muffuletta eater in training

Growing up, my mom made me pack my own lunch beginning in the first grade. She would inspect it to make sure it was "healthy." Her instructions were that it needed: 1 meat, 1 grain, 1 fruit, 1 drink and 1 "other." To this day, when I cook dinner or pack a lunch, I still run that little list of a proper meal through my head and mentally check off the boxes as I go.
My little man isn't in the first grade, and my other man is way past his days in first grade, so I haven't made packing their own lunches a requirement, not yet anyway. Most days, their lunches aren't that different. Perhaps it is because early on, I insisted that Phillip eat what was put in front of him at meal time.

Jeff's lunch usually consists of a sandwich or salad, or on occasion, a dish of leftovers from what I cooked the night before. After seeing these photos, it reaffirms my desire to get a better camera. Oh well, our little snapshot must do for now.
For tomorrow, Jeff's lunch consists of a salad, a banana, cherry yogurt and leftover schnitzel. For the most part, I don't have a plan when it comes to salads. I just scan the pantry or fridge for an "inspiration item" and build it from there. This evening, my inspiration item was feta. So, the salad began with feta crumbles, then Craisins, walnuts, and crutons. The dressing is Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette.

My little man's lunch for tomorrow is a salami and pepperoni sandwich with pickles. I like to think of it as a kid's version of a muffuletta sandwich, one of my favorite kinds! He hasn't acquired a taste for olives, so he eats pickles instead. Also, he will have watermelon and a mixed berry yogurt. No "other" in his lunch tomorrow. That mental box didn't get checked.

In the summer, he was sent to school with a slice of blackberry pie and whipping cream. Jeff went with a whole pie to share with co-workers. Phillip has recently requested pie again in his lunch. We have raspberries at the moment in the backyard, so the next pie must be raspberry pie. Since this request, I bought individual pie plates at the Viking store. Now that I have written about it, I need to make it happen, maybe next week for lunch. =)