Youngest child refuses to eat school supplied lunches* - what's a SuperMom-in-training to do? (Repost)

I guess it's a good thing that our youngest child announced last Spring that he no longer wants the school lunches that we were ordering twice a week.  (Disclaimer: There is no cafeteria in his elementary school so all meals are prepared and packaged off site - just like the airlines used to do!  Several airlines have allegedly confessed that they sold all their prepackaged meals to local elementary schools and that's why they are no longer served in flight.)

"Mom, it's just gross.  Can YOU please make me lunch EVERY day?" he pleaded.

I recalled many years earlier a lunch lady whispering to me, "don't order the bagel fun lunch.There's nothing fun about it. It's a stale bagel with something that looks like plastic cheese."

USDA approved school lunch
(only item missing is chocolate milk)
Check out  Fed Up with Lunch: The School Lunch Project

In fairness to our city's school lunch program they have begun to offer "more nutritious" options since our oldest was in elementary school and our guy was choosing them: garden salad with cheese & wheat roll or the Greek salad with feta & pita.  

http://www.thermos.com/

Anyway, I was letting him eat popcorn chicken and nachos with cheese twice a week because well...I was lazy.  I work full time and twice a week I didn't want to plan a lunch menu at 6:00AM.  But, this is a child that doesn't usually order from the kid's menu.  Sure he's had his share of chicken processed, boneless breaded junk but he'd rather have steak tips with mashed potatoes and green beans.  

So, I purchased the same product that I had used many...many...school years ago.  Yep!  A thermos.  And, they still rock.  In fact at our son's end of the year school meeting his teacher commented, "we always want to see what's in his lunchbox."

And, it's usually leftovers, because I'm not getting up and buying processed deli meat at 5:30AM.   Leftovers at our house might include Shepard's pie, rice with chicken and peas, or plain pasta with olive oil or sauce.  We've gotten real creative in the morning.

I always pack a water since the school can't offer it on the lunch menu.  You know, the whole federal government "sees no nutritional value in water" thing and will not reimburse school lunch programs if it is offered on the menu.  Of course I can choose between 4 types of cow's milk (including chocolate) but no water.  Hmmmm...wonder what industry/council got that placed on the school lunch menus and water banned?

So, in the vain of always looking for non plastic ways of storing food, I fell victim to the packaging and purchased the following product on a whim.

Stainless Steel for Lunch (Enviro Products)

"Reusable Forever!" Is what the packaging proclaimed.  Unfortunately I didn't turn the product over and look where it was manufactured - China.  Now, I wouldn't have bought it if I'd done my homework since the product claims, "no chemical leaching, no toxins".  I'm suspicious of what was used to manufacture the metal.

Anyway, to those who "don't have the time."  I too work full time and some nights after football, baseball, basketball or volleyball games, we're not home until after 8:00PM.  So, add leftover pizza served at room temperature to his menu. (Now that's testament to how nasty the school pizza must be.)

A few school lunch ideas:

• Leftovers from dinner (mashed potatoes, rice with chicken and peas, beef stew, garlic bread, hamburger, etc.)
• Pasta with olive oil  - I use the boiling morning tea water to prepare
• Macaroni and cheese - see above
• Peanutbutter toast
• Crackers
• Sliced cucumbers
• Pretzels (with no high fructose corn syrup)
• Apples
• Grapes
• Pears
• Microwaved potato (we haven't done this yet but several friends swear by it)

Back to enjoying the summer since school is still many...many...lunches away.

*Imagine the children that will receive subsidized school lunches every day and this is considered the healthiest food choices they'll be offered all day.