Back to school for kids means back to packing lunches for moms. If you are trying to cut out all or even some processed food from your menu it can be a little trickier. But it doesn’t have to be- with a little planning and effort you can skip the Lunchables© and still have convenience and an appealing lunch box. Strive to incorporate the following elements in every lunch; a protein, a fruit and/or vegetable, good carbs such as whole grains, a healthy drink, and a “treat”.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Proteins
- Grilled Chicken Breast
- Milk
- Lowfat Yogurt
- String Cheese
- Peanut Butter
- Beans
- Nuts
- Hummus
Fruit/Vegetable
- Apple Slices
- Carrot Sticks
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Grapes
- Celery
- Applesauce
- Homemade Fruit Leather
- Broccoli
Carbs
- Whole Grains
- Bread
- Pitas
- Pasta
- Brown Rice
- Cereal
Healthy Beverage
- Water
- Green Tea
- 100% Fruit Juice
- Gatorade
Treat
- Granola Bar
- Sugar Free Jell-O
- Graham Crackers
- Muffins
- Fruit
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Remember the days when your tot refused all baby food but strained bananas? The baby books, doctors, and everyone you spoke to encouraged you to “Keep trying”, and told you “Sometimes it takes a new food being introduced multiple times before they will accept it”. I think the same holds true of our school aged kids too. Sometimes no matter how many times you pack a particular food you will just end up throwing it away. But on the other hand if you try to introduce foods in different ways you may find your child will decide they like it. If your child won’t eat whole beans, try hummus, most kids love any kind of dip. Don’t like the consistency of oatmeal? While nowhere near the health value of plain oatmeal-Oatmeal cookies can be an occasional substitute. If your child loves carrots and ranch but won’t even try other fresh veggies, include a few cherry tomatoes, or cucumber slices with the carrots. Still feel like they’re not getting enough? Grated carrots, zucchini, and avocado are easily disguised in breads, muffins, and even brownies.
Including healthy “treats” can assure that your child will not feel deprived. It needn’t be candy, and processed gummies, or cookies. There are a lot of alternatives available. A look around the internet can provide you with dozens of recipes for homemade treats with less sugar, fat, and preservatives than their prepackaged counterparts.
Drop the juice pouches and sub with plain water as much as you can, add a splash of 100% fruit juice for flavor. Other alternatives are; iced green tea sweetened with a bit of honey, plain 100% fruit juice, or Gatorade©. The G2 type has less sugar, and fewer calories than the original.
Just like using a weekly menu for dinner can save you time and money, so can taking a few minutes to sit down with your child and plan out healthy, balanced lunches. To make it even easier you can incorporate leftovers from dinner on some days, plan to make and freeze ahead multiple sandwiches, and pre portion snacks. Try printing out, or typing up- and using this School Lunch Planner. Check out our Freezer to Lunchbox series for some ideas on back to school lunches that are freezable!
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