Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-12
Preparing School Lunches
Particular Care Is Required in Meeting Practical
Problems of Midday Meals-Should Be
Made Attractive and Kept Wholesome.

THE midday meal of school children
often presents special, practica
problems and demands particular are
and attention. Sometimes 1t will have
to be packed nd carried for long dis
lance, and then unusual care will be
needed to make It attractive and to
keep 1t wholesome. Sometimes it will
be nc .ssary to prepare it in the school
room or other place where there are few
conveniences for the purpose.
It is rather difhcult to live up to ones
ideals in a meal which is almost always
hurried, as the school lunch is, and
which must often be prepared in one
place and served in another. Too often
the school lunch is put up carelessly in
the hurry of the morning work and
getting the children of to school, and
many times the mother or older sister
or maid who attends to this duty falls
into the habit Of Offering q monotonouS
series of meals with little variety.
Those who have a school lunch to re
pare for the children or for one child
should be willing to give time enough
to study the subject, so that the boys
and girls will be well nourished and
the appetite will be tempted when the
food is eaten from a box or basket,
perhaps alone, and all or nearly all of
1t cold.
Box Lunches.
The daily meals of school children
must contain all the materials needed
for health and for growth. The APP
pearance OF the box lunch should be
decidedly appetizing and every day
should afford just enough of a surprise
20 give pleasure in anticipation,
The most desirable lunch box or
basket to use is one that can be washed
and scalded, is well ventilated, and is
not too heavy. 1t should contain some
means of carrying hot food or food
to be heated. When packing the lunch
box, put at the bottom the things least
likely to crush, and wrap sandwiches
into neat parcels, not all in one parcel.
Paper cups, jelly tumblers with covers
which can now be bought in several
sizes, bottles with screw tops, such as
those in which candy and some other
foods are sold, and small jars, such IS
those in which some goods are sold by
druggists, can all be used for carrying
foods. Paper napkins or paper towels
OF about the same size are very useful
for packing lunches. If no provision is
made in the school for serving lunches,
an extra napkin, either Of paper or
cloth, should be put in the basket to be
spread over the school desk when the
lunch Is eaten. Moist foods may be
carried in the school lunch by using
paraffin paper and parchment paper for
wrapping, so as to prevent them from
sticking to other foods. Paper cups
and jelly glasses are specially useful,
for in them sliced raw fruits. stewed
fruits, custards, cottage cheese and
other half-Solid foods can be cal ed.
Baked beans, good-f1avored and well
made cottage cheese stuffed eggs, sim
pie salads and dried sweet fruits may
be added to the lunches Of older chill
dren. Celery, lettuce, radisheS and
cabbage may be included in the lunch
to supply the fresh vegetable. A bottle
Of clean sweet milk should be part
of every normal school child's lunch
Surprises should be included when pos
sfble, such as stuffed fruit, fancy-cut
sandwiches or fancy cookies.
Sandwich Filings.
With vegetables. Lettuce with to-
n1ato and salad dressing. 2. Chopped
celery, apple, nuts or olives, in any pro-
portion preferred and salad dressing.
g. Mixed pickle sour or sweet, with
chopped egg. 4. Lettuce, sliced rad
ishes. salt and salad dressing. S. Beans,
mashed or rubbed through a colander,
mixed with tomato sauce or salad dress
ing, and chopped sour pickle or green
pepper relish.
With Fruit. Chopped dates with
putter ana orange or lemon juice. ..
Wash some raisins and dates and put
through a chopper: add salt, peanut
butter and lemon juice; mix well. Prune
pulp may be used in place Of dates If
preferred.
To make apricot butter for q sand
witch filling, soak half cupful of dried
apricotS, then drain. Add two table,
spoonfuls Of orange Juice, one table
spoonful of lemon juice, half cup
ful of chopped nuts, half teaSpoonful
of grated lemon rind, half cupful of
ground or shredded coconut and half
a teaspoonful of grated orange rind.
The bread for sandwiches may be
whole wheat, rye, date, oatmeal, Bos-
ton brown, nut or white bread. Good
combination filings are peanut butter
and lettuce, peanut butter and ground
raisins or cooked prune pulp, cottage
cheese and nut, bacon and lettuce,
cream cheese and lettuce, chicken,
baked ham, tuna fish and celery. egg
and olive, cabbage, celery and nuts, or
carrots, celery and nuts, or cabbage,
celery and raisinS.
Home Lunches.
1. Cream Of vegetable soup, sand
wiches, dessert.