Lunchbox Tuesdays

Happy Tuesday! I hope your Mondays were happy, healthy and fruitful. :)

We were at the grocery store last night, and The Princess really wanted an Oscar Meyer Lunchable. I mean, really, really wanted one. Of course, I do not make a habit out of buying those things. They are way over processed, contain too many fillers and too many ingredients I cant read/pronounce....just all around grossness. I'm not saying I NEVER buy them. There have been a handful of times we were running super late and needed something fast and they were there and I bought them. I feel like I just confessed, lol.

But the Princess's Asperger's does not allow her to understand why something is ok once, but not all the time. "But you let us eat it last time. If it wasn't good for us, you would not let us eat it." Any deviation from a rule throws The Princess into break down mode. Actually, Asperger's has become like the voice of reasoning and common sense in my house. If it's not good for you, why eat it at all? When is it ok to eat something that is full of grossness? But I digress.

So I decided to make the Princess a lunchable, mommy style:

• Ritz Crackers, 7 of them. (grain, check!)
• 8 pieces of ham, nitrite/nitrate free of course. (protein, check!)
• 8 squares of cheese. (This does not really cover the dairy requirement, so I also gave The Princess 50 cents to buy milk at school.)
• A clementine. Lunch is only 20 minutes long, so I peel them ahead of time so she doesn't spend half of her lunch trying to do it herself. (Fruit, check!)
• Broccoli. (Veggies, check!)
• Ranch Dressing for dipping sauce.
• Bottle of water.

And for today's tip on how to make lunch healthier and more enjoyable for your child: Let them Dip. Seriously, children that tend to be picky eaters may be willing to try something new, or retry something they don't like (Like broccoli) if they have a yummy dipping sauce to go with it. Veggies do not lose their nutritional value if they are dipped in a sauce or dressing. And the few extra calories may be a fair trade off if your child id willingly eating a veggie or piece of meat that they normally would have snubbed their nose at. Try it: Let them dip. :)

I hope you all enjoyed this peek into The Princess's lunchbox. If you would like to share what is in your child's lunchbox, submit a picture and description to the email address in the 'Contact Us' page above. And as always, comments are oh-so appreciated. :)