I turned my calendar to August yesterday and found it ironic and appropriate that the new photo shows a group of school-age children holding a huge flag. Tomorrow will be my first scheduled day back in the classroom. I’m not sure if students, or parents, give much thought to how many hours we spend preparing for the first day of school. I’m not whining, just stating the fact that most people think we walk back into the room, make new name tags, take out our books, and begin. Not quite that simple. I’ll post “before” and “after” photos on my kindergarten blog very soon.
August is the month when my lists begin. I found out long ago that I can only retain a limited amount of information in my brain without developing stressful overload! So I write things down. I have a list on my desk at school and a list on my desk at home. Sometimes I also have a list on the computer desk! I carry an on-going shopping list. I write appointments on two calendars- the one in the office and the one in my purse.
This year I’m going to make sure that my shopping list reflects my renewed commitment to my health. In the past my school lunch has been the last priority in my life. I was just too busy to give it much thought at all! This year I have decided to make a list of the ten best things for my lunch and make sure I stay well-stocked with goodies that are also good for me! I have a refrigerator at school and now I also have a wonderful new lunch bag, thanks to my California girls! Yes, that little elephant is a reusable ice pack!
So here are the ten things I’m going to keep on my school lunch list and re-stock each week. I’m trying to make sure I vary my lunch more this year because I usually end up eating the same thing every day for about a month! I also find that as the year progresses I eat less and less at school and then I go home starved. Not this year! I will also have to do a little prep on Sunday afternoons, but I’m worth it!
1. Peanut butter. I’m currently buying Simply Jiff which has 2g of sugar and 65mg of sodium.
2. Whole wheat sandwich rounds. Love these!
3. Carrots, celery, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, etc. I’m going to prep and put into zip-lock bags. Love fresh veggies and this will be easier than a traditional salad.
4. Frozen fruit mix- the one I use has strawberries, peaches, mango, and pineapple, and I add blueberries. I have a container with a “cold lid” and by lunch time the fruit is cold and soft.
5. 100-calorie bags of almonds for an afternoon snack. Alternate with walnuts.
6. Individual containers of applesauce, in case I get tired of the frozen fruit.
7. Plain Greek yogurt.
8. Special K crackers. These are great! 17 crackers equal 90 calories, 190mg sodium, and 5g sugar.
9. Cinnamon Harvest cereal. 14 pieces in a bag will be 90 calories, no sodium, 5g sugar.
10. String cheese sticks. These are low in calories (about 70), but a little high in sodium (200+) so I will have to eat sparingly.
No, I won’t be eating all ten items each day! LOL My plan is to eat a sandwich or cheese stick, and veggies or fruit, when my children are having their center play time at noon. As I’ve mentioned before, they eat at 11, but I hate to eat with them because I’m constantly interrupted to help them with something. Then I will eat a snack at 2pm when they are at resource class. Then another snack at 4:00 before I leave for home. We usually eat dinner between 6:30 and 7:00. I’ll try this for a month and see if it works.
I hope that you are making yourself a priority on whatever lists you need to create for your life!
Have a great day!
Super cute elephants.
I only function by list making. My memory is not what it should be and lists help me not panic at night when I should be sleeping because I forgot to do something.
Love your list.
No sugar added Del Monte pears and jarred grapefruit are nice too!
Posted by: Megan | August 02, 2010 at 04:57 PM