Lunch Love
A Q&A with Chef Beth Lyon
Those of us who are parents often struggle not only with feeding ourselves, but also with feeding our kids. We are tasked with providing healthy, slow-burning breakfasts, easy and portable lunches, and well-balanced dinners. Of all of these, the packing of the school lunch box feels the most like a chore, probably because you spend so much time washing, cutting, and packing foods into containers, only to be greeted by most of those washed, cut, and now spoiled foods in those same containers at the end of the school day. We sat down with our friend Chef Beth Lyon to find out how she manages it with her two boys. Fishing for lunchbox hacks and chef tips, we instead found ourselves laughing at Beth’s self-deprecating advice and considering what’s actually important enough to include in the lunchbox. Spoiler alert: it’s not just the food.
Edible OKC: Do you pack things that are easy and quick to eat? I know my kids only get ten or fifteen minutes at school to eat most days!
Beth: YES! I’ll even pre-cut apples, so they are easier to eat with loose seven-year-old teeth.
Edible OKC: Do you have any tricks to incorporating veggies into their lunches?
Beth: Honestly, I’ve thrown away enough carrot sticks to know better. My kid doesn’t eat veggies, and who am I kidding?
Edible OKC: What’s your favorite way to incorporate whole grains?
Beth: Wyatt gets a pb&j EVERY DAY! Why??? Because he eats it, and I know he will be able to engage in class, and with all his mates.
Edible OKC: Do you try to spend one day per week prepping your boys’ lunches? Or do you make them every morning? Any tricks to help all of us busy moms?
Beth: I’m fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants in general. The morning of is always effective.
Edible OKC: How do you get your kids excited about their lunches? Do they get to help pack their own lunches?
Beth: Wyatt is excited in knowing he will get the same lunch every day. Arlo, on the other hand, likes to mix it up.
Edible OKC: Can you give us three easy, healthy lunches you make for your boys?
Beth: Make what your kid likes, every day. Food should not be a reward. My point to all of this is that it’s okay. Parents do enough for the well-being of their kids to not have to add chef-prepared lunches to their lists. Let’s be honest, about 2% of kids are going to eat your black lentil and broccoli patties. My approach to school lunches is this: chill out. Offer whole grains, seasonal produce, and healthy fats at dinner. Our children need to understand the concept of kindness more than [needing to eat] dried out celery sticks. I write affirmations and mantras for the boys’ lunch boxes as daily reminders to care for their hearts. Everything else will follow.
