Andrew Masciangelo, chef at Savona, in Glen Mills, packs lunches for his 10-year-old daughter, Kali, and eight-year-old son, Jake, when he has the kids Sundays and Mondays. "My kids are pretty good," admits the Phoenixville resident. "My son doesn't eat quite as much as my daughter, who'll eat just about everything."
"My dad's a pretty good lunch maker," said Kali, who, along with her brother, counts tuna as a favorite sandwich. "We cook on Sunday nights, so leftovers can work, too," said Masciangelo, who's found that keeping it simple is the best way to be sure that the kids eat their lunches.
As parents everywhere can attest, back-to-school means back to packing lunches, usually for a less than enthusiastic audience. Making sure that your kids get the nutrition and brain food that they need to get through the day can be a real challenge - especially if your brood includes a finicky eater. If you're also trying to control your child's weight and offer healthful alternatives to junk food, going the easy, processed-food route just won't cut it.
So what's a harried parent to do?
First of all, according to chef Ann Cooper, you want to involve your child in the process. Cooper is working with Whole Foods Market on its "School Lunch Revolution" campaign, a national effort aimed at improving the way children eat. "If they make decisions and help make their lunch, they'll be more excited about eating healthier things."
Cooper, whose free Web site is www.thelunchbox.org, worries about the increase that she sees in Type 2 diabetes in elementary-school children. "We really need to change children's relationship with food," said the Boulder, Colo.-based chef. "Whether at home or school, we want them to be eating fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and clean protein with a minimum amount of processed foods, no trans fats, hormones or dyes."
