Well Fed Network

Posted by Sandy Smith on Kids Cuisine

At this moment, there are three types of bread lying on my kitchen counter: a French baguette, a honey challah, and a rustic sourdough. All of which are homemade. There are eleven jars of peanut butter in my cupboard, in an amazing array of flavors and textures. There are hard-boiled eggs for egg salad, and tuna fish. In short, lunch is served. Or it would be, readily. But my kids want to buy lunch tomorrow. What’s on the menu? Something called “Chicken Bites.”

I understand, I do. Chicken bites sound interesting, a little bit dangerous, even. Who wants a sandwich on Mom’s pillow-soft homemade challah when you can fork over a few bucks for processed chicken parts in some configuration that none of us was able to guess in advance. What exactly is a “chicken bite”? It’s not a nugget or a tender or “popcorn.” Those are all on the menu separately.

But I can’t let them buy every day. It’s expensive, and it’s not good for them. We compromise. I let them buy once a week, and the rest of the time, they brown bag it. I am constantly trying to think up new ways to combine the same old, same old ingredients in ways that enliven their lunch bags. Here are a few suggestions that have proven popular:

• Chunky peanut butter with thinly sliced red or green apples; drizzle with honey if desired.
• Peanut butter with cinnamon sugar.
• Peanut butter with crispy bacon. (My personal favorite.)
• Pancake foldovers - always a hit! Spread leftover pancakes with peanut butter, cream cheese, or Nutella. Works great with blueberry or banana pancakes!
• Sliced cheese, butter, and dill pickle slices. (Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!)
• Cream cheese and chopped green olives.

Give your kids free reign to make their own creative sandwich masterpieces . . . you never know — maybe they’ll come up with a new family favorite!