Ahh, the joy of going back to school. While parents may revel in the fact that the house is a little quieter during the day, one essential seems to pop into parents minds at the most inopportune moments: what to pack for my kid's lunch? Sure, schools are beginning to serve up better options, but the only sure-fire way to know your kid is eating a nutritionally sound meal is to pack it yourself.
We turned to some super stars in Atlanta's culinary scene to share ideas that they pack for their kid's lunches.
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Chef Asha Gomez, Spice to Table
I send Ethan quick, easy to eat lunches. I'll make a samosa pocket for him stuffed with vegetable and meat or a nice big slice of quiche and I always send him a fruit bowl and fresh juice in his bottle if at all possible. I know my kid- he wants something he can eat quick and then go play... So the lunches I send him are one dish wonders that usually have a substantial nutritional value.
Chef Pano I. Karatassos, KYMA
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
I wake up many days a week at 6 a.m. and prepare these exact lunches for Pano, Lucas and Sophia. While I make the lunches, the children have breakfast and we crank the surround sound on my Sirius XM radio!
Pano has been a "brown bagger" for the past three years! He has been eating like a teenager since 11 years old so instead of two sandwiches, I created the double decker (corn beef, pepper jack cheese, mayonnaise, whole grain deli mustard, hot sauce, and fresh cracked black pepper on three slices of honey nut whole wheat bread). He eats so much that I've had to go to a second bag!
Lucas eats so healthy, although he can't stand the word! He insists on me making him a romaine lettuce salad with cucumbers, sliced red onions, feta cheese, and "turkey roll-ups" with a balsamic vinaigrette on the side - what kid wants that?
Little Sophia is my little fruit eater- watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, peaches and apples. She likes a fruit drink (all organic) and her go-to
sandwich is low sodium turkey breast and Havarti cheese on potato bread.
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Meridith Ford, AJC Dining Critic and Food Writer (2004 to 2010)
As a single parent it takes a lot of organization and plain old elbow grease to get healthy things into Harper’s lunch “box.” At least twice a week, I try to vary her offerings from the usual turkey sandwich by cooking pasta and tossing it with fresh tomatoes, herbs and olive oil – it’s so easy and quick to make, and it can be enjoyed cold. I always pack fruit of some sort as a side dish – in the warm months it’s fresh berries; in winter, she loves the snack packs of mandarin oranges. Add a stack of Fig Newtons, and she’s got an easy-to-make meal that’s healthy – and that she enjoys – with energy to last through the afternoon. I can frequently, so I like to use Mason jars to pack fresh items - it cuts down on waste.
Chef Natalie Brigmond, Personal Chef at Food Optimist
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
I chose this recipe because Noah is doing high intensity training for ROTC and it's important to keep him properly fueled. This is a great balance of slow burning carbs, high protein, and good fats- along with tons of fresh basil for his greens, no sugar crashing here! This dish can be served hot or cold and is great for packing in lunches. Bake up some chicken tenders and quinoa pasta, then serve it over this pesto.
For the pesto
2 cups fresh basil leaves
Juice of two lemons
Zest of one lemon
1/2 unsalted sunflower seeds toasted
5 small garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
1/2 good grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cracked black pepper
Olive oil
1. Place all ingredients, except olive oil, into Vitamix or food processor and pulse a few times to bring it together.
2. Turn Vitamix to speed 5-6 and slowly drizzle in enough olive oil to bring all ingredients together to form a sauce. Scrape sides and bottom of Vitamix halfway through mixing to be sure the pesto is evenly blended.
3. In the large bowl with the warm pasta, add in the pesto and gently toss. Be sure to be gentl so you don't break the pasta. When chicken is cool enough to handle, pull it apart with your fingers in to bite size pieces and add to pasta. Use your hands to mix the chicken into the dish.
Chef Derek Dollar, Milton's Cuisine and Cocktails derekandaddie
My daughter Addison enjoys a healthy meal that will keep her full throughout the day. We like to make her lunch together because it's an easy way to teach her cooking skills. The lunch is a tomato basil wrap stuffed with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, avocado and sundried tomato vinaigrette. Sides are pretzel skewers with cheese, carrots and grapes.
Chef Gary Donlick - Daughter's lunch Chef Gary Donlick, Bistro Niko
I make my daughter Katelynn's lunch every night after work. She would eat a salad every day if she could choose, but I always serve fruit and a treat. A favorite lunch is salad with tomatoes grown in our garden with salami and fresh mozzarella, Greek yogurt with a little agave and a brownie crisp, raspberries stuffed with a dark chocolate covered raisins, lightly salted snack popcorn (no butter) and organic low fat chocolate milk. The key to getting kids to eat their own lunch is to take them shopping. If she wants the food he packs for her, she is less likely to trade with a friend for something unhealthy.
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