Seeking Ideas for Packing Healthy Kid Friendly Lunches

Hi L.,
As working mommy and a teacher at a school which does not allow junk, if the kids bring anything wiht sugar in 1st 5 ingredients it goes back home. Think about dinner, fix a little extra and pack it in a camping thermos, they run about 15.00 but a great investment. many kids at my school think it is cool for their moms to send in little conatiners of peanut butter and all fruit, the spread it on tortilla or low fat crackers. A new trend in my room is breakfast for lunch, how many kids love pancakes, eggs, etc. it is helathy and they like the food. As many have said 100% juice and here is another tip, freeze the juice or water to stay cold and it takes the place of the ice pack, multi functional. Don't amke it hard , with the thermos many doors open, soups etc.

Grains
•Mini bagel and reduced-fat cream cheese
•Grain Cereal, Granola, & Yogurt Bars
•Trail Mix
•Animal Crackers
•Fig Newtons
•Graham Crackers (regular and low fat)
•Baked Chips & Sun Chips
•Pretzels
•Tricuits & Multi-Grain Wheat Thins
•Quaker Oats Rice Snacks (they come in variety of flavors)
•Popcorn (light and fat free)

Protein & Dairy
•Nuts (all varieties)
•Peanut butter & jelly sandwich
•Cheese (reduced fat, light, or fat free), string cheese is fun
•Puddings (fat free and regular)
•Drinkable Yogurt
•Yogurt (low fat, light or non-fat)
•1% or non-fat milk (plain or flavored)

Fruit & Vegetables
•Fruit cups in juice or light syrup
•Raisins and unsweetened dried fruit
•Fresh fruit & veggies (with low-fat dip optional)
•Juices that are 50 to 100% real fruit juice, with no added sugars (limit to 4 oz)

I like to buy BACK TO NATURE 100% juice packs. I can't stand the Capri Sun's and other brands that add all that sugar. PB&J is my daughter's favorite and I use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes. The no sugar added applesauce is great. I also buy organic fruit roll ups (that my kids just love). Goldfish instead of chips and Newman's Own oreo cookies.

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Hi, L.. My 3-yr-old daughter won't eat a traditional sandwich but she loves tortilla roll-ups (flour tortilla with cream cheese and lunch meat). I just roll it up and cut it into two halves and she eats the whole thing! Along with that, I send any fruits (dried or fresh cut up), crackers (we love Triscuits), cheese sticks, etc. that don't make too much of a mess and are nutritious. Don't give in to the Lunchables! They are loaded with sodium. My daughter tells me her friends have Cheetos but then she says, "But that's junk food, right, Mom?" So I have her pretty well trained. ;) Don't worry, she does get her share of treats. Of course, it is embarrassing when she points out junk food in other shoppers' grocery carts! "Hey, Mom! That lady just put donuts in her cart! Donuts are JUNK FOOD!" Oh, dear! Turn down the next aisle, quick! With a little planning ahead, you can make a healthy lunch for your kids. Good luck!
K. O in Pearland

I used to pack string cheese,yogurt or fruit cups. They also liked wraps with lunch meat and chese in them. I bought the spinach wraps. I would put cut up celery and carrot sticks in their lunches,too. I would pack Sunny D or some other fruit juice drink. I hope this helps!

Kudos to you for wanting to feed your kids healthy foods!! I am a Registered Dietitian and this is also a definite passion of mine as well. Aside from the usual sandwiches, low fat cheeses, fresh fruits and veggies some other ideas to change things up a bit: try wrapping the deli meat and cheese (or pb and j) in a whole wheat wrap, little cups of unsweetened applesauce and fruit are easy and quick, try dried fruit (without added sugar - justfruits is one of my fav brands), yogurt with apple/carrot slices as a dip is fun for kids, strips of baked chicken with any dip (honey mustard, low fat ranch). Most important - keep it simple and let your kids help you - they may actually eat it!

I basically send fruit. My daughter won't eat sandwiches of any kind. My sons do though. My daughter's lunch usually consists of a banana, apple, carrots, and then one thing crunchy like WheatThins/cheesenips/cookie/chips. I sub other fruits in like grapes or strawberries when I can. It's not the cheapest way, but it is convenient and nutritious. I personally believe that we don't eat enough fruits or vegetables. My sons will eat sandwiches on whole wheat bread (ham/cheese or peanut butter), plus one or two fruits, then one thing crunchy, etc.

Fruita Bu 100% fruit. It comes in roll ups, leathers and snack bites. Kids notice what the others have in their lunch. This allows them to have the fun item without the junk!

I always send my kids off with a Fiber One granola bar. Don't get the caramel kind - it leaves an aftertaste. One bar has 35% of your daily fiber, and it tastes good. Just give them one a day or they could have too much of a good thing! You can buy a 20-pack at Sam's for $7+, or a 5-pack in the grocery store for $2+.

In addition to some sort of sandwhich or meat, cheese and crackers, I would send some of the following with my DD when she was little and in day care for the summer:

grapes, pineapple, bananas, apples, strawberries, cantelope, honeydew melon, carrots and/or celery and ranch dip, string cheese, cheese and cracker packages, gold fish crackers, granola bars, pretzels, popcorn, peanuts and sunflower seeds. I hope this helps!

I too am a working mother and full time student so I completely understand about the lack of time. For us, my children are 4 and 2, their daycare has microwaves in every room and so I send healthy leftovers which I package up for them right after we finish dinner. In the morning I add a juice box and something like organic applesauce or fruit slices.

In the case of a child attending school, I know that there are often no microwaves. In that case one can always send such things as empanadas, sandwiches, and other such bits that taste good cold. My children love to eat finger foods and so chopped up veggies with hummus or fruit slices are a thrill in their lunch. I also send them with cheese slices or cheese sticks.

I hope this helps.......

hola,

i only have a 2 y/o girl, and PB&J swandwich made with hole granes bread with low sugar and fat free penut butter works for me any time she does not want other food. sugar free, or no sugar added fruit cups also does it almost any time. apple saouce cups, sugar free, and fruit leather sticks are a great source of fruit and she takes it as it is candy. and a reward.

good luck

For our daughter 2 and half, and school is ending this Friday. We sent slices of organic cheese we would take maybe two to two and half slices cut them in squares for her and the organic lunch meat and also tear it up bite sizes, so she would not have to mess with it or her teacher, then gold fish with raisin in it, then her fruit of what she asked for, they have come out with organic apple already cut and package which is really great. Then other thing that I did, was I went to the container store, and bought little square containers that were the perfect size, what I really like about them is when I picked up my daughter I could open her lunch box and see how much she ate. The other thing you can do, that we also do. I bought a small theromist for food at the container store, you warm it up in the mircowave then put the warm food in. I tested it to see how loing the food would stay warm and it seemed to stay warm for many hours. So that might be anither thought also. Hope this helps. God Bless!

I have two tried and true ones: corn cobs and omelets (with sauteed onions/spinach or peas or any other veggie your kids find attractive.

I also send a lot of dinner leftovers.

It's tricky because it seems their tastes change with time, so you have to keep adapting. Good luck!

G.

well it eally dependfs on what what thenlike to eat there afe fruit cu,fresh veggies like catrot sticks ps,fresh ,friut,p&j sandwhichwishes they get proteim and grain there is yogurt gronkanable are regular ,or thry can buy juice or mlk at schoolit really depends on what you like and they like take a stroll throuhh the grough the grocery store therte ate many opipiond and they come out with new ones all the time good luck
L.

It seems that everyone else's suggestions would be the same as mine.. but I watned to share that you could buy mini- water bottles... Also Capri- Sun has Roarin' Waters... Which is what I buy for my kids..

Hey L. I do not know if this will help you but I have a 7 yr. old whos lunch we pack everyday for school. He loves ham and cheese wrapped in a tortilla. I put a little low-fat cream cheese on the tortilla. The cut in little spirals. He loves those. Today we made a turkey bagel sandwich with american cheese. He loves string cheese with apples, sooo good. These are a few things we do instead of just a sandwich. Have a great day!! B. K

cubed cheese, pretzels,dried fruit or fresh fruit cubed meat such a turkey and fruit drinks. Celery with peanut butter and raisins all are easy and good for kids.

It is great to see that so many moms are trying to make sure our kids eat healthy. But, there are many ingredients that some are not aware of that are definitely not good for our children (or adults).
I believe that many have just not been informed ( I used to be one of those). We would just go to the store and buy what we felt was good for us. However, after doing extensive research over the past 4 years on diet and nutrition, I have learned some things that I would like to share. The following is a list of ingredients that should always be avoided. Please take the time to do your own research as well.

*Partially hydrogenated oils (most people are already well aware of this one)
*Corn syrup (high fructose or not - the method for deriving this syrup involves using chemicals that are not safe for our children).
*Sodium Nitrate (found in deli meats and hot dogs - this chemical has been linked to cancer)
*MSG monosodium glutamate (there are many hidden names for MSG - look for them - Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Yeast Extract, Sodium Caseinate, Autolyzed Yeast, Dextrose, Soy Protein, Modified food starch)
*Artificial colors/flavors (Red No 40, etc)
*GMO's (genetically modified organisms)

Here are supporting articles:
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/107774.aspx

http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/08/22/the_dangers_o...

http://www.babyandkidallergies.com/high_fructose_corn_syr...

http://www.saynotogmos.org/ujun03b.htm

Please also google 'Monsanto' and GMO to do your own research.

Best advice to avoid these ingredients: Do not buy processed foods (boxed crackers, cookies, etc.) Products that are certified organic cannot contain GMO's. I know you are thinking - "but organic is too expensive". However, spend the money now, instead of at the doctor's years from now. In addition, as we all begin to reject the products that are not healthy for us and begin to buy whole foods (food that has not been altered by man), the manufacturers will see what is in demand, and the prices will begin to come down.

Thanks for letting me share. This is my passion - to educate parents and to see our children grow up without suffering from diet induced disease.

Melissa