Fast forward 30 years to the elementary school lunch room of 2010. There are allergy tables and nut-free zones, and kids stow their own anti-bacterial hand gel or wipes. Trading is outlawed due to allergy concerns, lunches are packed in coolers with ice, and almost no one eats a sandwich. It is a constant topic of conversation at my “mommy coffees” and playgroups. Countless email chains have passed through my inbox, subject line: “what do you pack for lunch?” My soon-to-be second grader is a peanut butter and jelly lover, and he’d prefer to eat a PB & J on whole wheat three meals a day (if I would allow it). How easy my life would be if his entire school was not a peanut-free zone. And I don’t know any Mom that buys Twinkies or Ding Dongs on a more than occasional basis.

We all have our various strategies: half a bagel with cream cheese. A slice of oatmeal bread and a cheese stick. Frozen pizza cooked in the toaster oven (in the morning while the coffee is still perking, probably) and then wrapped in foil. Cereal with milk on the side. All of these are fine ideas, and when products are thoughtfully chosen, prepared, and supplemented with fruit or a veggie side, they’re perfectly nutritious.

Ever been tempted to buy Lunchables? Don’t be. I stopped by that area of the market recently and read the labels. Yikes! Save that kind of indulgence of fat and salt for a stop at the McDonald’s play place when the situation warrants it. You can definitely make a Lunchables-style meal at home that you can feel better about.

Try out this cute idea for Snack Stackers–add slices of cucumber and a homemade cookie and you might never be tempted to buy a Lunchables ever again. You can do double duty at dinner by cooking extra chicken strips so that the leftovers can be transformed into this super-cute Chicken Dippers Lunch. If your child will eat turkey but doesn’t love sandwiches, Pinwheel Bites might work for you.

Mix and match whatever cut veggies your kids like with individual cups of low fat ranch dip or hummus and add some fresh pita wedges. You can make your own dips and hummus, fill your own small containers with store-bought versions, or purchase six-packs of hummus and dip at your local market or wholesale club.

Try putting finger foods on sticks–mini skewers or toothpicks. Cut mozzarella cheese sticks into bite-sized pieces, fold salami into a triangle and add a cucumber wedge or a grape tomato. It’s a cute, tasty finger food; pair this idea with a fruit skewer to balance it all.

My son’s favorite thing to do is take something hot in his Speed Racer thermos. Meatballs in sauce with a roll on the side, Alphabet Soup, and Pepperoni Pizza Soup are all perfect for the thermos. My nieces take rice or pasta with butter in their thermoses. They key to a successful thermos lunch? Pour the hottest tap water into the thermos, cover it, and allow it to stand while you prepare the food. Pour out the water (but don’t wipe out the thermos), and then load it up and cover it tightly. Filling a warmed thermos with hot food ensures it will still be warm by lunchtime, and the moisture left from the water will keep pasta and rice from drying out inside.

If you need to make lunches for an anti-sandwich crowd, then you will need some hard working gear. Green-minded lunch monitors will give you the stinkeye if you send in too many plastic bags and disposable drink containers over the course of a week. Check www.reuseablebags.com for some clever earth-friendly lunch supplies. Target and Whole Foods Market also have a lot of products available for packing a healthful lunch.

Read more by Robin Horrigan

Robin Horrigan writes the column Cooking from the Carpool Lane. She lives on Boston’s south shore and is a stay at home Mom to Ryan, seven, and Maegan, three. Her fascination with cooking sprouted from watching Julia Child cook on a little black and white TV; Robin helped her Mom in the kitchen until she was old enough to ask Santa for her very own copy of The Joy of Cooking. She experiments with all kinds of cooking and baking, from quick weeknight dinners and easy cookies to long simmering weekend stews and complicated, fancy desserts. Ryan thinks if his Mom will ever be famous, it will be “for her awesome cookies.” Her friends say it will be for the cocktails. Either way, if she’s not doing volunteer work or shopping for shoes, you’ll probably find her in the kitchen.

Photo by Whole Foods

My father carving a beautifully roasted lamb, my brothers exclaiming over the silky texture of the chilled soup, the children relishing their brussels sprouts… it just doesn’t happen.

What does happen is that the kids are hungry long before the meal is ready, they need their plates of food dished first, something spills to soak the tablecloth and there are 17 requests for refills and other accompaniments all at different moments. By the time my sister in law, my Mom and I all sit down to actually eat our own meals, we’re sweating and exhausted. And our chilled soup has actually gotten warm.

For Easter this year, my solution to the usual chaos is a Barefoot Contessa-inspired casual brunch buffet that has foods to please the adults as well as the kids with very few modifications. I’ll do a station outside the kitchen for coffee, juice and the Peach Bellinis. The Sour Cream Coffee Cake and dessert will be made a day ahead of time. I have a double oven, so the Orange Baked Ham can go in one while the asparagus roasts in another (small kitchen hint: if you only have one oven, try steaming the asparagus instead of roasting–it will still please people). Hands’ on tasks: arrange the salad, carve the ham, and scramble a huge pan of eggs. This will leave me plenty of time to enjoy the short as well as the tall folks in my family, no sweating required.

I’ll put aside a little bit of fruit from the Fruity Spinach Salad for the kids, and I’ll need to omit the nuts from the coffee cake recipe because of an allergy, but otherwise this menu will please the entire crowd. Lastly, my friend Eleanor’s genius idea of turning a simple pan of brownies into Easter Brownie Cups would charm even the most hard-hearted adult. View her instructions here. I found the edible Easter grass at Target.

The great thing about brunch is that it is so easy to add to and change without messing with the overall theme of the meal. If this menu is too sweet for you or you need another dish, try a wild rice salad. Need more bread? Brioche and fruit butter or fresh bagels and flavored cream cheeses would be perfect. Happy Easter!

Photo courtesy of Eleanor Touchet

More often than not, I come home from the kindergarten pick-up at 11:30 and start the scavenger hunt for lunch. I am usually so hungry and know it will take a few minutes, so I start nibbling on something while I make my daughter’s lunch and figure out what I am going to eat. I grab a Diet Coke and reach for my old standby, pretzels. This gets me nowhere, really… because then I am thinking “what goes with pretzels and Diet Coke?”

My lunch often ends up as a veggie burger or a wrap of some kind–maybe turkey and avocado or tuna salad, maybe leftover beans and rice. Almost anything tastes good in a tortilla. (I much prefer wraps to sandwiches.)

I am now trying, when possible, to actually plan lunch. Leftovers from the previous night’s dinner are often a good choice. Otherwise I go to the wrap.

On occasion though, I have a friend over for lunch. This really requires planning. I have a couple of ideas in my mental stash for when I need an above average lunch.

One of my favorites is chicken salad, which–you guessed it–I make into a wrap. My favorite is Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad. Using a rotisserie chicken as the base is my preference, but when that’s not possible, I cook and dice breasts. In a real pinch I have found canned will suffice (I like the Kirkland premium chunk chicken from Costco). When possible, of course, I make enough chicken salad to last two lunches.

Another of my favorite lunches that I have been known to serve to company is a grain-based salad. If I am not entertaining, I make a big bowl of it to last a few days. If you take lunch to work or school, these salads travel easily in a container as well.

One of my favorites is barley with black eyed peas, tomatoes, diced red or yellow peppers and corn tossed with a lime vinegarette.

Quinoa and wheat berry salads are also among my favorites. I have made all of these (see box) and several other variations.

While there is some prep time required, especially for the wheat berries (which must simmer for almost an hour), I find these dishes completely worth the time. Not only are they quite nutritious, but definitely hearty, and I have also found they can easily impress a friend.

I have discovered a great recipe for keeping the little ones busy and productive, while creating an easy and healthy lunch at the same time: make-your-own-pizza!

I got this idea from those highly desired prepackaged bento-box-style lunches.

Just throw some whole wheat pizza dough (homemade or store-bought) on each child’s plate, and them them poke and prod to make the dough somewhat flat (clean hands are a plus). Let them sauce up the dough using regular marinara or pizza sauce from a jar–or better yet, make your own. Then let them shower their creation with oodles of mozzarella (or whatever cheese the kids like), pepperoni, and–most importantly–veggies! I chopped up steamed broccoli, peas, and colorful strips of peppers ahead of time.

The easiest part? Pop it in a preheated 425 degree oven for only 5-7 minutes and the mini works of art are ready for consumption. A quick, easy, and healthy lunch that they got to make on their own… what else can you ask for in a meal?

Our kids had an awesome time making and eating them. They made a smiley face and other designs their imagination inspired. It was fun not only for the kids, but also for the mommies because of the easy prep. All of the ingredients were found at my local Trader Joe’s: my go-to place for quick and healthy ingredients. Try this activity the next time you host a play date for your kids. You will enjoy your little chefs’ creativity, really love that they are actually having fun and eating their veggies, and share quality time as their sous chef in the kitchen.

One that I like to use as the base is Three-Bean Chili. Packed with tons of protein, and nutritious, filling, and inexpensive ingredients, chili keeps well for days, can be made to the individual’s taste, and provides opportunities to create new meals out of it. I make this on a Sunday and actually look forward to the prep and cooking time because I know I am setting myself up for a week of good eating. If everything else gets crazy, I know I will have a homemade dinner each night with a few minutes of prep time.

See below for photo credits

Note: This recipe is vegetarian, but if you’re cooking for meat eaters, just brown some ground turkey or beef, and stir it in.

Make cooking the chili fun! Put some music on, get your friends, spouse, or kids involved, and experiment according to the flavors that you and your family enjoy. If you have kids that are old enough, let them help stir or give them a couple of bowls and spoons to play with while you cook. Once the chili is all set, you can plan out your dinners for the rest of the week. Here are a few ideas for making a simple chili into easy weeknight meals.

Monday
Rice and Beans
Mix ½ cup brown rice with ½ cup chili (per serving). Add hot sauce if you’re adventurous.

Tuesday
Hot and Crispy Salad
Serve warmed chili atop a bed of shredded romaine lettuce, spinach, and shredded cheese. Make two servings and save one for Wednesday.

Wednesday
Wrap It Up
Mix a serving of Tuesday’s salad with 1 teaspoon of plain yogurt and roll into a whole wheat wrap or stuff into hard taco shells.

Thursday
Chili Empanadas
Roll out store-bought pie dough or puff pastry dough into large squares. Spoon chili into ½ cup servings. (I would suggest using a slotted spoon to move the chili so that the liquid is as drained out as possible.)  Scoop chili into the middle of each square, fold dough, and seal around the edges using a fork to press down and create a decorative edge. Bake according to dough package directions or until golden. These empanadas not only make a great dinner, but they are also a perfect party appetizer.

Friday
Your Call
You made it! Hopefully the variations using your weekend chili have kept you satisfied. For Friday, either go out to eat… or mix a cup of chili with a cup of vegetable or chicken broth. Adding liquid will thin out the chili into a delicious soup. You may want to add additional spices or hot sauce at this point as the flavors may be diluted by the broth. At this point, you could also add leftover rice from Monday or small cooked pasta to the dish to add some more heft.

These are just a few ways you can create multiple dishes from a one pot meal. Get creative, change up the ingredients, and get cooking. Don’t forget to comment and let us know how your variations worked.

Photo source: