When I finally put my son in daycare, I was so excited to put together fun and healthy lunches that would feed his mind and body. Then reality kicked in. He didn’t seem to like anything I gave him. She came home hungry, often. And easy things like PB&J were off the list for my allergic son. He often did not eat and the teachers did not force him. With twelve other kids to take care of, they didn’t have time to get my angel (who thinks we should subsist on Goldfish anyway) eat his lunch. To do?

I dusted off my overworked thinking cap and put it on my head. Lunch was going to be strategic. My goal: get as much out of it as possible and don’t worry if I come up with some things I don’t like. So enjoy some of my lunch food tips:

–Use sweet breads. I’m a cook so what I make is from scratch, but pastry chefs have cornered the market with perfectly thin quick breads like banana, cinnamon, dates, etc. To add some extra oomph to mix-ins, mash up a banana for the plantain, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the cinnamon, and blend some dried cranberries down to the date. Once you have the bread, go wild. Use cream cheese spread, sprinkle some cinnamon, and add a few slices of cheese and/or deli meat. The sweet and salty is just amazing and they love it.

–Homemade lunches. Skip those pre-packaged offers. Mix together some cream cheese, salt, pepper, and a grated cucumber. (Squeezes most of the water out of the cucumber.) Have the deli cut the meat a little thicker. Spread the paste over the meat. Put some cheese on top of the pasta and roll it up. You can even wrap it around some steamed asparagus. Cut into sushi like pieces. Add some crackers, dried fruit, and you have preservative-free lunches.

–Pasta, that’s what’s for lunch. Get some mini-farfalle or wheels and do half the box in one go. Then mix it up throughout the week. One day give them some pasta and red sauce with a little Parmesan. Another day, get one of those microwavable vegetable bags. Crush it and mix it with a little paste and butter. I’m going to get some of the mini cans of tuna, mix them with some pasta, some chopped celery, carrots, and a good amount of mayonnaise for a tuna pasta salad.

–Chicken salad. Try not to project your likes/dislikes of food onto your children. They will surprise you by eating the most remarkable things if you give them the chance. Chop up some sweet lettuce (butter, romaine, iceberg) then sprinkle with dried fruit, real fruit (like grapes, apple chunks, strawberry slices), cucumbers, carrots, cheese cubes (like mozzarella or cheddar), croutons (if you want to have them) and then bake 3-4 chicken nuggets and place on top.

–Nutella, Nutella, Nutella. It’s everywhere these days. You don’t need to travel to the gourmet store in la, la land. If it’s not for your peanut butter, ask your grocer, because it’s in there somewhere. From Nutella, you can run the traditional peanut butter circuit and make it look new and awesome. Nutella and bananas, Nutella and strawberries, Nutella and jam. Nutella, banana and turkey. Go mad!

Not every day is going to be inspired. Every Friday is pizza day at my son’s school. I love pizza day. Happy cooking!