Summer Lunches? - Washington,DC

I agree with dropping processed foods. Instead of chicken nuggets from a box buy some chicken breast bread it and bake it and you can freeze it so all nanny would have to do is pop it in the oven. Salads are a great idea. And wraps my son loves them. Another favorite of his is take some whole grain bread roll it as thin as you can spread some peanut butter and jelly roll it and cut into pinwheels. Also fresh fruits and veggies on hand.

I would really consider dropping the processed foods from your menus. Summer is a great time to eat both seasonally and locally. Things I plan on doing/keeping in the fridge this summer:

Keeping a big bowl of already prepped veggies in the fridge - sliced up bell peppers, carrot sticks, broccoli & cauliflower, grape or cherry tomatoes, kohlrabi, mild radishes. These are great to munch on or dip.

Greek yogurt - add chopped cucumber and mint OR add tahini and a little cumin OR add chopped fresh fruit - instant dip and/or smoothie.

Bulghur/quinoa and other 'salad' grains. Really versatile - add chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers (really whatever you have), mint, lemon and a bit of olive oil and a really fast cold main dish or salad. You can vary the seasonings (lemon, oregano and garlic go more Italian, lime & cilantro for a touch of Thai). Add some chopped peanuts, cashews or slivered almonds for a bit more protein.

Hard boiled eggs. I LOVE them. Make egg salad, or just chop them over a salad.

Salad is a great idea. I find it lasts better if you prep the greens, wrap in a kitchen towel and refrigerate separately from the other veggies. Since your nanny can cook, I am sure she can just combine the greens with the other veggies and dress (or not).

Grilled cheese with fresh tomatoes. Put the tomato on the toasted bread, the cheese goes over it, then broil. I am not sure this counts as a cooked meal or not.

Cold soups. Gazpacho, chilled tomato and basil, yogurt and cucumber.

I am not sure about the comments about real foods being 'unrealistic'. None of these items takes more than 10-15 minutes to prepare and all are make ahead (except the grilled cheese which seriously my 6 year old can make) - often several days ahead. @Kay - my son has actually never been to McDonalds (or any other fast food place) and I just ate at Emeril's last week - it was WONDERFUL - but not really in the healthy food category :)

Well I agree that some of these moms seem a tad unrealistic. I rarely make a cooked lunch but sometimes it is nice. I do agree that maybe cutting down on some of the processed foods, but I don't necessarily think you meant that you would be giving them that stuff every day either.

My kids pretty much eat the same stuff for lunch everyday and are quite happy about it. We do basic lunch meats (I do buy nitrate free), peanut butter, fruits, veggies, crackers, etc.

If I "cook" it might be nuggets or hot dogs or the like, but if your kids are good at eating salads and that stuff then do that too. It might be fun to do homemade versions of pizza, nachos, etc. too, especially if the babysitter is willing to supervise it! You can steam some chicken or brown some ground beef very quickly and easily for all that stuff plus quesadillas or sandwiches. Plus, when you do a make-your-own thing it is a craft project/meal and will take up some part of their day that is fun and healthy! ;)

Overall though, I honestly don't think you should over think it. But be sure to get lots of things that can be packed up and taken to the pool or a park for a picnic. We do that a lot too, especially in the summer. My kids eat way more if I let them swim for an hour first and then eat lunch!

My kids have been off school for about a week and a half and so far my kids are barely touching their lunches. I think it's the excitement of running around, maybe the heat - we've had some hot days. I can tell you that by dinner, they are famished.

I've actually been making them sandwiches with some fruit. That seems to be about all they want.

I think what you have planned sounds great. Maybe just keep in mind that if it's hot and/or they're active, they may not have big appetites at lunch.

that's an awful lot of highly salted preserved frankenfood. go with the salad, and pizzas from whole grain crusts and fresh veggies. why not make a big fresh pasta salad that can last several days, thinly sliced lunch meat rolled with a slice of cheese inside a lettuce leaf and toothpicked, to be dipped into mustard? sandwiches are fine if the ingredients are good. fruit kabobs with yogurt dip. chicken salad. string cheese with marinara sauce for dipping. cucumber slices with ranch. cheese and whole grain crackers. roasted cauliflower 'nuggets' with bbq sauce.
summer is so full of fresh food, take advantage of it!
khairete
S.

hahahaha i cant even respond....these women act like they are chef emeril and then pull up to mickey d's.....ur menus is fine for ur kids for the summer, thats exactly what they had in schools all year. i cook 3 hot meals a day for the kiddies. i dont do boxed cereal ever. and fruit salads i keep on hand. plus they eat alot of mexican foods like chicarones as snacks, they are their favorite ...mexican recipes are easy and cheaper.

If the nanny is able and willing to prepare meals I don't see a need for a menu. Just stock up on the staples: bread, peanut butter, lunch meat, pasta, crackers, cheese, fruit, salad fixings, etc. That way they can decide on lunch based on what they're doing that day (a sandwich is easier to take to the park than a salad!)
I rarely make hot lunches during the summer, other than reheating leftovers. If she really WANTS to cook for your kids you should probably ask her what she likes to prepare, and decide if that's something your kids would eat. Then you can pick up exactly what she needs :)

you might want to look up Mark Bittman and NYT and 101 Summer salads. He's got great, easy, flexible salad ideas.
Try some cold soups too, i.e. gazpacho, melon soup.
I like the pasta salad idea too, that can be really easy to put away.
quesadillas are easy and portable.
Don't know if your kids like this sort of thing, but indian samosas and mediteranean falafel wraps make easy to eat cold lunch food too.

Sounds like you are already in a good place re: your menu. Good for you for looking to add to your repertoire.

F. B.

We have been doing a lot of fruit smoothies with another light snack later in the day. I give a bigger than normal breakfast here is a new fav:

2eggs, 4egg whites (1/2 cup from a box)
cook in round skillet, season with pepper, like you would an omlette
flip to cook other side right away add shredded cheese (we like "mexi blend") and sliced deli ham. Fold "omlette" in half and cut in half.
Serve on wheat toast lightly buttered (softness/gooeyness) and place the "half omlett" on the toast (like a sammy), serve with rasberry preserves, cut in triangles. Tasts MUCH like a Monte Cristo (I think is the name of it) and is a yummy breakfast spin. My 5yr old eats half of a sammy and I eat the other half. Yes, this yeilds two whole sammies (we refrigerate the other half for about an hour later when we are hungry again. We eat a few smallish meals at breakfast vs one big sit down meal.

For lunch, we do smoothies - try using frozen yogurt (Edy's or Dryer's fat free is good) and pudding (chocolate or banana is great) and your fruits.
Here is a fav, with this one as lunch we add a bowl of strawberries or other fruits on the side:
Frozen Yogurt (choc flavored), Milk (silk, rice, almond is a fine sub), chocolate pudding (half cup), 1 large banana, 2tbsp peanut butter blend until smooth (add milk to make smooth). YUM! We do this about once a week and it is like drinking a Reese's Cup, plus you have the added banana flavor.

Honestly, eating when it's hot sucks! So, we do a lot of cooler foods, see if the kids would like to try any bisques (cold soups) or other things like that. We do a larger breakfast, and eat a few times while it is cool because we do not like to eat when it is hot, we also have a larger dinner later at night. We are awake around 630-730 in the am and eat when we wake and just before we leave for the rec center (workout/morning camp) then when we get home we have our smoothies (1130 ish) and we might have another snack around 3 (granola/nutragrain bar or bowl of veggies/fruit) then eat dinner around 630 vs 530. Hope this helps.

My kids would eat lunchables everyday if they could. I sometimes make my own but having whole grain crackers, some meat & sliced cheese. I will give them an apple for some fruit.

You might also consider making pita pockets. You stuff meat and cheese & veggies in them. My kids like the canned chicken noodle soup and they also like good old Peanut Butter & Jelly.

We also like mini pizzas. You can make these by using roll biscuit & putting on toppings, we also use English Muffins as well.

Breakfast for lunch is also good. I am a huge cereal fan myself.

Make it easy for the nanny/sitter to ensure your kids eat. How about?:

-pita pockets w/sliced turkey, shredded lettuce, shredded carrots
-tons of sandwich makings (mini hoagie breads, salami, different sliced
cheeses
-cut up veggies w/ranch: carrots, celery, snow peas, sliced red peppers
-dried fruit (all kinds)
-chicken nuggets & all the things you listed in your post
-premade taco meat so she can warm up & make tacos
-fruit roll ups and fruit snack gems
-tuna w/mayo sandwhiches or w/crackers
-BLT
-pasta salad & whole grain crackers
-diff kinds of fruit on hand if they eat a lot of fruit
-veggie pizza
Edit: fruit juice boxes