Here are six tips for packing delicious, nutritious lunches that won't get boring or return home uneaten:
1. Think outside of the (lunch) box - Keep mid-day meals exciting by packing beyond the go-to sandwich as a main part of the meal. Other options include:
- soup in a thermos
- cereal (Your child can purchase the milk to pour on it at school!)
- breakfast type foods (waffle sticks and syrup for dipping or an english muffin & egg "sandwich")
- dipper combos (pita chips with hummus, veggies with dip, or breadsticks with pizza sauce)
- tortilla roll ups
- frozen muffins (These will thaw by noon and keep other foods cool as well!)
Some of these options may be a bit trickier to eat, so check that your little one is confident enough to ask a cafeteria helper for assistance or practice at home on the weekend!
2. Include your child in the food selection - Offer two choices and let your child pick. "Would you like grapes or a mandarin orange fruit cup today?" "Do you want your carrots cut into sticks or circles?" Allow them to help you portion out snack bags of pretzels, cheese cubes, and raisins on the weekend to get ready for the week. When they know what they've packed, they are more likely to be looking forward to lunch!
3. Perk up foods with fun accessories - Kids love to serve themselves with pretty toothpicks, eat fruit kabobs, try sandwiches cut into creative shapes with cookie cutters, and decorate their own yogurt cup with a small portion of sprinkles! Have a conversation (and then remind them in the morning) about which items need to come home to be reused, but don't be surprised if some end up lost or thrown away by accident. For more ideas check out this Parenting.com slideshow or search bento lunch accessories. You just might end up adding some to your own lunch!
4. Color is exciting and healthy - There is a reason marketing companies pack kids' food full of artificial colors. Everyone is drawn to a bright rainbow of yummy options! You can get this same effect with healthy, natural options by including a trio of yellow, green, and red bell peppers and brightening up your homemade trail mixes with dried cranberries and blueberries.
5. Divide the meal into sections to ensure a balance - Even at home, I gravitate toward serving plates that make it easy to fill one with fruit, one with a vegetable, then add a protein, a carb, and a treat! On the go, bento lunch boxes or silicone baking cups make great dividers.
6. Get creative - Pack a themed lunch every Friday and see if your child can guess what the common element was when they get home. (Ideas to get you started can include circle shaped foods, all Daddy's favorites, and menu items that all start with the same letter.) Write a riddle on a napkin and give the answer at dinner. Include a note about weekend plans.
What are your fun ideas to keep packed lunches interesting, delicious, and nutritious?
Read more from Devany, a former kindergarten teacher turned stay-at-home mom who blogs about early childhood education and more over at Still Playing School. You can learn about her family in her About Us section.
