Except for two years, my 10 year old daughter has been home schooled her entire life. Now she’s starting 5th grade in the public school system at the end of this month, August 2009. She’s a vegetarian who eats mostly vegan (that’s because her mother, me, is a vegan) so the National School Lunch Program is not for us. I read too much to even consider it as an option, even if we were omnivorous eaters.
Let School Lunch Preparation Begin!
Equipment:
- A cool lunch box that your child likes.
- A completely stainless steel thermos (TherMax brand works).
- A stainless steel water bottle.
- Food processor (for homemade hummus and black bean burrito contents)
I use a stainless steel thermos to keep food hot or cold for hours and hours. I wrap the sandwich, burrito, muffin, etc., in tinfoil and put the food in the thermos. This works much better than all other methods I’ve found.
Consider your child’s ego: a brown bag lunch looks so dreary. According to my daughter, it’s dreary and boring. She’s in to stylish looking clothing, accessories, shoes, and food. She can plate food (arrange in a pleasing manner) so beautifully.
The best time to prepare my daughter’s lunch is while I make dinner the night before, or immediately following dinner. This makes clean up time the same since I’m cleaning up dinner too.
Quick, Easy, and Healthy School Lunch Ideas (which happen to be vegan):
Notes: Please see the list of the most sprayed fruits and vegetables below from The Environmental Working Group. Depending on where you are, nearly all of the ingredients are found at the regular grocery store, but Vegenaise, the vegan cheese, and nutritional yeast is found at the health food store.
I use vegan versions of sour cream, mayo (Vegenaise), grain/soy meat, and cheese for ethical, environmental, and compassionate reasons. In addition, dioxins are found in their highest levels in meat, dairy, and eggs. Please see the link and information from the EPA’s site below for more information on dioxins. And finally, vegan food has practical and health considerations as well:
- can stay out longer without refrigeration
- zero cholesterol
- typically lower in saturated fat
- a much longer shelf life
When a food doesn’t contain dairy, eggs, and/or meat it doesn’t spoil as fast.
Cereal and Almond or Oat Milk – 1 min.
This is my daughter’s favorite lunch when she went to private school for third grade. (Only 12 kids in a class, heaven!) It’s really fast and easy too and all the other kids wanted it! Just fill a stainless steel container (with a lid) with your child’s favorite cereal. The cereal should meet certain nutritional criteria. My daughter loves this strawberry hemp cereal in the bulk bin at the health food store. It’s high protein, low in refined sugar, and high in fiber so that she is not hungry soon. Oat clusters are 10 grams of protein per cup and usually mixed with some kind of fruit. Fill the stainless steal thermos bottle with almond or oat milk. Don’t forget the spoon.
Black Bean Burrito – 10 -15 min.
One can of rinsed black beans, whipped in the food processor with one teaspoon of chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, one teaspoon onion powder, and three tablespoons water. Cook for one minute in the microwave and stir. Get one whole grain soft tortilla, load it with greens, some canned or fresh organic corn (non GMO), vegan sour cream (optional), slices of avocado, and salsa. Wrap in tinfoil and place in the thermos. You can prepare it the night before and just warm up the beans and assemble in the morning. Vegan sour cream by Toffutti comes in a hydrogenated and non-hydrogenated version, get the non-hydrogenated version. Hydrogenated fat is the trans fat; nasty stuff.
Pizza Muffins – 10-15 min.
One small can of tomato paste mixed with one or two teaspoons chili powder (does your child like spicy, that is the question), two teaspoons of agave nectar or one stevia packet, one teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, three tablespoons water, two teaspoons basil, and two teaspoons oregano. Cook for 45 seconds in the microwave and stir. Spread on four slices of toasted whole grain English muffins. The Ezekiel 4:9® or the Genesis 1:29 Muffins are the most nutritionally dense. Layer the muffins with vegan pepperoni slices and shredded vegan “Follow Your Heart” mozzarella cheese. Hold under the broiler for two minutes, or until the cheese melts. Assemble completely the night before and broil in the morning. Slice pizza muffins in half and wrap in foil, then place in the thermos.
Sun Butter with Crackers and Organic Apple Slices – 5 min.
Sunbutter is a wonderful, delicious alternative to peanut butter made with sunflower seeds. I get the crunchy kind. Take two to four tablespoons and put it in a little container with a lid. Give your child a pop sickle stick for spreading if you are not sure if she can bring a regular butter knife to school and if you don’t want to use plastic. Serve with whole grain crackers, apple slices, and celery sticks. This lunch works best with a laptop lunch box system.
Chickpea Salad Wrap: 15 min. (or less if you have a food processor).
This is a variation of chicken salad, but with chickpeas instead. One can of chickpeas drained and rinsed and mashed coarsely, 1/8 cup chopped onions, one small stalk of chopped celery, one chopped small carrot, some chopped apple, and some raisins. Mix this in a bowl with 1/4 teaspoon of mustard, one teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, two tablespoons Vegenaise, and two teaspoons agave nectar. For an adult modification, add a 1/4 teaspoon of curry powder. Serve in a whole grain wrap.
Hummus with pita bread, cucumber slices, and carrot sticks – 5 min.
My daughter loves hummus, fortunately. I make my own hummus in large batches, but it’s easily bought. I can also make one small batch at a time. Here’s a quick recipe: One can of chickpeas drained, rinsed and processed in the food processor with 1/4 cup water, two tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and one tablespoon olive oil (optional). Process until smooth, sprinkle with paprika. I also add 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, found at the health food store, for even more protein, nutritional value, and taste.
Vegan Chicken Nuggets – 10 min. including making the sauce.
You can find the nuggets in the health food store, or most regular grocery stores. The nuggets are cooked in the morning and wrapped in tinfoil and placed in the thermos. The vegan “honey” mustard sauce recipe is below.
Treats, Sides. and Snacks
Carrot sticks and other fresh, raw vegetables or fruit that your child will eat. With veggies, even broccoli, a tasty dressing may do the trick. There’s a number of yummy, creamy vegan dressings at the health food store and there’s loads of recipes on the web too. My favorite is this faux honey mustard sauce I made up: two tablespoons Vegenaise, two teaspoons yellow mustard, one tablespoon agave nectar, one tablespoon water, mix well.
Other treats and sides include: apples, mandarin oranges, pears, bananas, grapes, and trail mix (see recipe below). Peruse the snack food isle at the health food store and the bulk bins for more ideas.
Trail Mix: 1/8 cup raisins, 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup whole grain cereal of your choice (oat clusters, chex, flakes), 1/4 cup carob or dark chocolate vegan chips, 1/8 teaspoon sea salt.
These are my own ideas, but I’m sure I’m not the only vegan to come up with them. For additional ideas, check out the Vegan Lunch Box blog and the book of the same name.
The Dirty Dozen: 12 of the most sprayed veggies and fruits
The Environmental Working Group has created a list of the 12 fruits and vegetables that usually have the highest levels of pesticides, they are: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes.
Dioxins are described by the EPA as probable human carcinogens and are expected to increase the risk of cancer, even at background levels of exposure. The following is an excerpt from the EPA website:
Most of us receive almost all of our dioxin exposure from the food we eat: specifically from the animal fats associated with eating beef, pork, poultry, fish, milk, dairy products. Most of us get these foods through the commercial food supply. Since most of the meats and dairy products we consume are not produced locally but have been transported hundreds or thousands of miles, the majority of our dioxin exposure does not come from dioxin sources within our own community. Additionally, because we are all being exposed from the same national food supply, we are all receiving a similar exposure with the main difference between individuals being individual food preferences. – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Considering dioxins, or the lack of them in a vegan diet, an article you might be interested in is how Ruth Heidrich cured her breast cancer by completely going vegan. Professor Jane Plant is one of the world’s leading geochemists, and is chief scientist of the British Geological Survey (BGS) also cured her breast cancer similarly.
