Simple Living

We have a variety of schooling methods on this board, but all the kids need to eat at some time.  As we look towards school starting again, perhaps it has with some already (we're just starting guitar practice and workbooks to prepare for the start), I thought we could post some easy and healthy school snacks and lunches.

I'll start with:

BUGS ON A LOG

• Clean and dry a celery stalk, cut into 2-3 inch long pieces
• Spread peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower butter, tahini, tofutti (whatever sticky protein source you have)
• on the celery sticks.
• Stick on raisins, craisins, and other dried fruit or small nut pieces, or even unsweetened shredded coconut.

     

   

School Snacks?? Oh I so need help with this!!!

School gets out at 4 so not much time for a snack before dinner. So carrots of other veggies at our house maybe a homemade whole wheat/oatmeal cookie? Any ideas for somthing healthy that will tied them over and even out low blood sugars for not eating for several hours without filling them up so that they don't want their dinner?

They don't have snacks at school except in kindergarten (snack crackers - goldfish cracker, graham carckers etc) is what the teacher requested. We don't get to pick wheat they eat that day. If someone bring birthday treats of store bought cupcakes then that is what snack is that day.

School Lunches- Now I'll need help with that too. DS would only take is standard lunchbox lunch - Half a PB and J sandwich, carrots, chocolate milk, and water. Not to sure if that will fly with DD and she has informed me she isn't going to eat school lunches because they serve milk with them.

LOL on the milk!  Last year, after winter break, with my being down-sized and trying to start my own business, Finn ended up eating school lunch almost everyday bc it just made my life easier.  But, bc of the extremely high level of obesity and childhood diabetes at our school, the lunches are getting much better.  We went over rules about the food and what he had to eat, what I didn't want him to eat and so on.  They got rid of the fryers at school, yay, and add whole wheat flour to their bread now.  They actually bake the bread at his school! And this is a public school! It's one of the few school kitchens left that actually cooks almost everything from scratch.  Not to say they don't have some pre-made stuff that I object to -- like "tacos in a bag." 

Standard lunch for Finn before the mostly switch to hot lunch, was yogurt, bugs on a log, a piece of fruit or a fruit cup (not the kind with syrup -- he's intolerant of corn syrup), a ham or turkey (nitrate free) and cheese roll-up.  Sometimes I would make a roll-up of neufatel cheese and ham or turkey slice, or tofurkey.  I make sure there's high fructose corn syrup, no artificial food coloring or flavorings in his food bc all irritate his bladder.  He only gets chocolate milk on Fridays and special days.  A little carton has something like 28 grams of sugar! No thanks!  For the milk count each morning, the kids all yell "white" when the teacher says Finn's name, except on Fridays, when they yell "Chocolate Friday."  Pretty cute.  Another thing I've done is make small pizzas for Finn and freeze them.  Saturdays are family pizza and movie nights. So, instead of one big kids pizza, I make several very small ones, sometimes in different shapes.  The boys eat one or two each on Saturday, then I freeze the rest for lunches.  Finn sometimes takes a thermos of hot soup and some crackers for lunch too.

The kindergartener's are the only class that officially receives a snack.  In first grade, they have a milk break, but no snack.  If there's a milk allergy, the kids can bring soy or rice milk drink boxes.  Last year I would buy snack mix in bulk for the class and dixie cups.  Another mom would bring in huge bags of gold fish, and in the fall, the orchards donated bushels of apples to all of the classes.  For some reason, beginning in 2d grade, the kids can bring a snack and keep it in their locker, but not first grade.

Finn is skinny with no body fat reserves and falls asleep and gets head achey if he goes too long w/o food, so I kept the teacher stocked with cheese sticks and cereal bars for him.

As for birthdays, the teacher let me know (I wrote a note and cc'd it to principal, school nurse, and student special services coordinator), so I could send an alternative snack and drink with Finn.

After school we do cheese sticks, a slice of turkey or ham, or fruit. In the cold, a cup of hot cocoa maybe, or air-popped popcorn.  DH has an hour commute, so we don't usually eat until later.

     

   

" But, bc of the extremely high level of obesity and childhood diabetes at our school, the lunches are getting much better." your in the States right? Schools had to change their food programs/food education/exercise/recess/physcial education becuase of the new federal law. Sorry My brain is slow today I can't remember it's name

Only kindergarteners get snacks at our school. After kindergarten no snacks and milk only with meals. If you have a doctors note that the kid has to eat more frequently then that they have to go to the nurses office to eat their snack. I wish DS was able to eat more often breakfast at 7 and a 20 min lunch at between 11 and 12 (depends on your class) and dinner at 5 just doesn't cut it. Oh and the new law says that school have to allow 20 mins from the time they sit down. Last year Ds' 20 min lunch included walking to the cafateria and waiting in line. I hope the extra time helps he often brought home lots of his lunch that he took to school.

I hope to figure out how to help with the very hungry after school munchies and a very close dinner time. How to get dinner/homework/baths/family time all done in three hours. If DD doesn't fall asleep before that, her brother often fell asleep way before 7. DD has been trying to skip naps since kindergarten will be all day. So far on the days she has been able to skip her nap she has fallen asleep around 6/6:30.

Oh well it will all work itself out (I hope)

The new law is called the "Local Wellness Policy."  The following link takes you to the USDA website, which also has links directly to the law in PDF format.  If you can't link directly to the law, go to www.findlaw.com to their federal law, cases and codes (under the professionals tab) and type in Public Law 108-265 for a search term.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Healthy/wellness_policyrequirements.html

Our school is way ahead of the law.  Last year, all of the soda and ice cream was removed from the vending machines, and the school cooks actually put baggies of cut veggies and dip and fruit in the vending cooler.

We have alot of recess times and phys. ed., and most, but not all of the teachers enjoy taking the kids on hikes.  We still have a great deal of obesity, unfortunately.

Our nutrition committee, which includes the physician at the Tribal clinic has been active and making changes for over 3 years now.  While school lunches and breakfasts are getting healthier, there's still along way to go.  So many of the kids from the Reservation only get to eat USDA commodities food, much of which should be criminalized.  Bottles of corn syrup are standard items in the boxes each month, as are the large blocks of waxy processed cheese food and no name brand white bread.  All of the canned vegetable has so much sodium just reading the label would make your BP skyrocket, and all of the canned fruit had so much sugar in the syrup, it could hardly qualify as anything but candy.  When I worked on the Res, we all ate at the commods building for demos at least once every two months.  It was pathetic what our government considers to be healthy food, especially for a population known to have food sensitivities and other major health issues.  Sorry, rant.

As for the doctor's note...get one!!!! And have your friends get notes too!  That is ridiculous.  The kids could have to sit in the cafeteria, that makes sense, but the school nurses office shouldn't have food in it.  That may be breaking some state laws!  I'd start a letter writing campaign to the school board.  Ask them to follow that eating schedule and see how productive they are!  Look for the many articles that state that little small meals are better than few large ones.  Every diet program advocates moring and afternoon snacks!!!  Ask if the principal and superintendent never  have a snack at other times!

Wow, nutrition issues really get me going ;-P

For afterschool snacks, try mini banana muffins, apple slices dipped in peanut butter or cream cheese, veggies and dip.  If we're going to eat earlier than 6, which is really rare, I'll actually give the kids an "appetizer" of the dinner course.  Something that's acceptable for dinner, such as veggies, crackers and cheese, cheese sticks, or apples and a healthy dip.  We don't have typical meat and potatoe meals, so these are all healthy components of our meals, and they don't take any energy for me to prepare.  I try to eat fresh fruit or veggies while I'm cooking dinner, which helps me keep my portions in check while eating, and makes sure I get my fruit and veggie servings before all of the carbs and fat.