Tiffin Trouble!!

For the past two years, when my daughter AD went to a playschool-cum-daycare, tiffins were not such a break-my-head issue....for the simple reason, mid morning and evening snacks were provided by the school. For lunch, I used to pack a normal lunch like - rice (or its variations)/roti, dal, side dish and curd. The school-cum-daycare heated the food in their kitchen microwave and the kids enjoyed a hot lunch. And since the ayahs and teachers supervised and fed the kids, I knew her lunch was well taken care of.

Now what with her having started proper school, everything has been complicated manifold. She comes home instead of staying at the daycare. The fact pricks me as I was never comfortable keeping her alone with the maid. But then again I dont want to make her travel from school to daycare in the afternoons and again in the evening travel back home...it's too much of travel for a three and a half in a day's time. And since it's a normal school, there arent multiple ayahs taking care of the kids' needs. So tiffin time means she has to eat herself. The teachers on the very first day have given guidelines regarding the tiffins and tiffin boxes :

-This being a 'No-Plastic' year in their school, ONLY steel tiffin boxes to be given
-No Bread & Jam
-Bread Sandwiches are OK, but with healthy fillings
-No chips and chocolate
-No rice or noodles to ensure the classroom floor isnt messed up
-Pooris, Rotis, Idlis, if sent, have to be cut into pieces.

So all in all, quite a few dos and donts. On top of all this, I have to ensure that AD eats what I give her ...hence the tiffin has to be to her liking. And worst of all, my daugher being MY daughter....is genetically designed NOT to like the same food everyday.

Oh...my love and respect for my Ma's ability, patience and creativity has increased several times over in the recent past....how did she manage to pack tasty and healthy tiffins everyday .... for 14 long year...yet I remember clearly that I used to crib and complain!! Motherhood is indeed a learning experience on how it feels to be on the other side of the fence!!!!! ;)

So lately I have been racking my brains to formulate a variety of tiffins for AD which comply with all the above DOs & DONTs, be healthy & nutritious, and yet manage to win her heart and make her eat!

So I sat down and made a table of the various options available :
1. Chicken Roll
2. Fish Roll
3. Paneer Roll
4. Vegetable Roll
5. Alu Paratha
6. Gobi Paratha
7. Palak Paratha
8. Paneer Paratha
9. Chutney Sandwich
10.Chicken Sandwich
11. Fish Sandwich
12. Egg sanwich
13. Cucumber-Tomato Sandwich
14. Cheese-Chicken Sandwich
15. Small cubes of potato+Paneer+sweetcorn, stir fried in butter sprinkled with salt pepper and a little lemon juice squeezed to make it salty, tangy!
16. French Fries
17. Idli
18. Sponge cakes

Fruits & Salads(which dont get messy)
1. Cucumber
2. Tomato
3. Pineapple
4.Apple
5.Pears (she's sporadically fond of them....hence have to check and see)
6. Papaya
7.Orange

So I guess in the posts to come (click HERE)....I'll be posting quite a few of the above or variations of these.
Well only problem is clicking pics at the God forsaken early hours!!!!