Recipe of the Week: Lunch ideas for the school year

Back to school means back to making lunches and not knowing whether they will be eaten, traded or thrown away.

It’s every parent’s quandary except for the rare child who will eat anything given, or the one who only eats peanut butter (or bologna or tuna fish) sandwiches.

Solving the puzzle takes time and perseverance because you don’t know what goes on in a child’s lunchroom. Maybe foods they eat at home look strange to other children, or possibly they get made fun of for having something different.

Experts offer different types of advice, including having the child help make lunch, tempting the child with multiple choices and finding ways to incorporate flavor favorites into their lunchbox assortment.

If a child likes cheese, quesadillas could be a solution since they don’t have to be served warm and can be made using just about any kind of cheese.

For the child who likes boxed “Lunchables,” make your own with foods they enjoy while pointing out that the supermarket varieties sometimes include items they don’t like.

Whole-grain muffins, ants on a log (celery stuffed with peanut butter and topped with raisins), ham and cheese or turkey rollups, bagels with cream cheese or made into mini pizzas and hard-boiled eggs are all simple ideas that can be honed to a child’s tastes.

Each family’s food choices are different and don’t necessarily fit into the sandwich/cookie/fruit traditional lunch. But that’s okay. The most important thing is to give children food they will eat that helps them get through the school day.

Another idea for a cheese eater is these grilled cheese rollups from Somethingaboutsandwiches.com:

Grilled Cheese Rollups

8 thick slices of soft white bread (see notes)

1 ½ cups finely grated cheddar

2 tablespoons butter, melted (or as needed)

1. One by one, slice the crusts off of each slice of bread, then use a rolling pin to flatten. Add a pinch of cheese to each slice, making sure you leave a small strip at the end to brush with butter.

2. Tightly but carefully roll up each slice to the end, brush with butter, then roll shut and place seam-side-down. Brush all over with butter.

3. Add roll ups to a dry pan seam-side-down over low-medium heat and fry until golden all over with the cheese starting to leak out. Use your tongs to frequently turn them. You may need to do this in two batches depending on the size of your pan.

Notes:

A) Bread – It’s really important to use soft white sandwich bread. Don’t use firm bread (like sourdough) or it won’t roll properly. I also recommend staying clear of seeded bread for the same reason.

B) Cheese – I use a classic Cheddar here, but Monterey Jack, Gruyere or shredded Mozzarella would all work great. You can sub the grated cheese with cheese slices, but only if they’re very thin.

C) Variations – A slice of crispy bacon, thin ham or prosciutto can be added. A thin layer of pesto also works.

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