The Mom's Book of Worries

I am always at a loss for lunch. I come up with interesting or healthy snacks  like grapes, cheese sticks, pretzels, etc but lunch comes and I end up repeating a snack choice. So I was delighted to read the following ideas from Lil' duck duck dot com...

• Leftovers from dinner!
• Sandwiches on whole grain wheat bread
  • Peanut butter and jelly if they are eating peanuts
  • Grilled cheese
  • Deli meat & cheese
  • Any sort of melt is especially good, since Lil’ Duck loves to disassemble his sandwiches.

• Fish sticks (especially with various dipping sauces, Lil’ Duck likes ketchup or bbq sauce but you can try anything you like, ranch dressing is a hit among many of his friends).
• French fries – we actually get the healthy potato wedges with the olive oil so it’s all real potatoes and not a ton of grease and sodium.
• Fruits – pretty much anything sliced up at this age is fine, barring allergies.
• Yogurt (we still mix pureed fruit in as Lil’ Duck isn’t a fan of plain fruit, also mix in cereals and vitamins).
• Crackers with cheese (melted in the microwave for a few seconds to keep them together) or cream cheese (you could do pasturized soft cheese, but I’m still wary personally).
• Rice cakes – Lil Duck would eat these all day if I let him. We get the unsalted ones and put anything on top or just let him eat it plain. I also showed him how to break off pieces and scoop up spinach dip and tuna.
• Low-sodium soups – veggie soup, chicken soups, etc – can be an easy way to get protein and veggies in. I usually offer the little guy the chunky parts and drain the liquid or eat it myself – if I want him to have broth, I put it in a cup with a straw. It’s just too messy otherwise, but it’s your house .
• Pasta and sauce is always a hit – I mix pureed veggies in spaghetti sauce, melt cheese (we use rice cheese for the dairy allergy) over top, mix in some shredded meat, etc. Mac and Cheese is a hit for many – we have to get the rice version, but there are a lot of healthy mac and cheese mixes out there now as well.
  • Lil’ Duck also likes the ravioli/tortellini from the pre-made store packages, with or without sauce. We get the chicken or pesto ones most of the time, but there are also cheese-filled ones for those without dairy issues.
• We also like the little microwavable meals from Gerber or the health food store – the adult meals like Chef Boyardee have too much sodium and junk, but the baby meals are pretty good.
• Tortillas – wraps, burritos, etc – an easy way to make leftovers interesting and can make for a wide variety of lunches.
• Speaking of burritos, we keep the frozen bean burritos in the freezer for a quick meal. Lil’ Duck likes them with chips and salsa .