I was flipping through the September issue of Parenting magazine when I came upon the story, Lunch for a Month.
“We’ve packed the calendar,” the story proclaimed, “with four weeks of out-of-the-lunch-box ideas that’ll make prepping your kids’ midday meal a breeze.”
Well, that sounds good, I thought. I’ve got 2 school-age kids now and they often take their lunch. I need some new ideas.
Fast forward 5 minutes and you find me rolling on the floor laughing.
Fast forward an hour later and I’m typing this blog post.
That’s because the “ideas” that would make prepping my “kids’ midday meal a breeze” are NOT breezy. They’re Pinterest-inspired SuperMom recipes. In other words, these ideas are NOT for an experienced bad mom — or her poor kids.
Take #10. Pile guacamole, pepper jack cheese, tomato and sliced deli turkey on a toasted English muffin.
So I have to toast the English muffin?
Buy guacamole in Michigan ($$$$$)?
Think for 1 minute of the day that either kid would ENJOY the peppers in pepper jack cheese?
Or #29. Tea Sandwiches. Spread cranberry sauce on cinnamon bread. Top with Brie.
Oh, okay, let me whip up some cinnamon bread or drive to the gourmet grocery store to get some.
While I’m there I’ll pick up some Brie. For the five-year-old. “Cause the magazine said Brie and cinnamon bread was a breezy midday meal.
Today’s menu offers Brie…
WHATEV.
Not that ALL the ideas were insane (but most of them were). I can handle #4. Cut your kid’s favorite sandwich lengthwise into 4 sticks.
Woot! Doable. Maybe I am a Supermom after all…
How do you feel about sack lunches these days?
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
The recipes are obviously not written by people with children.
Unless they do have kids and want their school aged kids to have a good laugh watching the kids who’s parents packed that gag and go hungry while eating their PBJ and potato chips
I have the exact same reaction. My kids need a sack lunch – not a lifestyle. Did the magazine offer ideas for how to use up the rest of the cinnamon bread? Or are you supposed to just make 1-2 sandwiches and then toss the rest of the loaf? How do you prevent that guacamole from turning brown and icky while waiting for lunch? These aren’t practical lunch menus even if your child DID like brie.
susan recently posted…Really, who’s the boss?
My kids are such mood eaters when it comes to lunch anyway. There’s no way I’m making a heavy grocery investment for things that they would most likely not be in the mood for.
Patricia P recently posted…Dog Talk
Ladies, thanks for your comments! Glad to hear I’m not the only normal person packing normal lunches out there. 🙂
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…Not My Kids’ Lunch for a Month
My husband and I had the same reaction to the menu when we saw it! But what we did was try some of the suggestions for our own lunches. My kids eat in the cafeteria anyway. 😉
I know, I wish *my* lunch had some of those sandwiches the article suggested!
I had pretty much the same reaction when I saw that article too … it is nice to know we are in this together!
Melissa recently posted…The connections between learning and change …
Who in God’s name has time for this type of lunch??? I mean, if I had the time why would I be making these for my kids and not for myself? Dear Parenting Magazine, I had cereal for lunch today…..so there!l
Not Winning Mom of the Year recently posted…A Baby Convo
Cereal–it’s what’s for lunch. 🙂
Actually, I ‘m inspired to send mini-wheats in a Ziploc container with a plastic spoon and a carton of milk. Seriously. I think that’s a good idea! Why didn’t Parenting magazine think of that breezy midday meal?
What kids is going to eat that? Not mine. If my son went to public school, I am not kidding…he would probably bring a pack of ramen noodles to school and eat them dry. Bahahahaha!! I’m not kidding. This would totally happen. I’d be called in for a conference b.c he’s not getting a good lunch or something. Do they do that?
Adrienne recently posted…My Inner Child
There is no lunch police, thankfully. Some parents go in and volunteer help the kids open pudding cups, etc. so maybe there’s some unofficial judgment of kids’ lunches going on, but you’d probably be safe.
HA! Brie in a school lunch is quite an image! I did find a great site that has more realistic ideas, I think it’s called 100 school lunches, or something like that. You might google it. It’s amazing how much time/thought making box lunches takes!
Mare recently posted…Ballpark Brownies
Wow. Seriously. Insane. Menu, Love the post! Happy Sharefest.
Emily @ TheBusyMomsDiet.com recently posted…Do you make a separate meal for your kids?
I’m a horrible mom as far as lunches go – I refuse to pack them. I make my kids either eat school lunch or pack themselves if they insist on packing. It sounds kind of mean now that I’ve typed it 🙂
Visiting from Sharefest.
Katie E recently posted…School Morning Routine #iPPP
Ha! If you can ace out #4, I say definite Supermom status declared 🙂 Let me know how that guacamole in Michigan is if you find some for cheap 😉
Meredith recently posted…I Lit My Kitchen on Fire
Thanks, Meredith! Here’s to slicing my kids’ sandwiches into fingers and keeping the guacamole from turning brown.
P.S. An avocado in Michigan can run around 2 bucks. Must be all that gas money it took to truck it here from CA.
Katy, my solution for expensive foods that I enjoy eating is to “accidentally” not look at the price… over and over again… like, I didn’t know avocados cost that much here in MI. Oopsey.
Ashley L recently posted…Finding Less of Me: Week 3
That strategy could work in so many situations, like, I didn’t know those cute shoes cost that much. Oopsey!
I have a difficult time making lunches on a daily basis and I have a full kitchen of amenities to assist in this process as all of my children are still at home. I think about all of the stresses of getting my kids ready for school someday and getting up in the a.m. as well as packing lunches are the two I’m dreading! To top it off, my SIL informed me that our kids’ school developed a strict “no peanut” policy! WHAT!? My kids live on pb&j’s! What the heck am I going to do? All of my lunch options are gone practically.
Ashley L recently posted…Finding Less of Me: Week 3
Oh how these articles make me cringe. WHO writes these things?? Hilarious.
My tip would be something like, make the P&J sandwich the night before. Now THAT is easy. lol
Deb recently posted…All I Wanted Was A Power Nap
Deb, I sense an upcoming post on “real mom” brown bag tips, starting with “make PB&J the night before”. 🙂
Hey Katy, it’s a riot how we both wrote about packing lunches at Finding the Funny. Thanks for stopping by my blog to check out my skewed Breakfast Club perspective on the topic.
I’d rather chat with a funny mom than a Pinterest-Inspired Supermom (love that phrase) anyday! As for Parenting’s suggestions, their use of ‘breezy’ reminds me of how often Martha Stewart says ‘simply.’ “You ‘simply’ grow your own cotton, weave it into fabric on the loom you built yourself and then fold it into an origami napkin….” Hey Parenting, maybe while the cinnamon bread’s in the oven, we should all be folding the kids’ lunch napkins into swans are something, too. It’d be so ‘breezy!’
Christie @ Actual Times May Vary recently posted…Autumn & the Wrongful Imprisonment of Feet
I think simply making origami napkins would make my breezy midday meals awesome! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
You what’s SUPER easy when it comes to their school lunches??? Thowing a couple of dollars in their general directions and going back to sleep! 😉
Kim recently posted…Travalo Review and the Giveaway that Almost Happened…
My kid goes to an alternative school in an “organic-freaky” area of the US. I get rude notes home concerned about nutrition from the teacher if I send PBJ, chips and fruit. The other parents send plain yogurt, carrots and hummus, and fruit. My kid says the other kids promptly toss it all in the trash and try to mooch off my kid. No wonder their kids look like scarecrows. Also, I am strictly instructed that their kids can’t have even a pinch of sugar or corn syrup at our home at play time – not even in a sauce for dinner. Yet, these very same kids tell me about cakes, fries, pizzas they eat at home and guide me toward favorite ice cream shops. You know what? It’s all an ACT at school. Moms “proving” they’re healthy and organic at school …..but when the real truth comes out, they’re just like everyone else and they have a little sugar or fat once in a while behind closed doors. But their kids are so high maintenance on what they are allowed to eat and do at my house, I don’t even want them here. Don’t need the judgment and negativity. I found other normal moms and their kids are a pleasure to have over.
Well, I hope you feel welcome here at my normal/real mom blog! 🙂