Lunch - Bagels!

Total prep time: less than 5 minutes
Canada's Food Guide Servings:
2 Grain Products (1 bagel)
1 Milk and Alternatives (50g of cheese)

Aside from cold sandwiches, bagels are an ideal school lunch for your child.  Get creative with the bagels and the toppings.  Allow your child to experiment with different varieties of each.  Without dairy products, they can be kept at room temperature.  Big-A receives milk each day with lunch, as part of his school's Milk Program.  Half a bagel is enough for him as the milk fills him up.

You really can't choose a simpler school lunch for your child.  I remember in the good old 'nutty' days, my mother would often send me to school with a plain bagel filled with creamy peanut butter.  Paired with a banana and a carton of milk, and it was a well-balanced meal.  We all know that peanuts are a huge no-no in schools, but there are other delicious options available.  Let's get creative!

• Cinnamon raisin bagel with apple butter
• Sesame seed bagel with sliced white cheddar cheese (add sliced ham or turkey for some extra protein)
• Whole wheat bagel with plain or strawberry cream cheese
• Cheese bagel with vegetable cream cheese
• 12-grain bagel with any of the above toppings

Make sure to add an ice pack to your child's lunch bag as cheese products should be kept cold.  You can also add a frozen juice box instead of an ice pack.  This will keep the food cold, and will thaw by lunch time.

*TIPS*
1. To make this lunch even more fun for your little one, look for mini bagels at your local bakery or grocery store.  Fill 3 of them with different flavours of cream cheese or jam.  Children like variety, especially when it comes to their food.
2. Slice bagels into small rounds and sandwich slices of salami or kielbasa, or cream cheese between the rounds.  It's a different way to serve a bagel, keeping things fun for your child.
3. Add sliced ham, along with sliced bell peppers, a container of halved cherry tomatoes (leaving them whole can be a choking hazard to young children) or a piece of fruit to the lunch bag to make this meal complete.