A kid-friendly lunch doesn't have to
be peanut butter and jelly. Not only can foods like fruit kabobs, pizza
quesadillas and noodle bowls be just as easy to make as a sandwich, you may be
surprised by how much kids love these healthier choices.
Ideas for spreading the lunch love:
- Give kids something they can assemble themselves. Kids are crazy for dipping, stacking and rolling up their food into fun treats.
- For kids, anything "mini" equals fun. Serve them food in miniature, like mini whole grain bagels, potstickers or cheese cubes.
- Make food into fun shapes: colorful or interestingly shaped pasta, sandwiches cut into shapes with cookie cutters, or fruit carved into triangles, circles and squares.
- Try to expose your children to at least one new flavor each week. This could be an item they've never eaten before or one they haven't had in a while.
- Include a special note, cartoon, or joke in the lunchbox. Like the ideal breakfast, lunch should have lots of fiber and whole grains, some protein and healthy fat, a veggie, and just a bit of natural sugar, like a piece of fresh fruit.
Try these ideas for a little something different:
- Whole wheat tortillas spread with peanut butter, sprinkled with raisins or dried cherries, rolled up and cut in two
- Baked corn chips, black beans, cheese wedges and fresh pico de gallo
- Tuna salad with grated carrots, served with crackers or in a pita
- Cheese triangles with pepperoni and whole wheat crackers for stacking
- Whole wheat crackers served with roasted turkey, hard-boiled eggs and pickle spears
- Vegetarian brown rice sushi rolls with soy or ponzu sauce
- Hummus and spinach wrap, cherry tomatoes, string cheese and any bite-sized fruit
- Smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumbers on mini bagels
- Chocolate almond butter with graham crackers
To give kids a sense of control and
a vested interest in eating their lunches, involve them in the prep work and
decision making about what goes in the lunchbox. Best to do this on the weekend
or the night before to avoid the dreaded morning meltdowns.
