Best Lunch Box Ever (18 page)

While the chicken mixture heats up, spread the tops of the buns with mayonnaise and pile the cabbage on the bottoms. Sandwich the bottoms and tops of the buns together, and wrap well or store in snug containers.

MAKE-AHEAD NOTES:
can shred the cabbage and prep the chicken mixture the night before. Reheat and prepare the buns the morning before school. Be sure to give your child instructions for spooning the barbecue onto the buns at lunchtime.

Ten Dinners That Make Great Leftovers

Sometimes supper transforms easily into lunch-box leftovers. Here are ten no-brainers to set aside for the next day:

1. Chicken Drumsticks:
Wrap a napkin around the leg to keep things tidy.

2. Chili:
Pack with a little stack of tortilla chips or crackers to do the scooping.

3. Kebab:
Pull the fixings off the skewer and tuck into a pita pocket along with a side of plain yogurt or salad dressing to drizzle on at the lunch table.

4. Pasta:
Dribble a little water over leftover pasta to moisten any sauce that's been absorbed, and then reheat well and store in a thermos.

5. Meat Loaf:
Slice and serve between a couple of pieces of whole-wheat bread with a squirt from the ketchup bottle.

6. Homemade Soup:
Consider every variety of soup suitable for leftovers; pack with a container of crackers or croutons for added crunch.

7. Grilled Veggies:
Stack them inside a split baguette with a smear of goat cheese for a sophisticated and healthful meal.

8. Pizza:
Pack warm or cold, homemade or from a pizza parlor.

9. Chicken Parmesan:
Cut into “finger”-size portions and accompany with a little container of marinara sauce for dipping.

10. Mexican Entrées:
Heat up leftover enchiladas, tamales, or burritos and keep warm in a thermos.

Sides

You've managed to pull together a splendid lunch-box main. Congrats. Now it's time to move on to sides: all the extras that fill in the gaps both nutritionally and tastewise. Snacks are an important bridge between meals and another chance to pack in some nourishment. If your main course comes up short on protein, calcium, or other nutrients, for example, sides can lend a boost.

Because sides are smaller than mains, they're perfect for taking advantage of the bits and bobs in the fridge and pantry: the last tangerine in the fruit bowl, the steamed broccoli left over from dinner, the few remaining whole-grain crackers.

The variety and volume of sides is up to you, since every child is different. My kids think something has gone terribly wrong if fewer than three items show up in their lunch boxes. Others find too many little containers overwhelming. Use your judgment to determine portions and variety, and check out what comes home at the end of the school day. Containers licked clean or packed full are your best guide.

NOTHING BRIGHTENS A LUNCH BOX
quite like fruits and vegetables. They add bold colors, rich textures, and refreshing flavors, not to mention vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber. The USDA now recommends half of every plate at every meal be filled with fruits and veggies. If you can include a serving of both at lunch, you're off to a great start.

Often fruits and veggies are a lunch-box afterthought, but making them a priority pays off, especially since most kids are more apt to reach for cheese and crackers than cherry tomatoes. Pack mega-appealing options—a juicy, easy-to-peel satsuma tangerine at the season's peak or a bundle of tender young carrots with a crock of homemade ranch dressing—and your child will have a harder time passing them by. Make produce important and you may start to see lunch containers come home just how you want them: completely empty.

7
FRUIT AND VEGGIE SIDES

NOT FOR EVERY DAY,
but when the mood strikes, juicy, heart-shaped watermelon is a pretty darling way to say “I love you” in a lunch box. Plus, even though it seems a little fussy to be pulling out cookie cutters on a weekday morning, it adds mere seconds to lunch prep. If you're not usually given to these sorts of kitchen crafts, your kids will think you're a genius.

MAKES 1 OR 2 SERVINGS

One
³
/
₄
-inch-thick slice seedless watermelon

Special equipment

Heart-shaped cookie cutter

Set the watermelon slice on a cutting board (be sure it's not a board that was just used to cut garlic!).

Press the cookie cutter into the watermelon, cutting out as many hearts as you can fit in the slice. If you don't have a heart-shaped cookie cutter, use a paring knife to cut your own rustic hearts.

Pack into one or two containers.

MAKE-AHEAD NOTES:
can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

RIPE CANTALOUPE
is pretty terrific all on its own: sweet as candy, rich in beta-carotene, high in potassium, and low in calories. A drizzle of honey and a squeeze of lime puts it over the top. My oldest daughter, Isabelle, likes to get fancy with this one by using a melon baller to scoop the flesh from the rind. You can substitute mango or papaya for the cantaloupe, figuring that you'll need about 2
¹
/
₂
cups of fruit.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

¹
/
₂
cantaloupe, seeded

1 lime, quartered

2 teaspoons minced fresh mint

2 teaspoons honey

Put the cantaloupe cut-side down on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to shear off the rind, exposing the orange flesh. Cut the cantaloupe into
³
/
₄
-inch cubes.

Divide the cantaloupe cubes between four containers. Squeeze a lime quarter over the fruit in each container, then sprinkle the mint on top, followed by the honey. Put on the lids and give each one a gentle shake so the melon is evenly coated with the other ingredients.

MAKE-AHEAD NOTES:
can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator, but best made the morning before school.

THE BEAUTY OF BERRIES
is that they're not only an easy sell with kids who seem to gobble them down like lollipops, they're also a good source of vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants. As a mom, I love that. When the first berries start to show up in farmers' markets toward the end of the school year, threading them onto skewers is a colorful way to pack them in a lunch. Kids will enjoy making these with you, although the delicate fruits demand a gentle hand.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

4 medium strawberries, stemmed and halved

¹
/
₃
cup blueberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries