It costs a small fortune to do it and the boys weren't always prone to making the best decisions about their food.
Now I know some parents think that its important for children to maintain autonomy over their lives regarding their own bodies and food and for the most part I agree.
However, unless you are continuously traipsing all over town to satisfy their every whim you are still limiting and controlling their choices. There isn't anything wrong with that.
Others say "if you only give them healthy options then they can only make healthy choices" true again. But cost wise and variety wise if you have a faddy eater (and I do) who will only eat sweet potato carrot and apple purée at $2 per 70g pouch and they eat twenty of those in a day it soon becomes unsustainable and the child turns a lovely yellow color to boot and never tries anything else.
What if its something that everyone really likes and one keeps eating ALL of it so everyone else misses out? Sorry to those who disagree with it- I am into ensuring they have a good variety so they don't become obese, deficient or eat us out of house and home.
So what did I do? I started making "school day lunch boxes" the night before they have a water bottle each and I cram as much healthy and various foods into their nude food movers. Between 9am-3pm at any time they are hungry they can choose something from their lunch boxes to eat.
This has also meant I have more time to spend teaching them because I'm not running to the kitchen to cook in the middle of the day anymore and there's less washing up because they eat straight out of their boxes and drink directly from their water bottles so I feel less stressed and more streamlined in our day to day lives.
Having a lunch box everyday also means I am always prepared should we decide to go somewhere- we just grab the lunches and water bottles and head out.
No buying drinks or food and no mad half an hour where I'm rushing to get the packed lunches ready because it's already done. Throw them into a back pack and you're done.
They are still autonomously deciding whether or not they will eat something but their choices are limited to what is in their box. And I have started providing an opportunity for recess and lunch so they both remember to eat.
Today they both got:
(gluten-free) veggie spread sandwiches
1 muesli bar
1 (snack size Ziploc bag) organic potato chips
1 pouch of purée veg
1 fruit box
Home made chocolate cupcake
Little pot of mixed berries
If they run out then they have to wait for their afternoon fruit and the evening meal. And while they did initially gorge in the morning and then only have their sandwiches left by lunch time the first week they have now learned to stagger out their food a bit more and our food budget while remaining a little on the higher side as I work out exactly how much they eat during the middle of the day has become immediately happier. Though being the snack police does take its toll on my sanity they have quickly learned that I will not stop them accessing their lunch boxes- only the other stuff in the fridge.
Other foods ideas:
Roast meat, veg and gravy.
Mexican style rice
Taco shell and mince sauce and salad (kids assemble or it goes soggy)
Stir fry
Boiled eggs
Fruit leather
Curry
Salad
"cheese n crackers"
Mini pizzas
home made yogurt
fresh pieces of fruit
custard
block cheese cut into sticks
home made "Subway" sandwiches
mini hot dogs
mini quiches
home made pies, pasties and sausage rolls
Pretty well anything else that I can make and store in an appropriate size pot in their lunch is up for use. It also helps if the kids have access to a microwave to reheat their food. the list really is endless.
And I have so much less stress now. The end.
