Kids' State Dinner Recipe Call

Drat. When the White House newsletter requested recipes that kids would walk home for lunch for, I felt like a ten-year-old waving my hand, "Ooohhh, Teacher, I know one!" Too bad--these recipes have to be "created" by actual kids. Somehow I think they won't count my inner kid, even though my inner kid remembers very well what kids will walk home for:

Salad (per school-aged child)

6 green lettuce leaves

1 plum tomato or 1/2 beefsteak tomato, or even more if it's a home-grown Pink Center tomato

1/2 regular cucumber or 1 lemon cucumber or 1 small "pickling size" cucumber

1 stick celery (full length, leave the leaves on if any)

1 skinny carrot, sliced thin

Salt to taste

Optional: 1-2 radishes

Cut vegetables in small bite-sized pieces. Toss. Sprinkle with salt. Kids will eat this if you have to use supermarket vegetables, but they will notice how much better it is if you use home-grown ones.

Sandwich (ditto)

2 slices store-bought sandwich bread or 1 homemade roll

1 tablespoon peanut butter

Spread peanut butter on one slice of bread, or split roll and spread peanut butter on bottom. Top with remaining bread.

Dessert

1 tangerine or 1/2 orange

Peel fruit. Separate sections.

There you are, kids! Enjoy! (Do you need to be told where the milk is?)

I didn't "create" it, but I ate it. And liked it. I had no idea how much healthier I would have been if that had been gluten-free bread, all those years.

Still, on consideration, I don't suppose it'd be fancy enough for the Kids' State Dinner. Also too many people out there cherish the notion that a salad needs some sort of "dressing." I have never found a salad dressing that I didn't think the salad was better without.

Oh, well. Best of luck to all parents of kids who like to cook. (Will someone please print this page for the mother of The Nephews?)