I just couldn’t pick a winner based on the desperation I sensed in your replies, so I used a random number generator to choose a winner. And the winner is . . . Cathy! Congratulations, Cathy! I’ll be emailing you soon.

I just had my second baby, and towards the end of my pregnancy, all I wanted to eat was homeade vegetable soup. I made my own stock from veggie trimmings throughout the week, and added in as many vegetables and legumes as I could find, then spooned in ground flaxseed right before eating, which left me with a low-fat, -cal, and -sodium bowl of goodness– and packed with fiber and nutrients. I ate this so frequently, I went out and bought a large stockpot so I could make it in bigger batches. What I’m lacking in, however, is daily variety.

I packed this in DH’s thermos for lunch during the winter and spring months, but during summer he complained that it was just too hot to be eating soup every day (he dines in his car). So, he went back to his old standby, peanut butter. Every day, two peanut butter sandwiches, a protein bar if we have them, and nothing else. I’m dying to add more VARIETY to his lunches– not to mention, he’s started gaining a little more belly with all that peanut butter. He doesn’t eat meat, and I can’t come up with anything besides sandwiches that are easy to eat whilst he’s sitting in the car and reading a book!

As for me and DD (DS is two months old now), if we’re not eating soup, it’s leftovers nearly every day. I’ll do a salad for myself, but at 16 months, she’s mostly into fingerfood. THAT was what caught my eye in your picture.

Dad eats peanut butter every day,
Jessica loves veggies in every way.
Mommy’s bored and tired and needs some spice,
And I think everyone’s sick of tofu and rice.

Sawyer doesn’t care as long as he’s at the breast,
Mommy’s starting to think he’s attached to her chest.
Mommy needs new lunches, ’cause she’s running out of brain power,
And all of her ideas are starting to look sour.

A book could really change our lives,
And beautiful lunchboxes might get Mommy more high fives.
We need this book to save some time,
……sigh…..Jessica laughs when Mommy tries to rhyme.

I decided it would be easiest to this in the car so I had them both pick out what color of laptop lunches they wanted. I love the lunchboxes, but after only a few weeks of doing this, my creativity has run dry.

Help please!

Until we were married, and for the first few years after, my hubby ate the same lunch he had since kindergarten: a peanut butter and jelly/honey sandwich, an apple, and sometimes a bag of pretzels. I finally persuaded him that his lunch was not only boring, but also habitually gross. He has since graduated to an office job with a microwave where he enjoys leftovers (or Annie’s Mac n’ Cheese), yogurt, a healthy home-baked cookie, and the ever-so-faithful apple. More balanced? Yes. More variety? A bit. But we can do better.

I stay at home with my son, Liam. At lunch time I often end up raiding the fridge. Sometimes I end up with a fantastic kale and tofu stir fry, and other times, like today, it’s 2 cookies and a cup of tea. I need some help.

Add into the mix my sister and her dietary guidelines, which are not at all foreign to my cooking repertoire, but require me to be more conscientous with the meal-planning.

On top of all of these factors is my growing concern with providing Liam healthy and balanced meals which he can look forward to and will set him on the path towards healthy living.

I just checked out this book from the public library and it is absolutely fantastic. The recipes appear kid and adult-friendly, and most are not at all weirdly-vegan. I can’t wait to try dozens of recipes.

I want my own copy of this fantastic book, otherwise I might end up hoarding the library’s!