Children enjoying a lunchtime meal together.

Problem Summary:

The story "What's for Lunch?" by Andrew Frinkle describes Janet's daily challenge of preparing lunches for her children. The kids are picky, resist trying new things, and often demand junk food. Janet tries various options, including frozen meals, sandwiches with soup, chef salads, and a baked potato bar, but none fully satisfy her or the kids. She eventually comes up with a dart game to decide the lunch menu, hoping it will solve her problem.

Task:

The task likely involves answering comprehension questions based on the story. Since no specific questions are provided in the image, I will create some typical reading comprehension questions and provide answers along with explanations.

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Sample Questions and Answers:

#### 1. Why did Janet have trouble deciding what to make for lunch?
- Answer: Janet had trouble deciding what to make for lunch because her children were picky eaters. They got bored with certain foods, resisted trying new things, and occasionally demanded junk food. This made it challenging for her to come up with something that would please everyone.

Explanation: The story explicitly mentions that Janet faced resistance from her children regarding their food preferences. Their pickiness and demand for variety added to her daily challenge.

#### 2. What were some of the lunch options Janet tried?
- Answer: Janet tried several lunch options, including:
- Frozen meals like chicken patty sandwiches, pizza, corn dogs, chicken nuggets, and French fries.
- Sandwiches with soup, where she tried to sneak vegetables into the bread and soup.
- Giant chef salads loaded with veggies, bacon bits, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, sunflower seeds, olives, and other goodies.
- A baked potato bar where the kids could load potatoes with toppings like broccoli, cheese, bacon bits, butter, garlic, chives, etc.

Explanation: The story details each of these options, highlighting how Janet attempted to cater to her children's preferences while also trying to include healthier choices.

#### 3. Why did Janet dislike canned soups?
- Answer: Janet disliked canned soups because they were horribly salty. Although she made her own soups to avoid this issue, it was time-consuming.

Explanation: The story states that canned soups were too salty, which is why Janet preferred making her own soups despite the extra effort involved.

#### 4. What was the issue with the giant chef salads?
- Answer: The issue with the giant chef salads was that the kids liked too much dressing on them. This added unnecessary fat and ruined the healthy aspect of the meal.

Explanation: Despite Janet's efforts to make the salads nutritious, the kids' preference for heavy dressing counteracted the health benefits, making the salads less healthy overall.

#### 5. How did Janet finally decide what to make for lunch?
- Answer: Janet decided to use a dart game to determine the lunch menu. She created a poster with lunch options, and the kids would throw rubber darts at the targets. Unhealthy options were smaller targets to discourage them. She also planned to portion out sauces to limit their usage.

Explanation: Frustrated with her daily struggle, Janet came up with the idea of a dart game as a fun and fair way to decide the lunch menu. This approach allowed the kids to have input while still encouraging healthier choices.

#### 6. Why did Janet think the dart game would solve her problem?
- Answer: Janet thought the dart game would solve her problem because it would take the decision-making process out of her hands. By letting the kids choose through the dart game, she hoped to reduce their complaints and ensure they were more engaged in the lunch selection process. Additionally, the smaller targets for unhealthy options would encourage healthier choices.

Explanation: The dart game introduced an element of fun and fairness, which Janet believed would help alleviate her stress and make the kids more satisfied with the lunch choices.

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Final Answer:

Based on the story, Janet's challenge was managing her children's picky eating habits and ensuring they ate balanced meals. Her final solution—a dart game—was innovative and aimed at involving the kids in the decision-making process while promoting healthier choices.

Boxed Final Answer:
$$
\boxed{\text{Janet used a dart game to decide the lunch menu, involving her children and encouraging healthier choices.}}
$$