Cafeteria-Style

Here's a handy-dandy, just-in-time, school lunch tip for you to nosh on...

A friend of my sister-in-law got tired of her kids complaining about receiving the same lunch stuff day after day*. When the friend looked at the cafeteria menus at the school she realized two things: a) there was NO WAY her kids were eating the junk they were serving and b) school menus repeat themselves every few days.

So, she invented a plan. And, it worked! So, today I'm passing along to you the "plan" I am about to implement. It's almost too simple not to work and certainly worth a try for the first few weeks of school.

1. Poll each of your kids for their "Top 5"** favorite, portable entree-type foods (PB&J, turkey sandwiches, etc).

2. Ask for the "Top 5" in the fruit, veggie, and chip/cracker/snack catagories.

3. On a weekly grid, lay out each of the fav-fives. Wah-lah! Your own "cafeteria" menu!***

One of the great things about still having a couple of weeks before school is that you can still venture to the store and try out some new lunch items on your kids.

After all, you'll never know if your kids will touch hummus/pita chips with a ten-foot pole if you don't try. Right?


*PB&J and an apple was my daily grind.

**Of course, you could do the "Top 7" or "Top 10", but if you have picky eaters, you'll be lucky to get five items. Same issue if you have restricted eaters.

***And, if your kids still are craving that pizza/corn/potato chip/strawberry milk lunch? Treat them once/week or month. That's one less meal you'll have to stress over!