Lunch Box Ideas

Regardless of what school might look like for your children this fall, they’re going to need lunch!  Your Library can help make this part of the day stress-free, with these cookbooks.

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). It 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 meals. 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 adults and kids. If you need to break out of your ham sandwich rut, check out this book and make your brown bag the envy of your friends and colleagues!

Brain food for kids by Nicola Graimes is available as an eBook from cloudLibrary.  Graimes begins this book with scientific evidence linking food with early brain development.  She presents more than 100 recipes for every meal of the day, plus ideas for snacks, parties and picnics.

Also available from cloudLibrary is The big fun kids cookbook from the Food Network Magazine.  This book includes lots of fun extras, like quizzes, games, and choose-your-own-adventure recipes to get kids excited about making their own food.

If you need a Library card, want to place an item on hold, or have any questions about using the Library, email comments@tbpl.ca, or call 684-6814 (10 am – 4 pm, Monday to Friday).

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