Aloha, Lunch!

What's more fun than a "themed" lunch? I had a combination of Hawaiian flavors and thought it would be fun to introduce a new food in a fun way. The bulk of the meal was something I knew they would like and the side item was something I wasn't sure they'd even try. I told them it was there and to at least give it a shot. I can't verify if they did or didn't, but the new item went over about as I had expected. However it made a pretty lunch, so it's worth considering! If I do this theme again, I'd replace the chips and salsa with a sweet-potato side of some sort and I'd replace the apples with pineapple chunks. The 'mulligan' could be a macaroon-type snack. Hmmm ... :)

*As a sidenote, this was my 6 year old's lunch. I don't starve my kids. ;-) She doesn't eat very fast and tends to leave the entree half-eaten because she uses up all her time eating chips. Consequently, there are only a couple carrots and a few chips. This way she has more time to eat at least half of her sandwich - and she always eats all her apples. My 9 year old gets as much food as I can get in here!

RED: Ham & Cheese Hawaiian Hoagie

(carb, protein, dairy)

They love Hawaiian bread. I was thrilled when they started making these mini-hoagie rolls. This is the item I knew the girls would love. They dig the sweetness of the ham with the bread. I get Black Forest on occasion, but regular honey or brown sugar ham get just as good of reviews. For the cheese, I usually go with either havarti or muenster.

GREEN: Carrots

(veggie)

YELLOW: Apple Slices

(fruit)

PURPLE: Tortilla chips with Pineapple Salsa

(carb, fruit)

This flopped. My kids just don't care for salsa. I thought if I let them try something with less tomatoes and onions in it, they might like it. But alas ... this just isn't something they like. If your kids already likes salsa, this might be more appreciated. I tried it and I thought it was pretty good! It's not really hot - it's mostly pineapple. But it has the chilis in there, so it's got a salsa kick. Yum!

DRINK: Water