are comprised of the actual "box" and a matching vacuum bottle. However, pop culture has more often embraced the singular term lunch box, which is now most commonly used.

Article source From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia