Do you know this phrase? Controlling the Controllable. Or should I say, have you heard of this condition? Symptoms include:
-Adding tasks to your to-do list even after youโve completed them, just so you can experience the satisfaction of crossing that task off the list.
-Having a sudden irrepressible urge to rearrange your sock drawer or color-code your bookshelf or clean the living room blinds with a toothbrush after reading a terrible story in the newspaper.
-Recording what will be for dinner or what has been for dinner every night for going onย fourteen straight years, even when those dinners consist of a pasta-potato-buttered-biscuit starchfest (picky toddlers) or a microwaved Boca Burger, which was as imaginative as it was going to get after a long day at the office ย (picky bosses).
-Organizing your grocery list by supermarket aisle.
-Mentally spreadsheeting the time your children spend with you versus the time they spend in childcare or with a babysitter or nanny. (And hoping you will come out ahead.)
-Having the fleeting thought If I could make all corners of my life look and feel as orderly as this compartmentalized lunchbox byย PlanetBox, then I can accomplish anything.
A little more about this PlanetBox, which is the first in a series of DALS holiday giveaways. The above photo is the lunch my daughter took with her to school this morning, and when I packed it last night after dinner (it was my turn) I employed the same lunch-packing formula I always employ when itโs the end of the day and thereโs been some Pinot Noir and not one more brain cell is available for functioning. It goes like this:
Something Crunchy (crackers) + Something Fresh (edamame, clementines)ย + Something Leftover From Dinner (crazy delicious Trader Joeโs buttermilk biscuit โ stuffed with ham and cheese)ย + Something Sweet (iced gingerbread cookie) = Lunch!
And yes, in case you are wondering. Employing formulas to complete basic everyday household tasks? Another grave symptom of The Condition.
Your kid can customize the PlanetBox with his or her choice of magnet decals. This one is โModern Artโฆ.โ
โฆAnd this one is โUnder the Sea,โ but they have over a dozen more to choose from. PlanetBoxes are made from non-toxic stainless steel and come with a carrying case (with thermos pocket) and two smaller steel containers. FREE PlanetBox goes to a DALS commenter chosen at random, with special consideration going to those who have inspired lunch ideas. Winner announced on Monday.
Update: The winner of the PlanetBox goes to Ingrid. Thanks to everyone for playing and especially for the fantastic ideas.
PS: The next giveaway will be announced very soon and will be for newsletter subscribers only.
I also have a crazy picky eater โ and nothing can ever be touching! Biggest tip ever given to me that I will pass on is put it on a stick. I was shocked how many things my little one will eat if itโs in the form of a Kabob lol. Fruit pushed on a stick, the makings of a sandwich on a stick (meat, bread, cheese etc). The possibilities are endless ๐
One of these would be great to encourage me to eat more healthily at work!!!
Your posts always make me feel so much better about myself โ so much more normal, since I too have a binder full of our dinner plans for the last 11 years (entire married life), all written on the back of my organized-by-grocery aisle computerized grocery list. So nice to feel normal about living this way!
My two school children do use reusable containers for all of their lunch products, but in a MUCH less inspired way. My best stroke of lunch genius is to add cream cheese and jelly to the rotation of peanut butter permutations. Not so inspired, I know, but between that and the bagel options, thereโs a different sandwich for all 5 days of the school week.
THANKS for the giveaways!!!
Like someone above mentionedโฆ I pack my boyโs planetbox while I am cleaning up from dinner (or sometimes while making it)โฆ He always LOVES his lunch and is the envy of the kids and the teachers (who usually send a scout out from the teachersโ room to see what Justin has for lunch today!). I post pix of his lunches on my facebook page occasionally and people sometimes end up calling and ordering a planetbox for themselves! I might now win this freeby but one day WILL get a planetbox for myselfโฆespecially now that they have a new grown-up looking black carry case!
I was nodding in agreement while I read this whole post. Glad to see I am not the only one!
I have a 3 year old and, our lunches, like yours break down to categories.
fruit-any (he likes them all)
veg-we also love soybeans, or green beans
starch-annies bunnies or pirates booty
protein-cheese stick or sliced turkey (sometimes both)
Those lunchboxes are adorable!
Love the PlanetBox! Alas, I do not have an inspired lunch idea as my two-year-old is so picky if I could get her to eat pasta, potatoes or a buttered biscuit I would be thrilled. BUT if she had a PlanetBox, she might think that lunch is so fun that she might be willing to eat more than a cereal bar for lunch!
And by the way, I think your daughterโs lunch looks fun and delicious! Thanks for all the inspiring ideas.
I love these lunch boxes! I have been looking into them for a while, and am glad to hear that they are really great. Thanks for the post.
Oh โ I definitely have that syndrome! This lunch box looks great. Iโm always trying to pack many small containers into the lunch tote but this would be so much better! For lunch I wish I had inspired ideas. We do a lot of snack lunches โ some fruit, some crackers, vegies and hummus, some leftovers โ a little of everything with the hope that something will be eaten.
Oh that so is sooo me. One of my favorite school lunches (and my 6-year-oldโs) is some version of Japanese onigiri (rice balls), stuffed with tuna. I usually put some nori crackers from Trader Joeโs on the side, some edamame and maybe some fruit too. My kid doesnโt like sandwiches, so I have to get pretty creative. Nutella on bagel or bread (okay, technically a sandwich) also is always a sure thing. I usually give her berries with that and maybe a gogurt.
Weโre a big fan of dipping things at my house. Most lunches involve:
Something Chewy (bagel) + Something Crunchy (celery) + Dipping Sauce (sun butter) + Something That Can Be Stirred (apple sauce) = LUNCH
My son lives for the weekend when he can dip animal crackers in Nutella. Letโs be honest, I kind of live for that, too.
We use reusable cloth โbaggiesโ in my sonโs lunch and boy do I feel much better about how many fewer plastic bags we use. He loves to dip anything and everything. Peanut butter, hummus, yogurt are frequent favs with fruit, crackers, and veggies. We send him with a thermos of water for a drink. A homemade cookie occasionally enters the mix, though yesterday he said, โbut, mom, all the other kids cookies are perfectly roundโ. I didnโt realze that lunch envy would start at 4.
1 fruit, 1 veg, 1 starch, 1 protein, 1 dairyโฆor sometimes 2 fruit, dairy/protein combo, and always the requisite starchโฆbut really what do I know? Because it feels like a crap-shoot every day I make lunch and every day it comes back to me. A couple of things I can count on is my pasta with lemon, peas, ham and ricotta/parmesan and the TJโs crescent rolls baked with a slice of cheese and lunchmeat rolled up in them. The TJโs jarred peaches and pears are always good in a pinch when Iโve run out of fresh fruit. They have a little more crunch to them than the average canned fruit.
Love this post! My son is a picky eater so we usually pack him a Thermos with leftovers/soup. He also enjoys cheese cubes and fresh fruit.
Wait, not everyone organizes their shopping list by aisle? If I didnโt do that, weโd be wandering around the store for hours!
I donโt have to pack a school lunch yetโkindergarten next year will bring that particular form of parental torture. But we do have a formula for picnic lunchesโand lunches and snacks in general:
Something sheโll eat (homemade ranch dressing, crackers or toast sticks, salami)
+ a bunch of stuff we hope sheโll eat (hummus, cheese sticks, almonds, apple slices, carrot sticks, leftovers, quinoa tucked into a quesadilla).
wow, so many good ideas in these comments! iโve wanted a planet box for my daughter for a long time, but havenโt been able to afford them.
unfortunately lately iโve been lunch-packing-burned-out, so iโm lucky if i get a sandwich, carrots and ranch, and one other thing in there. good thing thereโs all these good comments! dinner: a love story to the rescue yet again!
We use Laptop Lunchboxes and have for years, but I could always be swayed by a stainless steel alternative. Oooh, pretty and shiny โฆ
Today my girls had inari sushi, made at home with sushi rice and tofu skins from our local Asian market. A Japanese friend taught us how to make them and weโve never looked back. And I always try to enforce some sort of veg or fruit, but I like the idea of using texture as a variable. Crunchy would be popular around here.
And man, I recognized myself in the list that began this entry. It was a little eerie. No wonder I love your writing so much, Jenny!
Inspired idea? Iโm hopeless. I accidentally sent my 2.5 year old to daycare with leftover scrambled eggs instead of macaroni and cheese. What was funnier was that she ate the whole thing and was thrilled. I give up.
Love the crunchy, fresh, leftover, sweet formula and the lunch box.
Love this! My daughter used to be such a great eater but we are also in the peanut butter and jelly rut. However when she starts kindergarten next year she wonโt be able to pack that since the school is nut free. I avoid processed lunch meats but she will eat yogurt and cheese. I always include fruit and she loves fruit leathers/fruit flats. Leftover goldfish encrusted chicken strips are a favorite and sometimes pizza. I really hope she outgrows this!
P.S. There is a great iPhone app called Grocery IQ that allows you to organize your lists by aisle. You can also share your lists real-time with other iPhone users you designate. I use this for all of my lists.
Iโm not inspired when it comes to packing lunches. My kids thrive on the lack of variety. We do, however, use cloth baggies to avoid the plastic variety!
Love your blog, and Iโve been wanting to try a PlanetBox!
Some lunch ideas that seem like more effort than they take and my daughter loves:
โ TJs Baked tofu cut into โsticksโ with hoisin sauce for dipping
-Salmon onigiri (rice balls with leftover rice and canned boneless/skinless salmon)
โ Hard boiled egg with seasoned salt
my formula is fruit+protein+yogurt or carb = lunch. Although sheโs 4 and has 20 minutes to eat, and Iโd prefer her eat all of what Iโve packed rather than 1/3 of many more things.
Scarcity is the mother of invention when it comes to lunches. Peanut butter and jelly quesadillas (what happened to the bread?), cream cheese and jelly crackers (sensing a theme?), โsushiโ roll up (tortilla, cream cheese, carrots/pears/whatever is available)
Did you write this just for me? I am in love with the planetbox AND this post!
Iโm on a similar, something starchy, something healthy, something with protein and something sweet repertoire. One of our faves is hummus and broccoli slaw rolled up in a whole wheat wrap. Or cheese and crackers with apple and a cookie. But without fail, my daughter will come home and complain that her friends all bring candy in their lunch or demand to buy school lunch. It goes to show you canโt really control anything, can youโฆ?
Iโve been looking for a more sustainable way to pack lunches for my boys and these look amazing!
One of my fridge crisper drawes is dedicated to grab & go lunchbox items โ string cheese, babybels, Stonyfield smoothies, yogurt tubes, applesauce, etc. Makes life a hell of a lot easier at 7am.
My kids are digging pomegranate seeds a lot recently. They are fresh and crunchy. PB on celerey with dried fruit on top is also always a hit.