There will always be variables you can't control when you send your child, well-stocked lunch box in hand, into the garden of trans-fatty temptations known as the school cafeteria. You're not going to be able to keep your son from sitting next to the Fritos-and-Fanta kid. You can't expect your daughter to exercise superhero-like willpower every time she's face-to-face with a tray of french fries. No, your only hope is to focus on the parts of the mostly thankless, time-sucking lunch-packing process you can control: You can assemble the items more efficiently. You can cut back significantly on those landfill-crowding plastic bags (you can, we swear!). And, of course, you can pick foods that are both healthy and legitimately competitive with less virtuous temptations. On the pages that follow are tips from chefs, authors, mom activists, and our own editors—so you can brown-bag it (or organic-canvas-sack it) with ease.
Always Have a Safety Net
Creative inspiration is not going to strike every day (or even every month), so make sure your weekly shopping list includes items for three or four fallback menus. Catherine Saillard, a mother of two and the owner of Brooklyn's iCi restaurant, relies on this list of go-to lunch combos (below) in a pinch. "For the days when I am crazy," she says, "I always have the backup turkey sandwich plus the applesauce plus the cereal bar, so lunch is ready in 30 seconds."
COMBO A
Grilled cheese on wheat + trail mix + banana
COMBO B
Alphabet chicken soup + banana bread + apple
COMBO C
Tabbouleh + cheese and crackers + berries
Homemade Gorp
It's as grabbable as and also healthier than those candy bars masquerading as granola bars. (Recipe makes 4 cups.)
- 1 cup coconut, shredded
- ½ cup pistachios, shelled
- 1 cup granola
- 1 cup dried cherries
- ½ cup dark-chocolate chunks
Next Page: Give them Options
