Posted by Eleni Prokopeas on Dec.12, 2009

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ⓒ iStockPhoto - qbanczyk

I am at my wits end trying to make healthy and mostly raw lunches for my  boys.  I spend so much time with lunches and dinners, and after hearing you say you didn’t spend that much time preparing meals I kept asking myself, “HOW??”  We do juice and make smoothies in the vita mixer every morning and I send organic fresh fruit and carrots, celery, etc. in their lunch boxes, but when you don’t make sandwiches, this is where it gets tricky for me.  Any ideas would be so appreciated.  Dinners are laborious too!  I buy all my veggies from a local farmer. We’ve already had more kale than you could imagine.  I would love to hear how you prepare meals and lunches efficiently.  Thanks for your help.

Christiana (mother of 3 -always hungry -boys 9,11,13)

Christiana,

I understand your everyday dilemma on what to feed the kids, especially 3 boys when they are always hungry.  Here are a few tips, that have worked for me:

First…Get a few simple raw, vegan cookbooks or go online looking for recipes. Try to find recipes with simple ingredients that your kids like and will eat at school.  We also post recipes on the food section of the site. Make sure to look at them as well.

Second… Try at least 2-3 new recipes a week. If it works, jot it down and use that one again. Within a month, you should have at least 5 new recipes.

Since kids don’t always tell you if they ate their lunch, I prefer to try things for dinner or after school snacks before sending them for lunch. This way I know if they ate and will not go hungry.  This also is a good indicator if the recipe was worth the effort and worth repeating.

Try not to get too fancy with the meals. Kids don’t like to be asked “What’re you eating?” all the time. Keep lunches simple and nutritious.  Make sure to overpack a little. This way your kids can share with friends. If the friends like it, your son will eat more of it and feel OK with his out-of-the-norm lunch.

I always keep veggies cut up and lots of fruits around the house.  I even keep a fruit bowl in the kids’ playroom. This helps them eat more of the good stuff and avoid the temptation to snack on junk food.

I really like salads. You can do so much with it!  Put in nuts, fruits, veggies..anything really.

Try some spinach or veggie wraps, spring rolls or seaweed as a wrap. These all taste good, and this helps overcome the sandwich issue.

At 9, 11 and 13, your boys are old enough to help. Show them a few things and let them get creative. You will be surprised of the combinations they create.  Have them also come with you to the market and pick ingredients. This helps reduce the fights at home.  My kids get excited if they find fresh coconuts to make coconut soup or juice. They also like to look for unique fruits and vegetables and can’t wait to go home and try it in a new recipe.

Raw is always best but not always the easiest to achieve. Move in this order: vegetarian, then vegan, then raw.  I mix things up, I’m not at 100% raw yet, but I do try my best to do a lot of fresh raw daily.

One more thing, remember, if you have a bad food day, make it up with a good smoothie. What they don’t eat they will drink as long as it taste good!

Don’t let this food thing control you.  Just kick back, relax and let the boys help.  Always remember one bad meal or one bad day will not kill you, it’s the everyday choices you make that matter!  Keep it simple, and have fun with it!

Do you have a question on health, nutrition or green living for Green Diva Mom? Email ask@greendivamom.com, and be sure to use the subject line “Ask Green Diva Mom.”

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