Providing a hearty, healthy, nutritious lunch in a clean, sanitary lunch box or other container for both hubby and the kids was a housewife’s daily duty in the 1950s. The guidelines included the following:
- “It should be abundant in amount for a hungry, healthy individual. A little too much is better than too little.”
- “It should be chosen with regard to nutritive needs of the individual, and in relation to the whole day’s food.”
- “It should be clean, appetizing, wholesome, and attractive.”
Food Selection
Solids and liquids were both included in the lunch plan. Guidelines urged housewives to choose at least one item from each of the following groups:
Milk — in food, such as pudding, or drink.
Bread — whole grain used in sandwiches.
Meat, Cheese, Eggs, or Fish — used in sandwich fillings, salads, or main dishes. Left over meat loaf, pot roast, and other food items were often used in sandwiches in the 1950s.
Fruit — whole or diced in salads or desserts.
Vegetables — used in sandwich fillings, salads, main dishes, or whole. Crisp, raw vegetables preferred.
Surprise – cookies, nuts, raisins, or other special treat.
What Season is it?
~ In winter, include something hot, such as soup, coffee, tea, or hot chocolate in a thermos.
~ In summer, include cool, refreshing items such as lemonade, fruit juice, iced tea, or iced coffee in a thermos.
Tips
*Remember to include utensils, napkins, and straws.*
*Provide spicier, more flavorful food for hubby and milder but flavorful food for the kids.*
*The goal in the 1950s was to keep packed lunches appetizing, varied, and balanced nutritionally.
Menus
Cream of tomato soup
Ham sandwich with mustard and lettuce
Celery sticks and olives
Fresh pear
Cookies
~
Cheese sandwich with ketchup and lettuce
Tossed vegetable salad and dressing
Pickles
Whole orange
Cake
Hot cocoa
~
The National School Lunch Act, signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1946, provides school lunches in public schools for a fee or for free. I don’t know nowadays how many kids still bring their lunches to school. I remember kids getting teased when they reached a certain age who still brought their lunches to school. My favorite part of lunch in school was the chocolate milk that came with the cafeteria lunch. And, in high school, we used to sneak off campus and hit the local Taco Bell. Many adults eat in the company cafeteria, if one is provided, or order fast food. But some adults still bring their lunches to work.
~
Information retrieved from The American Woman’s Cook Book, 1952 and the Internet.
Dawn Pisturino
September 19, 2022
Copyright 2022 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
Ah yes, the old lunch pail.
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I love the the corniness of the packed lunch! My kids have never eaten a school lunch because Inlibe knowing they are having a healthy well planned meal. LOL
Then they started complaining ifnInsaid oh just have a school lunch today. You would think I had told them to jump out in traffic. Lol
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Kids are so funny! I think the love that goes into it is just as important as the food. Have a beautiful day!
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I agree Dawn!! have a great day as well. Great post.
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Thanks!
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[…] Source: School Lunches from the 1950s Housewife | Dawn Pisturino’s Blog […]
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Thanks for sharing, Ned!
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1950 school lunch from Mom ~ peanut butter and jelly on white Wonder bread, small carton milk, 1 banana or 4 graham crackers.
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I remember those old lunchboxes with Batman, or Superman or some kind of cartoon character…
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Yes, it was fun picking out which lunch box to use.
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Yes!
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mine was superman!
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LOL!
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I love the surprise part, where you have some cookies you can eat after the lunch
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I agree!
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A blast from the past here Dawn!
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Thanks, Robert!
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The tip about providing “spicier, more flavorful food for hubby” made me laugh. I had a Mork and Mindy lunch box in elementary school. School lunches were disgusting!
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Yes, it’s interesting how the perspective of the 1950s was so different from today! I still remember the cafeteria’s bland meat loaf and mashed potatoes and gravy. The colors never seemed quite right.
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Never quite right and sometimes completely wrong! 😆 I remember being given a letter that explained why their hotdogs were green. No joke!
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Ha-ha-ha! Reminds me of the green liver and onions at the FMC cafeteria in Flagstaff. Yuck!
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Apologies for that reminder! 😔😆
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A lunch like this would be great! I’ve been making my kids lunch for some time now, I may take some tips from this. 🙂
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It’s worth a try, Kirsten! Homemade lunches seem so much healthier and fresher than the stuff in the cafeteria. Have a great day!
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You too, thank you! ☀️
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A lot of people compliments for lunchbox called obento from my home country, Japan, but I always admired brown lunch bag filled with PB & J sandwich and a whole fruit either banana or apple…when I finally got it from my host mother, I was like “OMG, it’s just like the one from the movie!!🤩”
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LOL! And I would like to try the obento sometime! Have a great day!
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Good memories around lunchbox. Quite interesting 👌👌
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Thanks, Kaushal!
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Wondeful post
Thanks
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Thank you very much!
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fun memories Dawn.
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Reblogged this on Calculus of Decay .
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