Party food in lunch boxes?

Okay, so if you shop the back-to-school section of major retailers, in addition to notebook paper, crayons, pencils and binders, you'll see jumbo boxes of small packets of chips, highly-processed fruit snacks, punch boxes/pouches, packages of cookies, and individually wrapped bakery-type stuff, like small cakes and treats.

Since when did a lunch box need to be filled with party food? And what kind of messages are we sending to our kids about what they eat? If a lunch box is packed with items like chips and punch, how do we expect our kids to want to eat healthier foods at home?


I know there are a lot of parents who pack very healthy foods for their kids' lunches. I'm just appalled by the message we get from major retailers and food manufacturers about what we "should" be packing in our children's lunch boxes.

It kind of reminds me of what the front of a box of super sugary breakfast cereal usually says, "part of a nutritious breakfast' -- yeah, if you add some fruit, an egg, a piece of whole grain toast and a glass of milk, any bowl of sugar can be part of a nutritious breakfast.

I just don't think we should allow retailers and food manufacturers tell us what to eat. We have opposing priorities. Their priority is to make a profit. Our priority is superior nutrition for ourselves and our families.

Just an observation and a rant.

This week's lunch round-up: another busy week

On Monday, I did a lot of cooking and baking. My week to come is a busy one, with picking blackberries, making jam, making pickles, harvesting and drying herbs, cleaning out 1 freezer to defrost, getting all the quilts and comforters washed/dried, and more. So, I decided to do as much cooking for the week as possible on Monday.

Some of the lunch round-up items are actually leftovers from Monday's dinner, just making everything that much simpler for me. Here's what's on the lunch menu at our house this week:

• bean burger patties (there's rice and gravy to go with these, for the family members with a fridge at work)
• creamy cucumber and dill salad
• blueberry muffins
• garlic bread
• garden vegetable medley (tomatoes, summer squash, onions, garlic, herbs)

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