Two Snacks a Day Keep the Hunger Away

Being the worrier mum and control freak that I am, I have been packing two snacks a day for Marcus since his first day at Primary school. 

Thankfully, this decision doesn't draw him unnecessary attention. In fact, from my observations in the first three days of school, at least half of the Primary one boys bring a box of food for recess.  

Anyway, the boy prefers to bring along his own snacks from home instead of queueing to buy. Might as well, since he is only capable of eating in the most unhurried manner. So far, no amount of pressure could work to hasten his chewing or swallowing. I have given up on hurrying the tortoise. 

Since my objective is to prevent hunger pangs, I figured the most constructive solution is to pack him nutritious and calorie-rich food that can be assembled into a small parcel and consumed in a few mouthfuls. 

Before he leaves home, he eats a normal size breakfast. Two and half hours later, he takes his first snack box to the canteen during recess. Another two hours later, he has a quick break in the classroom, which I understand lasts about 10 min. 

So basically, the calories he consumes at these three small meals must be sufficient to keep hunger at bay till he reaches home, which is hours past the typical lunchtime. In fact, in the past two weeks, by the time he finishes his lunch at home, it is about time for some office workers to head out for afternoon tea. Darn! 

At this rate, how can I ever stop worrying about him not putting on enough weight?!! Urghh! 

Because of this eternal concern, there is a need to entice my boy to finish his snacks every 2-3 hours, especially when I won't be there in school to nag him. So I aim for a varied daily menu comprising of wide range of ingredients, hoping to keep him keen on his food.

There are many other factors to consider too, such as the nutritiousness, ease for him to finish in the allocated time, perishability of certain ingredients at room temperature and the food's tastiness a few hours after preparation etc.. So many items are ruled out as a result. 

To save myself wrecking my brain and stressing my zombified body at 6 am, I made a list and stuck it to my fridge. The plan was to simply follow it - to stock the fridge, pack the snacks and make breakfast, lunch and dinner accordingly. 

Sounds easy, but it isn't. Not to me anyway, who's never the sort of cook to plan a week's meals in advance, preferring to give in to spontaneity. The latter allows for days of laziness and occasional household emergencies to be attended to, while I can still sanely serve up a few meals a week. It is definitely a tried-and-tested strategy that has worked well in our household. I like to think of it as organized chaos. :>

So now, having to refer to a list on the fridge calls for some unnatural behaviour on my part. Barely two weeks into the routine, I already found myself trying to come up with substitutes now and again, either because I haven't had time to shop the days before or make certain things the night before. 

But I am trying my best. Mornings can be a lot rosier for me if I were to just pack him some sandwiches everyday, or buy from the deli an assortment of buns with fillings, or just make the boy go brave it out at the canteen and risk being left with 5 min to eat. And of course, ignore the fact that he may not eat at all and lose a few kilos in a month. Sigh. 

These thoughts are enough to keep me going. Yeah, I can do it! :D

Anyway, here is the partial list (with the lunch/dinner items removed), which I've tried to follow closely in the past two weeks. It includes what I served for breakfast, followed by the two snacks I packed daily. We are into week 3 now and I do intend to try out a 4-weeks menu and rotate it monthly. Let's see how long it can be sustained. :>

Week 1

Mon (not for week 1 since school term began on Tue)

Cereal w milk

Potato gratin

Tue

Crumpet w peanut butter
Egg sandwich
Cheese crackers and grapes

Wed

Tortilla w cheese

Salmon fried Rice

Kaya bun and milk

Thur

French toast
Fried chicken strips with Onigiri

Small banana and cashew nuts

Fri

Waffles
Pizza Strips (tomato, cheese/ham)
Granola bar

Week 2
Mon

Toast w nutella

Tortilla wrap w baked beans & cheese
Banana nut muffin

Tue

Cereal w milk

Tuna/sweetcorn sandwich
sultana biscuits

Wed

Jam sandwich

Scrambled eggs w smoked salmon
Macademia nuts and Milo

Thur

Peanut butter w bread
Tortellini w soft boiled egg

Pretzels, fruit and small bun

Fri

Cheese Crumpet
Inarizushi w chopped crab/prawn, vege
Jam pinwheel sandwich

The verdict so far has been rather encouraging. He ate most of what I gave him, with the occasional leftovers because he hadn't enough time to finish.

He also told me how much he loves packing snacks to school and opening up the boxes to see what's in store, though usually I briefed him in the morning before closing the boxes. I don't know why there should still be a pleasant surprise involved, but I am not complaining as long as it keeps him happy. 

The best part of it all is that on most days, he isn't starving when he gets in. After a quick shower, he would sit with me to finish up a big portion of lunch that I had lovingly put together before dashing off to play.

It does feels like mission accomplished, a day at a time. And I am happy about it.