I recently was volunteering at the Burroughs Community School Lunchroom to help with their recycling/compost program and a wave of inadequacy and failure rushed over me. Not because I don’t know my waste, but because I saw the artwork, skill, and talent that went into other students' lunches. Some students' lunches looked like a Pinterest board for Artistic Lunches. No wonder my 1st grader is so picky and states that his lunch is “boring.” I feel pressure for dinner time, now lunch time too?
Then, I came across a new and fun cookbook, Cooking with Trader Joe’s Cookbook-Easy Box Lunches. I had been a fan of the Easy Box lunch containers for years. Now, I was able to see how I could step up my “lunch making” game. The pictures were inviting and allowed me to show my children various recipes and they were able to pick out what they wanted me to make them. The danger to this though was that they were drawn to the “scene lunches”. One of the more memorable scenes is a jungle scene with a lion and butterfly. This page was blacked out upon their viewing.
What I also like about this cookbook is that it inspired me to think about my own lunch. These recipes allowed me to break out of my sandwich and piece of cheese lunch rut and allowed me to create a colorful and healthier mid-day meal. One of my favorite recipes in the book is the Greek Chicken and cucumber feta salads. Simple, but very yummy.
Finally, the nutrition facts are listed after every recipes which helps when monitoring nutrition facts for everyone. There are also a lot of helpful hints throughout the book that are those “good to know” facts. For example, if you have a stinky plastic container, put it in a bag with a bread or paper towel soaked in vinegar and leave it over night. The next day the smell should be gone. Who knew?
So now I am ready to create and bring my "A" game to my kid’s lunches. Inadequacy I will feel no more! Well, at least in the lunchroom.
You can find this book on Amazon or go to their website, http://www.easylunchboxes.com/trader-joes-book/index.htm. Happy creating!
