School Lunch? Yuck! I hated it as a child and still hate it as an adult. The slop of food onto a tray or even a plate is not my idea of a nice meal meant to refresh me and give me a boost for the rest of my school day! But I also hate slimy lunch meat and mayo-based salads. What to do? Come up with new ideas for creating a school lunch that I could eat and enjoy. Oh, and without the stress and mess of some other meal ideas!
Meal Preparation
For me, lunch must be easy to prepare. If it requires hours in the kitchen or costly ingredients, it’s just not for me! I also love freshness. Who doesn’t? I don’t want something that has set out for hours or has turned into slime before it gets to my taste-buds!
Meal Storage
Since I first started teaching, access to comforts has greatly changed. I used to have to tightly pack my meals in saran wrap to place them in the teacher’s lounge refrigerator to keep them from being contaminated by the green, furry leftovers of my colleagues. Now, we have thermal lunch boxes, cooling storage trays, and mini-fridges that can really make your day!
Recipes
Despite the ease and access now available in preparing and storing our foods, flavor is the most important part of planning for lunchtime. If the flavor isn’t there, what’s the point? And also important is the variety! I cannot eat the same thing day after day. I know that generations past lived on potatoes for every meal, but now there is just so much more to choose from out there!
I know… You want the ideas and recipes now!
Here you go:
Yum! So many options! Now, just remember that you need to eat! Teaching is the most important job out there, but we need to take time to keep ourselves healthy! Eat that lunch!
Happy Teaching!