Delicious Lunches

At this time of year the thought of packing lunches can cause a lot of stress. Your library can help!  Visit us for these excellent books packed carefully with ideas, recipes, and inspiration for tasty lunches the little people in your life will actually eat!

The school year survival book : healthy recipes and sanity-saving strategies for every family and every meal (even snacks) by Laura Keogh and Ceri Marsh
This book is perfect for busy parents with picky eaters. The author outlines how to plan dinners with lunch-worthy leftovers, and includes recipes for deceptively healthy baking.

Yum-yum bento all year round : box lunches for every season by Crystal Watanabe and Maki Ogawa. The term “bento” might be familiar if you like oriental food. Basically it is a single-serving meal that is served in tidy, compartmentalized containers — perfect for those who don’t like their food to touch! This book is heavy on the cute, and you might find yourself enjoying the pictures more than the ideas.

Weelicious lunches : think outside the lunch box with more than 160 happier meals by Catherine McCord. This book started as a blog (weelicious.com), and includes menu planning ideas, tips, tricks, and reusable product suggestions to make lunch fun and advice on dealing with food allergies.

Best lunch box ever : ideas and recipes for school lunches kids will love by Katie Sullivan Morford. The author of this book is a registered dietitian and mother of three.  She offers quick and simple solutions for wholesome, balanced meal. The 65 recipes are easy, delicious, and packed with nutrients for well-rounded lunches and snacks, including Deconstructed Caprese Skewers, Easy Cheesy Thermos Beans, Pesto Pita Pizza, Cinnamon Wonton Crisps, Parmesan Kale Chips, Crispy Applewiches, and more.

Kids’ lunches : eat in, take out by Jean Paré. Jean Paré is the well-known author of the well-loved Company’s Coming cookbooks. This book is written for kids, and includes lots of handy tips and hints. Get your kids involved in making their own lunches to teach them life-skills, and to save you time.

The brown bag lunch cookbook by Miriam Jacobs. This book is great for anyone who takes their lunch. If you need to break out of your ham sandwich rut, check out this book and make your brown bag the envy of your colleagues! Great for adults and kids.

The vegetarian lunchbasket : over 225 easy, low fat, nutritious recipes for the quality-conscious family on the go by Linda Haynes. Even if you’re not strictly vegetarian you might want to check out this book, and change up your lunch menu. Adventurous eaters can try new ways of packing lunches, using leftovers, and combining foods, while learning to use alternatives to meats, eggs, mayonnaise, margarine, and oils – lowering fats and cholesterol yet maintaining taste and variety.

The natural lunchbox : vegetarian meals for school, work & home by Judy A. Brown. Another vegetarian take on lunch, this cookbook includes recipes for kashi salad, lime yogurt guacamole, baked pita chips, vegetable kabobs, marinated baked tofu nuggets, and minestrone soup.

Check out these cookbooks and get ready for stress-free lunch making!

Joanna Aegard – www.tbpl.ca. If you have a comment about today’s column, we would love to hear from you. Please comment below!