School lunches are better than they used to be in most schools in our area but for the Vampire Teen most are lacking in what our kids need.
Being a teen on a sugar free, gluten free, high protein diet is often difficult. Even the most innocent snack foods make our kids violently ill. Fruit is wonderful, but not too much or the sugar rush will turn into violent headaches.
And feeding off of classmates or teachers during school hours is an absolute NO.
In Middle School and High School it is cool to bring salads to school. Dark leafy greens are rich in iron and other nutrients needed by Vampire kids. This recipe is also fantastic for regular human kids.
Easy School Lunch Salad
Start with 2 cups of dark leafy greens (kale, Swiss chard, spinach, red leaf lettuce, spinach) – avoid iceberg and butter lettuce.
½ cup cut up broccoli
½ cup chopped red bell peppers
Then add the toppings of your choice:
- Cheese chunks – your choice (vitamin D – important because our kids don’t spend much time in the sun)
- ½ cut rare/raw beef strips – cut paper-thin
- Toasted soy nuts
- Walnuts
- Boiled eggs
- Raw veggies – green beans, carrots, squash, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomato, etc
- Black beans (a tablespoon or two at most)
Dressing
Mix about ¼ cup of lemon juice with 1 tablespoon of mixed dried herbs (basil, thyme, oregano)
Note: Make sure you put a frozen ice pack in your kids’ lunch, even in the wintertime. Food poisoning is a real threat, even for Vampire teens (who as you know have very sensitive stomachs)
- A good way to add liquid blood into the lunch box is to add it to 100% cherry or cranberry juice. Mix it half and half for a great lunchtime treat.
Other easy choices:
- Cheese sticks and nuts are good.
- Milk and Unflavored Greek Yogurt
- Gluten free crackers (especially made with bone meal)
Vampire Maman 
Dear Juliette,
I have been following your blog for several months. I admire the finesse with which you raise your vampire children. In fact, I am envious. Vampires have nearly perfected blending in with normal humans. So much so, you and your kind are able to live in urban and metropolitan areas. You are able to enjoy the benefits of living close to the nearest cultural epicenter I will ever be able to enjoy. Within a few minutes you can enjoy the arts, music, theater and fantastic restaurants.
Being a den mother, no not a cub scouts leader, but the wife of a werewolf and mother of a werecub, I am unable to live with my pack in the suburbs. While I am not a werewolf, in fact, there are few female werewolves, my husband and son are. The “wolf” gene follows the y chromosome, so when a human woman marries a werewolf and gives birth to a son, chances are she will be living with a pack of wolves requiring her to rise to status of den mother.
As a den mother my challenges are similar to yours. I must protect the secret from regular humans who do not understand that today’s werewolves are more civilized than those of lore. There are some similarities, they tend to be hairy and smelly at times, they are quite fond of running about in the woods and sleeping out of doors. They enjoy hunting, but will use a rifle rather than their bare hands.
I don’t mind most of the werewolf characteristics, their afinity for dogs, their loyalty and the fact that they will eat practically anything even if you accidentally drop it on the floor. However, there are some characteristics I could live without. They are always tracking in dirt, the shedding is horrible and they have a tendency to growl when irritated, whine when they want something, and bark when angry.
But rest assured the angry werewolf rarely bites, and our packs are content to live in rural areas close to the woods where our beloved males can roam freely about marking their territory.
Thank you for your sensitive information about being a Werewolf mom. I have to give you a lot of credit and respect for taking on the task of loving a Werewolf and being mother to his children.
Most of the Werewolves I know are urban dwellers (in fact all of them). Of all of the non-regular-humans I’ve always thought the Werewolves have the most difficult time fitting in. I’ve asked my children to make sure if there are rare Werewolf teens around to watch out for them. They don’t have to be friends, but they need to protect.
In fact, we have a family in my neighborhood with triplets and twins. The triplets have started school with my kids. They are sort of geeky but they’re finding their way.
It is so difficult for our teens, who love to socialize and fit in, to keep the secrets of their own DNA locked up and hidden. It is hard for them to live with the thought that they’ll be killed or worse if anyone finds out what they are (especially Were or Vampire Hunters).
I’ve found most Werewolves prove to be charming and good company once you get to know them. In fact some of them are downright sexy (even to a Vampire).
Friendships between Vampires and Werewolves aren’t traditional and usually looked upon by the traditional Vampires as unacceptable, but that said, those friendships are becoming more common. And if not friendship – at least a basic respect for each other. The world is a dangerous place – for our survival we need to watch out for each other, even if it is from afar.
Thanks again Shasta and hope to hear more about you and your cubs.