Children & Lunch

For children and parents, packing a lunch for school is seldom easy. Adults want their children to eat something healthy and kids just want something tasty and familiar. While they may not seem like divergent goals, in reality, the two groups - parents and children - are often miles apart.

Chef Ann Cooper has spent most of her career trying to educate children, parents and school systems about providing healthy lunches. In her latest book, Lunch Lessons and the accompanying Web site Cooper provides valuable advice on cooking up the best lunch possible.

According to Cooper, parents should focus on "packing numerous small items -- veggies w/ dips - fruit w/ dips - nut butters to spread on things," instead of simply a sandwich and a piece of fruit.

Using heirloom and new varieties of fruits and vegetables like orange, yellow or green zebra tomatoes, yellow or orange watermelon can make eating vegetables and fruits interesting and fun.

Homemade salsa - 2 heirloom tomatoes, coarsely chopped, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and half of a small onion (optional) - served with slices of cucumber, zucchini, summer squash and carrots or baked tortilla chips.

Wraps and pitas are better than sandwiches, anyway, because they add variety to the lunch sack. If, however, sandwiches work best for your family, experts recommend using whole grain breads instead of white bread. Parents can make sandwiches fun by using large cookie cutters or sandwich or crust cuttersto cut out sandwich shapes.

Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine is an excellent resource. The monthly publication includes a Lunchbox recipe.


Zesty BLT
1 multigrain tortilla, wheat pita or 2 slices multigrain bread
2 strips turkey bacon
1 slice tomato
2 leaves romaine lettuce
2 tbsp light mayonnaise
1/8 tsp chile powder
1/4 tsp lime juice

Place turkey bacon on a rack on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake turkey bacon in an oven preheated to 375 degrees until crispy.
In a small bowl mix mayonnaise, chile powder and lime juice.
Spread mayonnaise mixture on tortillia, inside the pita or bread. Add lettuce and bacon. Wrap it up in saran wrap or place in sandwich container. Put tomatoes in a plastic ziploc-type bag or another lunch container.

To make this sandwich into a club, add half of a turkey cutlet that has been seasoned with Season-All and sauteed for 6 minutes on both sides.

Veggie Wrap
1/4 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow or red pepper, thinly sliced
1/8 cup carrots, shredded
1 small summer squash, thinly sliced
1 small zuchinni, thinly sliced
1/4 cup hummus or 2 tbsp light mayonnaise
1 multigrain tortilla

Spread hummus or mayonnaise on tortilla. One layer at a time add veggies. Roll up and insert toothpicks every 2 inches. Slice wrap into pinwheels.