In A Lunch Rut?

Our  feature on Woburn Patch is part of a new initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to moms and families.

Woburn Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in Woburn.

Each week in , our Woburn Patch Moms Council of experts and smart moms will take your questions, give advice and share solutions.

Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community will have a  for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children.

 will also be the place to drop in for a talk about the latest parenting hot topic. Do you know of local moms raising their children in the Tiger Mother's way and is it the best way? Where can we get information on local flu shot clinics for children? How do we talk to our children about tragedy? How can we help our children's schools weather their budget cutbacks?

So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation today with a question from a local mom and three answers from our Woburn Patch Moms Council: 

Q: I send my toddler to childcare each day and I have to pack her a lunch.  I'm starting to get into a rut with what I send with her and I want to mix it up a bit.  Any ideas for tasty, nutritious, toddler-friendly and *easy* lunch options?

A: I've been in that rut many times before and have thought, "Just let them buy lunch." But it really does save money to make your own. I've had success with some of the following:

• Cut up veggies—carrots, peppers, cucumber slices and a small Tupperware of dressing; throw in some cheese slices or a cheese stick and some peanuts (if they are not allergic) for protein. 
• Apples slices with peanut butter or Nutella—spritz the slices with lemon juice so they don't brown. Add some microwave popped popcorn as a side.
• Also at my kid's school if you bring in leftovers from the night before (pasta, or cut up chicken) they will heat it up for the kids. I've also done mac and cheese or tomato soup in those new short metal thermos containers, they actually do keep stuff cold and warm for a very long time. 

A: I like to do cut-up veggies with a dip (ranch dressing, yogurt, peanut butter, if allowed), celery with peanut butter and raisins on top, or a mix of raisins, peanuts, a few M&M's, and dried fruit (you can custom-make this mixture with whatever your child likes).  Another favorite of my son's is cheese and crackers.

A: To break out of our own family's lunch rut, I've been trying to make a game out of lunch-making.  I like to think of it as "Mama's Mix-n-Match."  I've come up with a list of foods that fall into food categories: fruits/veggies, protein and whole grains.  Each Sunday, I prepare multiple servings of a few different options, then in the morning all I have to do is pick one food from each category to make up my daughter's lunch (or my own).  Here are some foods that have worked well for us:

Fruits/veggies:

• mandarin oranges
• halved grapes
• blueberries
• banana
• bell pepper slivers
• steamed carrot slices
• unsweetened applesauce

Protein: