Late last month our district announced that all school for at least the first part of the 2020/2021 school year would be fully remote. Dadbites and I were not at all surprised and knew that staying home would have been our choice anyway.
With that being said, we also had to reconcile the idea that I wouldn’t be going back to work unless it could also be used to fulfill my internship requirements for school. So, I wanted to not only get A back on a schedule, but I needed to get myself back on a schedule.
Now that we were finding our flow with a new schedule and a set lunch time, I thought it would be fun to look at what I make for the kids during a school week at home
Monday was a classic kid favorite, boxed mac’n’cheese. We personally like Annie’s. I cook it in just enough milk to cover the pasta (so no pulling out the colander) and add a sprinkle of Nutritional Yeast. I paired it with tomatoes, carrots and a tiny apple. For W I chopped up her pasta with some steamed carrots.
Tuesday I tried to use up some of a massive zucchini my mother-in-law have us. I shredded it and mixed it with some salmon. These salmon cakes turned out really well and I’ll be making them again. I also mixed up some sauce, that I’m going to call “garlic mayo,” like a lazy aioli. Pair this with left over risotto from Monday night’s dinner, and yellow bell peppers.
Wednesday we hiked down to a local beach and enjoyed a picnic lunch. We haven’t actually done many picnics or needed to pull out any of A’s cool bento style lunch boxes, so this was fun for me to pack us. I used a Flat Out Whole Grain Wrap for a smear of Laughing Cow cheese and salami. We also had mini apples (not pictured), raspberries, carrots, cheese sticks and Annie’s bunny grahams🐰. Because it was a special treat (and we hiked about 4 miles round-trip) A also got to enjoy a Hint Water- he thinks it’s one of his favorite types of juice.
*The multiple cheese sticks, apples, and big ol’ portion of bunny grahams was because A, W and I were all sharing. I was already hiking while pushing a double stroller, I didn’t need to add extra weight with multiple lunch boxes 🤷🏻♀️
Thursday we went really quick and easy with a Trader Joe’s Turkey Corn Dog, strawberries and orange bell peppers. I thinks it’s easy to get caught up in comparing ourselves and our life styles to those of Instagramers and bloggers. There have been times when I would have felt embarrassed that I toast up a frozen corn dog for my kids, but then reality takes hold and I remind myself that 1) my kids are both healthy and thriving 2) they are both happy 3) it’s a privilege to even have time to worry about not making them gluten free grain bowls or hand rolled sushi 4) life is all about finding and enjoying balance.
Friday. Oh Friday. Friday we picked up A’s school supplies for the upcoming year and ended up running errands right after our morning walk, so, by the time lunch came we were all a bit hungry.
I made A a classic, quick and easy quesadilla with cucumber slices and rainbow tomatoes. Simple, satisfying.
So, that’s a week of lunches, nothing fancy but all kid favorites in our house.
Momandbabebites 
Perfect, healthy, kid food. Really good variety. But the salmon cakes, oh my so good.
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