School lunch as easy as 1, 2, 3 ... with a little preparation

Peanut butter and jelly.

When Henry heads off for his first day of first grade, that will be in his lunchbox.

I know PB&J has its benefits (protein, fiber from whole grain bread, and it's a breeze to make), yet I'm determined that the iconic sandwich will not be in his lunchbox on the second, third, fourth and 105th day of school.

To stay out of the school lunch rut I've come up with a scheme to make it easier for me to plan relatively healthy lunches and also keep lunch time interesting for the kids. This theme-of-the-day approach can work for kids' lunches, and yours as well.

Monday: Sandwiches. Most weeks when 10:30 Sunday night rolls around and I realize I haven't packed Monday's lunches I'm too tired to be too creative, so I ease into the week with sandwiches. PB&J for Henry; ham (or turkey) and cheese for Jerome.

About as creative as I get when it comes to sandwiches is to mix up the bread. (Shaping sandwiches with cookie cutters results in too much wasted bread). Whole-grain wheat is our staple but we've come to love ham and cheese on pretzel bread. When there are leftover croissants or biscuits (from refrigerated dough, if you must know), they become the platform for PB&J. Don't overlook the hamburger or hot dog buns and sandwich rolls left over from the week's cookout.

Keep in mind that some students don't have a lot of time to eat, so half a sandwich might be more than ample.

Tuesday: Soup or salad. Today's thermal containers keep hot things hot and cold things cold much better than they did back in my lunch box-toting days.

Open a can of your kids' favorite soup, or make an easy homemade corn chowder or broccoli cheese soup that's high in protein, calcium and fiber.

A small salad, too, will stay chilled in this type of container. Consider a pasta or barley salad or toss together some greens, nuts and last night's veggies (put the dressing in a separate container). Send crackers or breadsticks on the side.

Wednesday: Leftovers or Lunchables. By Wednesday you probably have a few nights' worth of leftovers that the kids don't mind eating again, even cold.

As long as you keep them chilled (either in a Thermos or with an ice pack) quesadillas, Spanish rice with ground beef, sweet teriyaki noodles, shredded barbecue pork and quiche can be called for lunch duty.

Slices of Polish sausage, cubes of ham and even chicken nuggets can be served cold (once they've been cooked thoroughly). Pack a fork and a separate container for ketchup, mustard or barbecue sauce for dipping.

My kids love Oscar Meyer Lunchables, but I can't stand all the packaging so I do my own version. I grab a stack of crackers (such as reduced-fat Wheat Thins (the BIG ones) and Triscuits), slice some cheese and cut lunch meat into cracker-sized pieces. Everything goes into one square reusable container. No garbage at lunch is an added bonus.

Thursday: Breakfast for lunch. There's nothing wrong with eating breakfast twice in one day - heck, we've had days where we've eat breakfast foods at every meal.

Bagels, french toast and waffles can be spread with cream cheese, jelly and/or peanut butter. Muffins, homemade or store-bought, are a treat as well. Duncan Hines has a new line of 100 percent whole-grain muffins and there's nothing brany about the taste at all.

In the evening blend a fruit smoothie and stick it in the freezer. Add to the lunch bag in the morning. As it slowly defrosts it will keep the other items chilled and will be ready for lunchtime refreshment.

Friday: Wraps. Jerome decided last year that Friday should be wrap day... a way to wrap up the week.

Just about anything you put on a sandwich can work in a tortilla wrap. Try peanut butter and raisins or banana slices or roast beef with sun-dried tomato cream cheese and lettuce. You don't even need the tortilla. Wrap lunch meat around cheese sticks or lettuce leaves around Thai noodles or fried rice.

Extras: To round out the week's lunches I keep a variety of chips on hand. I count things like Goldfish Crackers, Veggie Sticks and Pirate Booty in this category. I stay away from individual bags - it's the waste issue again - and put them into small reusable containers.

You can add nutritional value by looking for high-fiber snacks or those pumped up with vitamins and minerals.

And don't forget fruit (orange slices, diced nectarines, apple wedges) and vegetables like carrots (switch out baby carrots for coins), grape tomatoes, bell pepper strips, cucumbers and jicima. I'm a bit of a multitasker, so while I make salads for dinner, I slice extra for the next day's lunches (mine and the kids').

If you have any tricks in your lunch bag, I'd love to learn about them. Please join the discussion at the Daily Herald Food Fans page on Facebook.com.

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