Tips for building a kid-friendly lunch:
- Create a rainbow of color with food; mix and match fruit and vegetables of all different colors.
- Involve them in the prep work. Help your child come up with 1-2 days worth of lunch ideas, and find a time at night where they can help you assemble it.
- Include a protein in every lunch (string cheese, seed or nut butters, hard-boiled eggs, lean meats) helps keep them strong and focused during school.
- Choose whole grain breads, pastas and crackers – (Read the labels to make sure it’s “whole-grain”)
- Pack one fruit and at least one veggies. You want natural whole fruit if possible. Have your child help pick a new fruit and vegetable each week when they go grocery shopping with you.
Here is a weeks’ worth of lunch box ideas
Monday - Cheese triangles served with pepperoni and whole wheat crackers for stacking, pear, red pepper slices, and air-popped popcorn
Tuesday – Whole wheat or buckwheat noodles with peanut sauce, sugar snap peas, blueberries, almonds and a fortune cookie. (Be sure your child is allowed to bring nuts to school.)
Wednesday - Hummus and spinach wrap, baby cherry tomatoes, nectarine, string cheese, and small yogurt cup (look for low sugar). Wraps come in a variety of different flavors; try different kinds throughout the school year.
Thursday - Tuna salad with grated carrots, served with crackers or in a pita, dried cranberries, celery sticks, and organic applesauce cup (Keep in mind that apples are the highest sprayed fruit.)
Friday – Sliced chicken with apples and cheddar, grapes, baby carrot sticks, ½ granola bar (the reason I do ½ is so they don’t get full just eating the granola bar)
If your child is somewhat reluctant to try new fruits and veggies, try this hands-on activity from education.com called Create a Rainbow of Healthy Food.
You can find even more great ideas in the Macaroni Kid Fitness edition.
--------------------------------------------------------
Christina is a Certified Holistic Health Coach who graduated from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. She is a member of AADP (American Association of Drugless Practitioners) and Holistic Moms Network. She wants to fulfill her passion by working with women and families to make their lives healthier, happier, and more fulfilled. She understand the daily struggles, hectic schedule, and the lack of time for one self. She hopes to make a difference by educating moms, not just around exercise and nutrition, but also self-care and self-worth.
Her current hobbies consist of keeping up with her fast-moving toddler Sebastian and helping her oldest daughter Norah train for a kids triathlon!
Christina is just getting her website up and running but feel free to subscribe to her monthly newsletter where you are provided with tips around the food of the month and recipes to try out.
Visit her at www.activebalance.com
