The back to school time of filling lunchpails and brown paper bags is almost with us again.
Let`s face it, fixing lunch for the kids to take to school just isn`t one of life`s more fascinating culinary challenges. Our adult appetites may very well run the range from spicy cajun to creme caramel, but most elementary school-age children tend to be set in their ways: PB & J on white (peanut butter and jelly on white bread), mild bologna with maybe some catsup (also on white), with a bag of potato chips and a couple of cookies thrown in.
”I think food is one of life`s great pleasures,” says Bill Harms, father of two, president of the Alsip elementary school board and gourmet weekend chef. ”But I have to say that Jeremy (9 years old) has what you could call underdeveloped tastes so far. Our big accomplishment has been switching him from chocolate milk to white milk.”
Underdeveloped tastes or not, most parents, like Myra and Bill Harms, want their children to be getting some nutrition in that lunchbox.
Any parent packing a lunch for a child knows, however, that it`s futile to include anything that the child is less than wild about. Kids are going to trade away what they don`t want, or just dump it in the trash.
So it pays, sometimes, to be sneaky; to be innovative; and, whenever possible, to create a vested interest by having the child help fix the lunch. ”A balanced lunch should include a protein-rich food, a fresh fruit or vegetable, a food containing cereal or grains, a special treat, and a beverage or milk money . . . (but) lunch does not have to be the traditional sandwich, apple, cookies and milk,” say Dr. Susan Baker and dietitian Roberta Henry in their recently published book, ”Parents` Guide to Nutrition” (Addison-Wesley Publishing, $16.95).
”Protein could be chunks of leftover, roasted chicken, a slice of meatloaf, nuts, cheese cubes or a hard-cooked egg. Slices of green pepper, cherry tomatoes, pineapple chunks or carrot coins are good lunch-bag items. Graham crackers, cocktail bread spread with peanut butter, or a rice cake could be included instead of the usual two slices of white bread,” recommend the authors.
”If they like peanut butter, don`t send roast beef,” says Patty Hilarides, school nurse at Hubbard Woods Elementary School in Winnetka. ”But a lot of children will eat carrot sticks and celery if they can spread peanut butter on them.”
Good lunchbox tips can come from those with special needs and interests.
”My daughter (Alicia, 10) has a high cholesterol level, so I`m careful,” says Karen Palmer of Homewood. ”She usually eats (for lunch) real lean meat, fat free, on wheat bread with a (low fat) mayonnaise. Sometimes I send bags of peanuts and raisins mixed together, and I mix salted peanuts with unsalted peanuts, so there`s a little salt taste but not much.
”My son (Nathan, 8) will eat only peanut butter and apple butter. We did manage to change him to the apple butter from jelly.
”When I bake cookies for them, I cut down on egg content. If it calls for two eggs, I`ll just use one yolk. Sometimes they feel deprived, when their friends are having packaged desserts, chips, that kind of thing.”
Duck pate is a goody often found in third grader Jennifer Cretier`s lunchbox. That makes sense when you realize her parents, Priscilla and Bernard Cretier, own Le Vichyssoise restaurant in McHenry County.
”She`s spent so much time in the (restaurant) kitchen, her taste was developed early,” her mother says. ”For lunch, sometimes she has sandwiches without bread, that`s ham or salami wrapped up with cream cheese inside, or little pickles. She doesn`t like bread, so why bother? Then I give her things like cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries. . . . At the restaurant, we have a lot of fruit. She likes celery and carrots with dip. Whatever is available, I throw it in.”
Most kids, however, are like Kevin Hardy, 7, of Chicago. ”He goes for the basics,” says his father, Tom. ”Peanut butter and jelly, bologna, a piece of fruit and Oreos. Then there are the special days at school, White Castle Day, hot dog day, pizza day. Simple and basic. Sometimes I wish I still lived like that.”
Here are some tips for lunchpail packing:
— Rice cakes are fun to eat and can be spread with peanut butter. Vegetarian Sandra Johnson of Hyde Park suggests an avocado spread for rice cakes: mashed avocados mixed with chopped mushrooms and tomatoes.
— Johnson also suggests sprinkling a little wheat germ over the peanut butter in peanut butter sandwiches.
— Sandwiches can be cut into different shapes, a bit of whimsy for the young child.
— Sandwiches can be frozen and packed directly from the freezer. This is an advantage when lunches are sitting in a warm hallway or locker for a few hours before lunch.
— Zucchini and banana breads are easy to make and good for the lunchbox. For added nutrition, cut back on the sugar (many recipes for these breads are heavy on the sugar) and add 1 or 2 tablespoons of bran, wheat germ or oatmeal. — If your child doesn`t want fresh fruit, try dried or canned. Choose canned fruits that come packed in their own juice, more healthful than the heavy syrup.
— Pita bread can be fun bread; anything can go in the pocket, from raw veggies to leftover meatloaf.those with special needs and interests.
The following two recipes, for banana bread and bran muffins, are easy to make and hold up well in a lunchbox. The recipes are adapted from ”The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham (Alfred A. Knopf, $16.95).
BANANA BREAD
One 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Baking time: 65 or 70 minutes
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sugar
2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 6 medium bananas)
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour the loaf pan.
2. Stir and toss together the flour, salt and baking soda. In a large bowl, mix the shortening, sugar, mashed banana, eggs and walnuts. Add the combined dry ingredients and stir just until the batter is thoroughly blended. 3. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 65 to 70 minutes, or until a broom straw or skewer inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
Optional: You may substitute 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour for the 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour.
BRAN MUFFINS
Makes 16 muffins
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Baking time: 15 minutes
2 1/2 cups bran
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup raisins
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup honey
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease muffin pans or line them with paper baking cups.
2. Combine the bran, flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and raisins in a large mixing bowl and stir and toss together with a fork or wire whisk. Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil, molasses and honey, and stir just until all ingredients are blended. The batter will be quite moist.
3. Spoon into the prepared muffin pans, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick or broom straw inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven and either cool the muffins on a rack for a few minutes before serving or serve completely cooled.
The following recipes are adapted from ”Better Homes and Gardens Kids`
Lunches” (Meredith Corp).
CARROT PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICHES
Three sandwiches
Preparation time: 15 minutes
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup apple butter
2 tablespoons raisins
6 slices bread
Lettuce leaves
1. In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter, shredded carrot, apple butter and raisins.
2. For each sandwich, spread 1/3 of the peanut butter mixture on 1 slice of bread. Top with another slice. Pack each sandwich in a freezer bag. Store for up to one month in freezer. Before eating, thaw sandwich and add a lettuce leaf, if desired.
3. For sack lunches, pack one lettuce leaf in a small clear plastic bag. Carry lettuce with one frozen sandwich in a brown bag. At mealtime, add lettuce to the sandwich.
ITTY-BITTY CHICKEN CHUNKS
Four servings
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes
2 whole medium chicken breasts, skinned, boned, halved, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes, about 1 pound
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons milk
25 cheese-flavored or plain rich round crackers, finely crushed
Bottled barbecue sauce, sweet-sour sauce, catsup, or honey
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a plastic bag, combine chicken cubes, flour, paprika and pepper. Close bag and shake to coat evenly. Remove chicken cubes.
2. In a bowl, combine egg and milk. Dip coated chicken cubes into egg mixture. Roll in crushed crackers. Spread the chicken out on a baking sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until done. Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Serve with sauces, catsup or honey.
COOKIE DOUGH COOKIES
About 15 cookies
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: 30 minutes
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup maple-flavored syrup
1/4 cup chunk-style peanut butter
1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup cornflakes
1/4 cup raisins
Butter or margarine
1. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together nonfat milk powder, syrup and peanut butter with a wooden spoon. Add oats, cornflakes and raisins. Mix well. Let mixture stand for 15 minutes.
2. Grease hands with the butter or margarine. Form dough into balls. Put cookies on a plate. Cover with clear plastic wrap and chille about 30 minutes.
