When school lunch get predictable make some mealtime magic

Even though the school year is still brand new, just about now you've already burned your kids out on the turkey and cheese on whole wheat/PB&J pita lunchbox rotation. And they, understandably so, outright refuse to toss in a hot lunch once a week, unless that week's offerings includes a chimichanga.

That's why I'm loving Cookie Magazine's series of posts 30 Days, 30 Lunches. Up to day #26, they're sharing secrets that will help any creatively challenged parent, like myself, spice things up in the school lunch department. The ideas are health conscious and super-fun...Transforming veggie noshing into a real treat. My favorites include this post linking to Funky Lunch's gallery of crafty sandwiches (stay tuned for their how-to book soon to be released), day #24's inspiring and fun story on what chefs pack in own kids' lunches and idea #16 containing four "fallback" combos created by Brooklyn's iCi restaurant owner Catherine Saillard perfect for those days when you just have to get the lunches packed fast. Rule of thumb, make the meal fun and be guaranteed an empty lunchbox come dismissal time, and that includes those darn carrot sticks.