No more uneaten school lunches

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No more uneaten school lunchesBy Judy Creighton / The Canadian PressIf your kids' school lunches come home uneaten or get tossed away, here's atip from a mother of three who solved the problem."The earlier you get your children to make their own lunches, the more theirlunch will be eaten - and that's a promise," says Joanne Lalonde Hayes ofAylmer, Que.With an MBA from McGill University, Lalonde Hayes was a time managementspecialist for 20 years until she left the workforce to care for herchildren. In 1993 she founded More Time Moms Publishing Inc. Her goal was todevelop and market time management tools to improve family life and helpparents spend more time with their children.The company launched the first More Time Cooks organizational manual,followed by The Family Organizer, a calendar to help keep families on trackwith schedules.This year, she and her sister Patricia Lalonde issued a cookbook focussingon feeding families well with the least amount of time, effort and cost."I know it's really hard to find the time if you are a working mom, but Ithink as the kids head back to school, organization is the key," saysLalonde Hayes.One good way to achieve this is to make lists, she says, especially when itcomes to food."When it comes to school lunches I make sure I have lots of vegetables,fruits and different kinds of breads on hand."When her children began making their own lunches at eight, she impressedupon them a formula the three teens still follow."Kids caught on to the idea that they make sure they have two grains, somefruit, at least two vegetables, a protein and a dairy in their lunches," shesays."Parents may have to watch them at first, but they will get the hang of itquickly enough."Lalonde Hayes suggests washing and storing vegetables in airtightcontainers."You can make your own pre-made salads by throwing in all kinds of veggiesincluding broccoli, cauliflower, string beans, etc. Make a jar of dressingfor the week and voila! you have salads to go that even the kids can makefor their lunches."She grocery shops only once a week because "it saves on impulse buying,money and you are not buying processed foods and pre-made expensive items inthe supermarket."More Time Cooks Special Edition: Frankly, I'd Rather Be With The Kids! isdivided into eight weeks of complete menus. The first four weeks arededicated to feeding the family and meeting the requirements of Canada'sFood Guide for Healthy Eating. Weeks 5 and 6 are designed for vegetariansand the final two weeks concentrate on high-protein, low-carb meals forthose trying to lose weight, with alternative choices for growing kids."With all the news about high obesity rates among children because ofinactivity and fast food, I am a little worried about the physical problemsthat will manifest themselves in children 20 years from now," says LalondeHayes.She avoids products like packaged cheese, meat and crackers saying parentswho do buy them "think they don't have to do anything" but toss them in thekid's lunch."It's cheese and crackers," she says. "You can open a bag of crackers andget the kids to slice some unprocessed cheese in minutes."I don't understand people resorting to convenience foods," Lalonde remarks."Because in the long run if you feed your children healthfully in theiryouth you give them a good start for life."More Time Moms Publishing Inc., can be found on the Web at moretimemoms.comAdd a piece or two of fruit and a beverage to these suggestions.@@@@@Tofu Garden Wraps450 g (1 lb) firm tofu1 jalapeno pepper4 green onions2 celery stalks2 carrots30 ml (2 tbsp) each parsley, thyme60 ml (4 tbsp) mayonnaise10 ml (2 tsp) each mustard, capersWring water out of tofu; crumble. Chop vegetables as finely as possible. Putall ingredients in blender. Blend till smooth.Assemble tofu spread, 1 red pepper, 4 green onions, alfalfa sprouts, 4 pitabreads. Open pitas and spread with tofu. Slice pepper and green onions.Spread veggies over pitas. Makes 4 servings._____@@@@@Can't Believe It's Egg Salad!4 hard cooked eggs1/2 of a 398 ml (14 oz) can black turtle beans, drained4 green onions125 ml ( 1/2 cup) celery4 whole wheat bagelsMash eggs with fork and finely chop veggies. Combine 45 ml (3 tbsp) lightmayonnaise and 2 ml ( 1/2 tsp) Dijon mustard. Stir in beans. Assemblebagels. Makes 4 servings._____@@@@@Cheese Pita115 g (4 oz) cheddar cheese onions, lettuce, tomatoes, light mayonnaise,pepper4 whole wheat pita breadsSlice vegetables. Stuff into pita with cheese. Add salsa for a Mexicantouch. Makes 4 servings.Home Cooking and Scrapping Friends

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