Healthy Back to School Lunches
Going back to school means many things…new clothes, new teachers, new pens and pencils and it’s time to start packing lunches again! Most of today’s school lunches are filled with sodium and fat-packed chips, greasy pizza and sugar-filled sodas and juices. The typical back to school lunch consists of processed, refined foods that offer little nutritional value. Moms and dads everywhere are filling their kids’ lunchboxes with unhealthy food that can slow them down and cause future health problems. However, when healthier school lunches are packed, they are often returned home uneaten. What can parents do about this? Are there healthy school lunches that actually taste good? Of course there are, and with a little preparation and creativity, you’ll be packing healthy school lunches in no time.
Ideas for Healthy School Lunches
The benefits of healthy school lunches simply cannot be underestimate. Healthy, nutritious foods give kids the energy they need to perform well in school, stay focused and grow physically. Here are some great examples of healthy school lunches ideas:
1. Healthy Pita Pizzas! Turn a classically unhealthy lunch favorite into a delicious, nutritious treat! This is one of the best healthy lunch box ideas because kids absolutely gobble it up. Spread marinara sauce on a whole pita, top with low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese and vegetables, such as olives, bell pepper strips, mushrooms, etc., and bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the cheese is melted and golden brown.
2. Give them something to dip! Dipping foods is one of the fun ways that kids love to eat. Whether it’s carrots into ranch or celery into peanut butter, kids love to dip their foods because it makes eating an interactive experience. Another great dish is to make fruit kebabs with a yogurt dipping sauce, which is healthy, tasty and beautiful. Fill your kids’ healthy lunch boxes with dip-able items and they’ll be coming back for more!
3. Make it pretty! This is one of most popular back to school lunch box ideas because it actually works! Boring, ugly food is not appetizing to adults, and it certainly isn’t appetizing to children. Make healthy food fun and attractive by cutting out healthy sandwiches on whole wheat bread with fun cookie cutter shapes, or labeling whole wheat spaghetti noodles lean turkey meatballs as “Worms and Eyeballs”, to make the whole experience a little more fun. When you’re making healthy school lunches for kids, teenagers or any other age group on the planet, the key is to make the food interesting!
4. Switch it up! You probably would get tired of eating the same thing everyday for lunch, so don’t expect your kids to be any different. If you pack the same peanut butter and honey on whole wheat sandwich each and every day, your kids are bound to get a little tired of seeing the same thing day after day. With so many healthy school lunches recipes available, it is nearly impossible to run out of ideas. Forget ho-hum sandwiches and bags of chips, make healthy food interesting by rotating the foods you pack. One day you can do a nice brown rice and veggie stir-fry and the next a low-fat cheese quesadilla on a whole wheat tortilla, or whatever your child prefers. The key is to avoid monotony.
5. Leftovers are your friends! The key to switching the rotation and keeping the foods exciting and healthy is to incorporate foods from your dinners. If you make healthy, low-fat pizza on whole wheat crust, make a lunch out of a slice or two and a small salad. Healthy, baked chicken and veggies can quickly become a chicken and veggie pasta or sandwich. Chili and cornbread one night can transform into chili with whole wheat macaroni noodles by lunch time! Use leftovers to save time and money,
What are your thoughts? What goes into the best lunch boxes for kids? Let us know in the comments below!
