Michelle Mersy, C.P.C. is the mother of two wonderful children (who actually DO like sandwiches), and a certified Life and Parenting Coach. She affirms, “Stop just wishing things could be different. They can be, if YOU do something different. Coaching will make that difference.”
I hate sandwiches.
When I was a kid, my poor mother did not know this, and she would pack a sandwich for me every school day. Every day I would then trade it, pick it apart, or find some way to avoid its consumption. Bless her heart; she had no idea of my loathing for this seemingly innocent lunch item, until I was in my early 30’s and, while revealing funny secrets around the dinner table one evening, I sheepishly confessed. Her jaw dropped as she calculated the countless sandwiches she had probably made in vain.
Yes, perhaps I was being an ungrateful little brat, and maybe a lot of kids really do love sandwiches. But there are other ways to get these food groups in our children’s bellies, and we all like a little variation from the norm sometimes. As moms we also like easy and convenient and, of course, healthy! Fruit snacks and cookies are great for saving time, but let’s face it, they’re not great for feeding the mind. Still, we don’t want our kids opening their container of veggies at school and shouting “ew, green stuff!” So whether we’re packing lunches for the school day or snacks for those in-between times on the way to soccer or karate, here are a few quick and yummy brain-food ideas to throw in that brown paper bag:
Sandwich substitutes….
pita & hummus
tuna or turkey roll-ups with colored tortillas (tomato wraps are red, and spinach ones are green!)
pretzels & peanut butter
crackers & cheese
stringy cheese sticks
Sides…
veggie sticks & dip
fruit & veggie skewers
fruit slices – use cookie cutters for fun shapes
Larabars or Zbars (in protein bar section) – these come in chocolate chip and other dessert varieties
Most important: get your kids involved, and make it FUN! Let your kids go shopping with you, pick out which fruits and veggies they get this week, choose their salad dressing dip, make skewers with you, and roll-up their turkey sandwiches together as you both shout “ew, green!” about those super-fun spinach tortillas.
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www.MichelleMersy.com