For your first day, we’re going to talk about a couple of general tips for your kiddos! Packing lunches is something that pretty much gets tough after about three days. It’s the one chore that always has to get done, and it’s probably the most important thing that you’re doing for your kid while they’re at school every day. Kids who eat a more balanced diet with oodles of protein and good fats with some complex carbohydrates are going to have more balanced blood sugar, going to think more clearly, going to have a better attitude and believe it or not, their brains will ACTUALLY function better. Crazy, right?!
I hope that encourages you to spend a little more time to get some good REAL food in their lunches each day. If I can encourage you on what to eat, that is awesome! But let me also throw in THREE things that I would really love you do think about NOT giving your kids each day. These are three things that are going to mess with their brain chemistry, and trust me, that is no bueno. These three things are excitotoxins, and you’ll find them in WAY too many foods these days. Insert all the sad, angry, and frustrated emojis.
- **Food coloring
- **MSG (also seen as anything with glutamate, natural flavors, yeast extract)
- **Transfats
We’ll dive more into WHY these are bad in future posts this week, but folks, these are literally going to mess with your child’s developing brain. Their brain will not be able to process or think clearly when these foods are in their system. And to boot, they will HINDER the good stuff from helping the brain function in the correct way. Blah. Just blah, friends.
So let’s talk about the yummy and healthy food you’ll see in your lunch today! We’ve got veggies, protein, good fats, and filling food! You’ll find that veggies almost always take up the largest portion of our lunches. If your kids balk at veggies, try adding a great dip or some hummus! The organic salami (we use Applegate Organics) and raw goat cheese pack a protein punch and should help them feel fuller longer. A handful of berries have tons of antioxidants to help support detox pathways, which I am always looking to do for my family! The homemade three ingredient VEGGIE DIP is so delicious and made with my own homemade DUCK EGG MAYO. And one of my favorite tricks to help stretch the food budget and up the protein is to cut up some sort of Paleo bar or beef stick and add those to a little bit of nuts to make a trail mix. Our favorites are Nick’s Sticks and Epic Bars. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow for DAY 2 of our REAL FOOD LUNCHES! Loving these Planet Box no spill lunch boxes too!!
Ingredients
- 1 cup homemade duck egg mayo (link above)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon organic dill
Instructions
- Mix together and add salt to taste
That’s it!