Pack a Punch with a Healthy Lunch

When it’s time to pack your child’s school lunch, think about this: What you decide to include on their lunch menu can make or break their learning potential.  Offering up colorful, tasty and nourishing meals to your children - especially at lunch- will keep them fueled and attentive for the classroom and after-school activities.  Below is a list of useful tips to make packing a lunch easier.

1. When it comes to preparing a healthy lunch, be resourceful and use dinner leftovers.
2. Plan for the week ahead.  Take some time over the weekend to plan your lunch menus.
3. Ask your kids to help plan the menus.  This will put them in the driver’s seat and you could get some good ideas.
4. Advance meal prep can be helpful by saving precious time with your busy schedule during the week.
5. Stock the essentials.  One healthy cooking essential is canned tomatoes, as they are perfect for making pastas.  Peanut butter and canned tuna make for quick and healthy sandwiches.  Frozen vegetables fit in with numerous recipes.
6. Develop a master list on you computer of all different food groups.  Keep this list in a visible location like on the refrigerator door, where your family can add items as needed.
7. Make your kids chefs.  Children will be more willing to try new food when they plan and prepare their meals.
8. Prepare a lunch that is adventurous.  Try a new recipe from the Internet or a cookbook, like a crunchy vegetable and turkey tortilla wrap or turkey and bean chili.
9. Mix it up by combining favorite foods with colorful, unfamiliar ones.  For instance, mix peas into macaroni and cheese, or add carrots to spaghetti sauce and lasagna.
10. Make a healthy pizza.  Use a bagel or English muffin and add tomato sauce, cheese and pieces of pineapple and spinach.
11. Prepare mini meals, which are always fun for your children.  For instance, offer mini whole grain bagels as sandwiches.
12. Serve the same food in different forms.  For example, pair up raw carrot sticks with cooked carrot coins.
13. Start a family garden if space and time allow it.  A garden can teach your children about new foods.
14. Keep in mind that kids need to taste a new food about 10 times before they learn to like it.  Also, the most important message you can give your children is that food is FUN, and learning about food is fun, too!

Written by Ximena Jimenez, a licensed and registered dietitian and currently acts as a National Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.