By Jane Andrews MS, RD
What good’s a cool new lunchbox filled with the same old stuff? Avoid PBJ fatigue and all the high-fat, empty calorie traps out there with our six kid-friendly mix-and-match lists below. Think of it as connecting nutritionally balanced “dots” to generate ideas for non-boring, energy boosting mid-day meals. Try to get your kids look at their lunches that way, too.
Some experts suggest that participation in food choices helps children accept and enjoy eating new things. Especially when they don’t come in a package emblazoned with colorful characters. Even if some of the combinations come out a little crazy looking, your kids are likely to eat every bite—and that’s priceless!
Big Pack Attack
Feel like you’re too busy to get packing? Though most school lunches offer reasonably good nutrition, a home-made one often gives you better value and control over ingredients for a relatively small investment of time. Do it at night to save yourself a time crunch in the morning. And if you’re getting the idea that this might work for you, go to the head of the class—and keep driving right past your favorite fast-food emporium— for a healthier lunchtime, too.
Avoid an Energy Crises
A right-sized midday meal provides the energy needed to help us stay alert during the afternoon. If your child is hungry at school, he or she may become drowsy or restless and have difficulty concentrating on class work. And we all know what the afternoon slump is like. Fuel up, and take our mini tutorial on efficient planning for healthful lunches that won’t stress you out.
- Think "Planned-overs" when you're making dinner. By preparing extra family favorites, you can build bagged lunches around the leftovers. Whether it's pizza, pasta, burritos, Asian favorites, or meatloaf, don't let it go to waste.
- Mix and Match: Cover your nutritional bases by choosing one or more of the foods from each of the columns below. Pack an extra item for a morning or afternoon snack if you'd like.
- Play It Safe with cleanliness, temperature control and by using fresh, thoroughly cooked foods. Meat, fish, poultry, dairy products and eggs are the most likely foods to cause illness if not handled properly. (Learn more about Food Safety.)
To keep foods cold:
- Use small gel packs.
- Freeze juice boxes—they'll keep the rest of the lunch cold and will be defrosted by lunch time.
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Freeze entire sandwiches or at least use frozen bread when you make sandwiches in the morning. It will help keep the filling cold.
Consider using shelf-stable items such as the small pop-open cans of fruits, fish or meat. And note the selection of individually bagged pre-sliced fresh apples and baby cut carrots in the produce refrigerator case.
Mega Lunch Idea-lator
Remember, children enjoy helping prepare lunch – especially when you let them pick the foods. The key is to set boundaries to keep the meal balanced. Use the chart below as a way to generate ideas and get kids excited about what they’ll put in their box or bag.
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Boiled eggs; Tuna salad; Sliced turkey; Sliced roast beef; Sliced ham; Chicken wings or drumsticks; Meatloaf; Pizza; Stew, soup, chili; Peanut butter; Baked beans; Tofu salad; Hummus; Cottage cheese; String cheese |
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Sliced breads; Rolls; Pita; Bagel; Muffin; Tortilla; Rice; Couscous; Grain salads; Pasta; Popcorn; Baked Potato; Pretzels |
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Broccoli or cauliflower florets; Carrots; Celery sticks; Cucumber slices; Green, red or yellow pepper strips; Tomato slices or cherry tomatoes; Vegetable salads; Vegetable or tomato soup; Zucchini strips |
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Apple; Applesauce cup; Banana; Berries (fresh or frozen); Cherries; Fruit salad; Fruit cup (canned); Kiwi; Grapes; Melon; Peach, pear, plums; Pineapple chunks (fresh or canned); Orange or tangerine |
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Milk (preferred); Orange juice; Tomato juice; Grapefruit juice; Cranberry blends; Apple juice; Pineapple juice; Sparkling water |
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Sunflower seeds; Nuts; Raisins; Fresh fruit; Fruited yogurt; Cookies; Frosted cereal; Jello cups; Cereal bars; Pudding cups |