Cool
School Lunches
By
Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers
As
you know by now, all parents have a different idea of what
is healthy food and what is not. For years, you have had the
opportunity to hand select and monitor what your child eats
for lunch. Now it is time to test their ability. It is only
natural for your child's eyes to wander and notice, and be
envious of, what the other kids are eating. Here are a few
tips that may help your child's lunch be healthy, fun and
get noticed by the other kids.
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The
lunchbox:
It is important to have the right gear and the lunchbox is
an important asset. Consider letting your child pick out his
own lunchbox or purchase one and let him decorate it with
paint or markers. Make sure your child's name is on it with
a permanent marker or paint. Most schools will not provide
a refrigerator to store lunchboxes, so you should select an
insulated one with a re-usable freezer pack to keep the lunch
fresh. Or, instead of using a freezer pack, you can freeze
a bottle of water, and add it to the lunch box. It will keep
the lunch cold and fresh during morning classes and by lunch
time it will have thawed and be ready to drink.
More
gear - containers: Those gimmicky, salt, fat and
sugar-filled, "Lunchables" trays are very popular
with kids. Not because they taste so good, but because look
so cool. There is no reason a homemade lunch needs to look
dull and unappetizing. Buy colorful containers in different
shapes to pack your child’s lunch. They are better than
plastic bags and less wasteful too. If your child is drawn
to characters, buy some stickers and decorate the containers.
Put your child's name on the containers, but it is inevitable
that some containers may not make their way home. Another
option is to purchase inexpensive or "semi" disposable
containers that will not disappoint you if they accidentally
end up in the trash.
Offer
plenty of choices: Provide small servings and many
choices -- variety is a key to healthy eating. Providing your
child with plenty of variety is not hard or time consuming.
Many lunch foods can be prepared, in advance, in large quantities.
Each morning, simply fill up small containers with different
foods. Quick lunchbox food suggestions include:
- Dried
fruit
- Nuts
- Fresh
fruit pieces or a piece of whole fruit
- Applesauce
(no sugar added)
- Celery
sticks filled with cream cheese and raisins, or white bean
dip
- Sugar
snap peas with Ranch dressing for dipping
- Yogurt
or a smoothie
- Lunch
meat roll-ups with cream cheese and an asparagus in the
middle
- Hard
boiled egg
- Cheese
cubes or string cheese logs
- Peanut
butter (or sunflower butter) and apple slices or crackers
- White
bean dip or hummus with carrots and mini pita breads
- Whole
grain crackers or pretzels
- Trail
mix made from cereal, nuts and dried fruit
Talk to your child about lunchtime: Don't
assume that your child's uneaten lunch is sign that he did
not like the food. If you ask a few questions, you may find
that your child does not have enough time to eat lunch or
that he is spending more time socializing with his friends
than actually chewing. Asking questions will give you the
opportunity to help him learn other important skills such
as managing his time and selecting times to socialize.
Simple lunch box recipes:
Pineapple Kabobs
Ingredients:
Pineapple chunks (1/2-inch pieces)
Marble cheese cubes (½ inch pieces)
Slices of nitrate-free ham cut into 1-inch squares
Toothpicks
Directions:
Assemble the mini-kabobs on a toothpick in the following
manner: Ham square, pineapple chunk, ham square and a cheese
cube.
Veggie version: Substitute teriyaki-flavored
baked tofu for the ham/cheese. Baked tofu can easily be
sliced into small cubes and is very tasty with the pineapple.
Trail Mix
Directions:
Combine any or all of these ingredients in an airtight container
and toss gently to mix. Store airtight. Lasts for weeks.
Ingredients:
Dry snacks: cereal (low in sugar
– under 5g per serving), small pretzels, graham cracker
or rice cake pieces, or animal crackers.
Dried fruits: Cherries, apricots,
raisins, mangoes or coconut flakes (Tip: big pieces of dried
fruit can be cut up easily using kitchen shears).
Nuts and seeds: sliced almonds,
pecan pieces, cashew pieces, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
or peanut pieces.
Kiwi Wraps or rolls
These wraps can be served as a traditional wrap sandwich
or slice it into pieces (like a sushi roll) for bite sized
treats.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon peanut butter or sunflower butter
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1/2 kiwi
Tortilla -- whole wheat or plain (squared)
Instructions:
Remove the skin from the kiwi and slice it into thin rounds.
Spread peanut butter over half the wrap and cream cheese
on the other half of the wrap. Arrange the kiwi slices evenly
over the cream cheese. Beginning on the cream cheese end,
gently roll up the tortilla forming a log shape. The peanut
butter will act as the glue to keep it together. Serve.
About the authors: Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers are sisters,
the mothers of five children, and founders of Fresh Baby (www.FreshBaby.com).
Their goal at Fresh Baby is to make the task of raising a
healthy eater a little bit easier for all parents. Visit them
online at www.FreshBaby.com
and subscribe to their Fresh Ideas newsletter to get monthly
ideas, tips and activities for developing your family's healthy
eating habits!
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