Food for thought. And kids.

This morning my 13 yo was talking about her home ec/health class that she had today and what they would be making to eat.  It's kind of a standing joke (well, not really a joking matter but we laugh about it anyway) about what they make in class because so far, it has always been a dessert.  Guess what we're making for breakfast today mom!  Ummm, dessert?  Yup!  Whoopie pies! 

So far they have made cheesecake, whoopie pies and some other dessert (I think it was cupcakes).  We laugh about it because it is so ridiculous that they keep teaching them how to make dessert (at breakfast time, no less!), but really it isn't a laughing matter at all given the obesity rate in children these days.  My daughter doesn't have an issue with this, she is a freakin' bean pole, and thankfully, knows what a vegetable is and wants to eat them.  But really, shouldn't we be teaching our kids how to make healthful meals and not just desserts?  What's wrong with fruit salad, banana bread, homemade whole wheat pizza crust and then top with veggies?  Maybe a stir fry with chicken and vegetables?  Any of those would be better alternatives than dessert each time.  Why couldn't they make an omelette or french toast topped with fruit?

I'm trying to decide whether to express my concern to the school or not.  I feel like if the class is a HEALTH/HOME EC class perhaps they should learn some healthy meals or cooking skills that might help them when they live on their own.  On the other side of that, I really hate to be the complaining bitch all the time.

My niece sent along the cutest blog/website for healthful lunches and I think I might share it with the teacher.  Just Bento is the name of the site and it's all about bento boxes.

A bento box is basically, a meal served in a box.  They are usually packed in a 1:1:2 ratio of carb, protein and vegetable.  The size of the box is meant to keep the calorie count under control as well.  What fun it would be to open this box for your lunch every day!  I might start doing this for my kids once in a while. 

Maybe the kids could plan to make a bento lunch one day.  There is some cooking involved--the rice, the protein, cooked vegetable (or raw if you prefer).  But this would be a much healthier thing to learn than how to make dessert.  Certainly, making a dessert for one of the classes would be fine, but not every time.

Should I speak with the teacher about healthier things to make?

Have you ever heard of a bento box?