12 school lunch and snack worthy ideas for healthy kids

Uh, now that I’m a grandma (yikes!) I’ve become interested in seeing that Mr. C gets healthy lunch and snack options. But as I look down over these options, it’s easy to see that they might just work for Mom and Dad at the office, too.

Yesterday at Costco, I noticed parents buying those bags of the mini sweet bell peppers, and I thought kids might just go for those, in addition to the little Armenian cucumbers - they’re much milder tasting than the larger regular cucumber and don’t have the tough bitter skin.Hummus is so easily made at home in a food processor, and your could toss in leftover beans or even chopped raw veggies like sweet bell pepper for additional nutrition.

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Macaroni Grill: Not hateful after all.

First we thought about Truckee River Bar & Grill, always a fav but it was Sunday and about 2:30 and I knew they’d be closing soon, along with Josef’s Vienna Bakery. Whole Foods was too far down the street to go there and back to Best Buy, so with a sigh, I said “oh, well it’s just food. Let’s go in Macaroni Grill.”

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One of Reno's Best Lunch Spots: Butcher Boy

That’s right, and had some of the best darn Gazpacho this side of Spain. It had just the right balance of  tang from good Spanish Sherry vinegar and, I suspect, house roasted red bell peppers to add a depth of flavor that ‘wowed’ everybody at our table.

I could have made a meal out of the Gazpacho alone, along with some crusty bread (and a glass of wine would have been nice, too).

Butcher Boy is one of the few restaurants where I indulge in French Fries, too. They are perfect … crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I love the garlic fries.

You should know that if you’re looking for small portions, beware. I order half sandwiches at Butcher Boy. Since you can get absolutely whatever you want on them, with a great selection of whole grain breads, it’s enough for me.

Oh. yes, they also have some of those wonderful Hagen Daz Limited Edition ice creams. I served the Green Tea last night as the ending to a roast chicken dinner for company. I cut up some ripe peaches, added a dollop of whipped light cream and then floated a nice small mound of the green tea ice cream over the top. Lots of “ooohhs and aaahhhs”. I also recommend the Caramalized Pear. It’s so sinful, but so worth it.

I bought my big bad boy Rocky chicken at Butcher Boy for last nights’ company dinner, too. It was wonderful. I highly recommend them. It was slightly over 5 pounds but fed five people and there’s leftovers for sandwiches.