The packed lunch challenge
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- January
- 16
After a frustrating few days trying to find nitrite-free lunch meet for my kids, I finally wrote to Trader Joe’s asking them if they would open a store in my neighborhood. I live up in Orange County and the closest store where I can find nitrite free meat is in New Jersey or Westchester. Which is a shame because all of us should be able to shop for the food that is healthy and free of toxins.
My local ShopRite does have nitrite-free ham, but that’s the only option. And my older son will only eat ham at last resort. I find I struggle every day to come up with a lunch for him that is healthy. I don’t always succeed. I go between sandwiches (with deli meats that have nitrites) peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and bagels and cream cheese, and after that I run out of ideas. I guess all working moms have this problem. I nervous about putting a piece of cooked chicken in his sandwich because it will probably sit in his locker from 7:30 till the early afternoon.
As a kid I always took a vegetarian lunch to school – stuffed paranthas, a kind of Indian bread with vegetables — and enjoyed it. It was cooked in the morning and kept very well till the afternoon. Now that we live in the U.S., our kids are used to eating some form of meat all the time. Ah well …
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on Friday, January 16th, 2009 at 9:59 am by Hema Easley.
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You can buy Applegate Farms online – https://store.applegatefarms.com
I love TJ! I go at least once a week.
p.s. I think that chicken can stay in a lunch for a few hours. If some deli meat can stay fresh, then chicken should fine.
There are lots of other sandwich options – tuna salad, chicken salad, cream cheese & jelly, PB, banana & honey, cheese (cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo and/or mustard), cucumber…to name a few.
what ever is left over in the fridge usually does the trick.
if you wrap it well and it isnt exposed to a muggy heat most anything will stay fine by lunchtime. also if cold versus hot concerns you. you can get the small packs that freeze and you keep it with the lunch to keep it cold or at least from getting too hot. Hope that helps..
to me Food is Food. if you like it then eat it in moderation of course. but whether its PB&J or a burger. lunch is very important.
I buy small icepacks that I put in my sons lunchbox to keep the food fresh and cool. Will your kid eat hummus? My son used to eat in and I would send carrots and hummus for lunch or you could put it in a wrap. It does not always have to be meat.
We saw your mommy blog and it looks great…. we’d love to get you involved in SAHMAnswers.com. At the least it can send you a ton of traffic…
Thanks,
Maria