Hi Reader,

I was thinking the other day how much I am looking forward to the school year starting for many reasons, including school lunch. I love that it's more variety that my girls would likely have if we packed each day and I REALLY love that it's one less thing for me to do in the morning.

But when my oldest went to kindergarten (and daycare, before that), I had so much anxiety about her eating food that wasn't from home. I had heard that it was "bad" or "just pizza" and also stories about kids becoming "addicted" to chocolate milk. I admit with some embarrassment, but also compassion for myself at that period, that I assumed my kid would learn "bad" eating habits being exposed to more "processed" food. (We do not live in areas where school is freshly made from school gardens, alas, which I thought was the only way school lunch could possibly be a good thing.)

That's not how it went. Those assumptions turned out to be untrue.

Daycare is where my daughter to love roasted broccoli, my other kiddo to enjoy beans and yellow squash. They learned that they like salad, different kinds of pizza, breakfast for lunch, and a myriad of dishes I never in a million years would have thought to pack them for lunch. My son now eats chicken soup, green beans, sunflower seed butter, different snack bars, crackers, and more because he's served them in the social setting of his daycare. My girls have chocolate milk at school and are happy to have white milk and water at home with meals.

School food has given me a break and has exposed all three of my kids to a wider range of food than they would have if I packed them food from home each day. It's helped them learn a little more food flexibility because they can't request something else in the lunch line and they simply eat what they're hungry for and don't eat what they don't want. I also count it as a giant success that they have a reliable source of nourishment in their day. (I realize I am using an unscientific sample size of three here, but I hope the examples are helpful anyway. Every kid is unique, that is always true, so I expect every kid would have their own unique experience with this issue.)

Yes, I wish that free school lunch had remained in place for the US. (And I am glad some states went ahead and kept it. Also please do apply for free or reduced lunch if you qualify and/or need it, because that program is in place.) I also wish that there was more support for school food without all the caveats and "buts".

Research shows that kids who are fed do better in school. (It also often sends food home for the weekend to kids who need it, which is also incredibly important.)

At this time of the year, the visitors to my website skyrocket because I offer a lot of kids lunch ideas, daycare lunches, and preschool snacks. And I know that many families need those ideas because kids are hard to feed and often we do need to pack food for all sorts of reasons. Which is always valid and it is my job to help.

But I also am aware that there might be an underlying implication that those ideas are somehow better than school food.

I don't think they are, I think they're just another option.

We actually don't have to choose a lane with how we feed our kids, we can simply do what's easiest and best for us during any given phase. We can advocate for more fresh produce and gardens, sustainable agriculture and issues that matter to us and our communities, whatever they may be—as well as continuing to work to expand food access—without demonizing food that is available now.

We can be curious about what our kids like and learn from their preferences, just they learn from ours.

We can visit lunchrooms, when allowed and feasible, and eat with our kids and see what that environment is actually like. (I have done it a handful of times and have never failed to be amazed at how many kids choose to take salad with their lunch. Leafy greens aren't everything, to be sure, but it is an example of how much we may be missing, how many false assumptions we may be making, when we don't see things with our own eyes.) We can talk to the real people who prepare the food with openness and gratitude, instead of judgement.

There is no perfect lunch.

It might be easier if there was, but there are actually a whole slew of solutions and options for our families. The subject of lunch has seemed more loaded this year than any I've experienced before and I think that some of us might be channeling anxiety about school itself onto the food. Trying to control what we can control. Which I get. Truly, I do.

But also, if you need permission to take a breath and let the food in your child's life be what it is right now, to pack food you know your child will eat, to go with school lunch or daycare food when it makes everything easier, please know you have that, too.

I realize this is perhaps longwinded and rambling. (It's also possible that after months of creating lunch content for work and packing lunches for camp in real life, I am at my own personal burn out point with this meal. VERY possible!) But this was on my mind so I wanted to share. And I know that not everything I write about in these Wednesday newsletters is relevant to all of you, but I do appreciate that you're here.

(Have a question about feeding your family? Simply reply to this email! I'm going to write specifically about lunch next week, so also send in any lunch questions!)

Find non-sandwich lunch ideas for adults and kids to help break out of that lunch rut—and still have really easy, yummy ideas for that midday meal. Each idea takes minutes to make or can be made entirely ahead of time.

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With many daycares, preschools, and schools requiring peanut-free snacks (and some even tree-nut-free snacks), this list of options is here to help. I have ideas to buy from the store and to make at home so you never run out of yummy, nutritious snacks to pack for the kids.

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Blend ripe bananas into the most flavorful and creamy Banana Popsicles with this super simple method. You’ll find a base recipe, plus six variations to change up the flavor as you like.

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