It’s the average number of school days in a school year at a public school. And that means, for many moms, the number of lunches she’ll be packing. Boo. Hiss. Moan. Groan. I know—I feel your pain. Add to that the need (if you’re like me, it’s more of a compulsion) to prepare a lunch that’s both healthy and tasty. Plus, most kids like to open their lunchbox to find a meal that looks yummy. After all, kids eat with their eyes. Come Friday morning, packing a simple lunch often feels like such a weighty task that most moms would rather make a mimosa for themselves than a nutritious meal for their little one.
For the 2011-2012 school year, I’m challenging myself to come up with 108 different lunch ideas. Do the math and that’s three lunches a week.
My hope is that this blog will provide you with plenty of creative, healthful lunch recipes and ideas, and inspire you to come up with some of your own. I can’t promise that your kids will like what you find here, but you will get variety. On harried days, that might mean a prepared meal from the frozen section of your local supermarket. But believe it or not, it’s possible to find some frozen entrees that are delicious and somewhat healthy. I’d love to see 180 become a forum where moms can share lunch ideas that work—and on some days even vent about how our kids are seemingly refusing every food we’re serving. Together, we can take the drudgery out of packing brown bags.
At the least, maybe you’ll be amused by my daily suffering.
180 