My son is not a picky eater. In fact, he's adventurous what with all the recipe-testing that goes on in my kitchen; he rarely gets the same thing twice for dinner. But when it comes to lunchbox fare, he is a challenge.
He was fine at preschool, when I'd pack him little containers of tofu tossed with soy sauce, marinated carrots and melon. But those items didn't fly in elementary school. I would make the usual stuff that he was happy to eat at home - tuna fish sandwiches, peanut butter and honey. They returned home in the lunchbox every day.
I knew that kids at school give one another stuff from their lunchboxes and that he was probably getting his fill of the barbecue chips he never gets at home.
We went through a period of buying stuff to make sandwiches together, which worked only for a while.
Finally, I stopped making his lunch and began to give him money for the school snacks that he seemed to prefer, if he ate at all.
But in the summer, at day camp, there was no school lunch alternative, so we revisited the problem. We decided on a few things that worked - some wraps, and a kind of peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Children need something sweet in their lunchboxes, too. My son doesn't eat apples and doesn't like cut-up fruit in the lunchbox, though he'll eat it at home. Muffins are a good solution.
You can get fruit and grains into them, but they're still a treat.
This recipe yields ten muffins. They can be frozen; thaw overnight or in the microwave before serving.
Savoury cheese muffins
These have the appeal of both a muffin and a grilled cheese sandwich. If your child will eat these with the peppers baked in, all the better.
Ingredients
Whole wheat flour: 3/4 cup
All-purpose flour: 3/4 cup
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Baking powder: 2 1/2 tsp
Large eggs: 2
Low-fat milk: 1/2 cup
Buttermilk: 1/2 cup
Canola oil: 2 tbsp
Extra virgin olive oil: 2 tbsp
Cheddar cheese, grated: 1 cup
Red bell pepper, seeded and diced
(optional): 1
Method
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees with a rack in the middle. Oil or spray 10 muffin cups. Sift together the flours, salt and baking powder. Beat the eggs in a medium bowl, and beat in the milk, buttermilk, canola oil and olive oil. Stir in the cheese. Quickly fold the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold in the bell pepper, if using. Spoon into muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full. Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes in the cups. Remove and cool on a rack.
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