Check out my progress on Lunchbox Nostalgia
(Actual photo of my lunchbox, circa 2007)
If I’ve learned anything since entering graduate school, it’s this: get a group of dietitians together, and there’s bound to be some enthusiastic discussion of food.
In my afternoon class today, we were talking about fruit and vegetable consumption (or lack thereof) in elementary school kids. Soon that conversation turned into a discussion of our lunchbox foods from the past:
Lunch-ables: All the cool kids had these (particularly the pizza variety). I incessantly begged my mom for a Lunch-able, but (smart woman that she is) insisted that they were far too expensive and fattening to be part of the Yoder household diet.
Dunk-a-roos: This was a snack I did get to indulge in on occasion. I lurved them—I mean, how can you go wrong with frosting and chocolate?
Little Debbie Snack Cakes: There were a few snacks from this line that my mom did permit for holidays—I lived for the day when Mumsy would bring home a box of the Christmas tree-shaped cakes. My best friend Callie always had a LD snack in her lunchbox. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t trade with her on a few occasions 
Most of the time, however, my lunch included a bagel-wich (with plenty of pickles), fruit, and pretzels (I guess I had a salty tooth even back then!)
What did you (or your mom) pack in your lunchbox when you were a kid?
Fast-forward to today!
This morning’s breakfast was a PB-Squared sandwich—peanut butter and pumpkin butter.
For lunch, I made Rachael’s Moroccan Carrot-Chickpea Salad.
Tonight marked another first for Seth—I made him try spaghetti squash. He said he liked it…but he likes everything. I have yet to encounter a food he will not eat. I topped the squash with a little lentil Bolognese.
Homework time. Off to read up on world hunger.
Filed under: Meals
Caroline Yoder, dietitian-to-be and all-around foodie.
I was an elementary art teacher for the past four years. I’m not sure about lunch box food, but my students ate food prepared in the lunchroom. I was really concerned on nacho day, and another day the vegetarian item is fried cheese sticks. Sheesh.
ah! Dunkaroos!! I loved the sprinkle frosting one. I was also a huge fan of those bread sticks & cheese packs … Handi Snacks!
I grew up in a really healthy household, as well. Despite my begging and pleading, my mom never bought us Lunchables or those “snack-bags” of Cheetos or Doritos.
My lunch usually consisted of sandwiches (PB & J/ turkey, lettuce, and cheese/etc.) which were always on wheat bread. Lots of pretzels, applesauce, and fruit- my favorites being apples or grapes. And sometimes a homemade treat for dessert.
My “indulgence” was pop-tarts. We actually had those around, more often than not. I loved them!
Your breakfast sandwich looks delicious!
I used to always have lunchables. Mmmm…
Unfortunately, I had some very poor lunches growing up and that set me up for bad babits, now that I think about it.
I was the kid that got all of the pre packaged junk foods, fruit roll ups, dunkaroos (they were DELICIOUS! I loved the hazelnut/chocolate flavoured goo) Le snak (artificial cheese dip and biscuits) biscuits (savoury and sweet) or snack size packets of chips and twisties.
My most memorable lunches included a fistfull of packages of chips, three or four chocolate ruffle biscuits wrapped in cling wrap, a margarine sandwich (i hated peanut butter, so that was apparently the only option) and an orange juice box. When I made it to high school i’d buy canteen food or take a muesli bar.
Tisk tisk.
I’m still in high school and pack my own lunches now, which usually consist of a really large, hearty salad. At least until it gets too cold to enjoy that sort of thing.
When my grandma made my lunches, she did try to give me healthy choices- carrot sticks and an apple. But inevitably I would only nibble at these and stick to my pb&j and potato chips. Sometimes I would get those sugar cookies with the neon icing and sprinkles, which was always exciting.
Thankfully, she would never buy me lunchables either.
Ah, how Seth has changed! Once, while visiting the grandparents in Maryland, we stopped for hard-shell crabs. The eating of these involves mallets and the smashing of their bodies to get to the crabmeat. Seth was so upset that he wouldn’t even sit at the same table as the rest of the family….and he ordered chicken!
wow, i forgot all about those lunchable pizzas— my mom, too, always refused to buy them because of how expensive they are. i remember demanding to know why $4 was expensive— it certainly didn’t sound like a lot of money to me!
and dunkaroos were my absolute favorite treat as well. i think i was just sucked in by the cute kangaroo!
Haha my mom would never buy me any of the “cool” lunch items! She always packed my lunch though and I loved it….and miss it
Haha I used to beg for Lunchables! I was allowed to have them on occasion, but usually my dad packed me sandwiches on brown bread with sprouts and avocado, which the other kids thought was so weird.
I remeber Dunkaroos! I loved those too! I actually bought some relatively recently and they were soooo sooo sweet. I couldn’t handle them anymore!
My mom stuck to basics on packed lunches most of the time. I think she slipped a Twinkie in there once in a while : )
Haha, those were definitely the “cool items.” We were allowed to get the luncheables from mom if my cousins came over (special treat since they were so ridiculously pricey,) and I loved ‘em. I also loved balogna and American cheese sandwiches and chef boyardee. A real health nut, even way back then (ha!)
And you said I was the ONLY mom who wouldn’t buy Lunchables for their kids!
BroccoliHut Reply:
October 28th, 2011 at 11:36 am
Haha! Well maybe the only mom at Mountain Brook Elementary
I loved lunchables growing up. My lunches were ok consisting of tuna fish, salads, pretzels, juices etc. I avoided school lunches. As a teacher, school lunches horrify me. There was a day I was sure the kids got watermelon, but was informed they were baked apples. Erm, that’s pretty sketchy…
My mom made my lunch every day! I think my favorite lunches were when I would get leftover pizza for lunch the next day! But, I usually got a pb&j sandwich with some pretzels, grapes, drink pouch, and sometimes oreos, a little debbie snack cake, or dunkaroos!