Healthy Kids' Lunch Ideas for Back to School

Summer vacation, it always goes by too fast. Yet there is excitement in the air. Your child is starting a new grade soon you are shopping to get  back to school supplies yet again. Suddenly it hits you – that two words which you had forgotten about since the end of the last school year: SCHOOL  LUNCH!

You want to pack nutritious lunches for your kids but you know it isn’t going to be easy. You want to provide healthy sandwiches or at least a quick and balanced meal that your kids will actually eat. You’ve been here before and recall some of the frustrations. Either you pay for the cafeteria lunch and hear about the awful food, or you discover your daughter hasn’t even taken a bite of her lunchbox sandwich and had only one bite of her apple. This is one reason some parents opt for pre-packed lunches that can contain too much fat and sodium.

Or maybe you toss in a bag of potato chips – because it feels better knowing your son got something into his tummy. Oh yes, getting your child to eat a nutritious lunch can seem like a battle. But does it have to be? Really? With some easy, quick lunch ideas you can get your child eating a nutritious meal without all the headaches!

Schools’ Cafeteria Policy and Healthy Lunches

First, give yourself a pat on the back for making nutrition a priority. It is important to teach kids healthy habits even when they are away from the home. And schools are there to help you!  This is one of the reasons Congress established the school lunch guidelines requiring all schools with a federally-funded meal program (e.g. National School Breakfast or Lunch Program) to develop Wellness Policies by 2007. (More information on school wellness policy).

The Wellness Policy addresses nutrition and physical activity at school. Unfortunately, Wellness Policies may not be enough as schools struggle with small budgets for food service. Thus, quick, easy processed foods (think chicken nuggets and French fries) can still be offered at school.

I recall counseling a few families who struggled with their school-age children. They were so used to eating pizza, hot dogs, and chips at school that this is all they wanted at home for dinner. I recommended packing a brown bag lunch at least two times a week to slowly introduce healthy lunches.

The Easy, Fun and Healthy Lunch Box

Get your kids to help you so that healthy lunches are a family affair! It starts by planning ahead and looking to include healthy foods from the five food groups. Add a dash of fun!

Here is a list of healthy, fun and creative lunch ideas for kids:

• Get out the cookie cutters – no not for cookies, but for sandwiches. Kids love food in shapes. You can make a star-shaped sandwiches or even one shaped like a pumpkin. Surprise them with different shapes over the week.
• Serve sliced ham, chicken, tuna or egg salad sandwiches. Some kids love mustard and mayo but some kids may just want a pickle with it. Go with what your child likes. Similarly, some kids don’t like peanut butter but will enjoy sunflower butter, cashew or almond butter as a spread.
• Serve sliced meat rolled up into tubes and offer the bread separate (some kids just aren’t into sandwiches). Similarly, tuna salad can be offered with crackers. Remember, bread doesn’t have to be sliced bread; offer bagels or tortillas. Even just plain sticky rice or couscous can be a hit.
• Toothpicks can add some fun too – kids love bite-sized food. So make a mini-sandwich and place a toothpick in it. You can get toothpicks with fun designs at party stores.
• Other bite-sized food includes cucumber and avocado rolls (many grocery stores now have a section of Japanese food). Or make your own roll: Use Korean roasted seaweed (this has a nice sesame flavor to it) and sticky rice (these are simple versions of kimbap”. Just roll up the rice like into a mini-cylinder shape. Have your child help you make it the night before.
• Tea sandwiches: These are bite-sized sandwiches. Although adult versions usually have spices and onions, you can make your child a cream cheese tea sandwich with very thin cucumber slices.
• Use leftovers for school lunch. If your child ate the beef stew last night for dinner, serve it up for lunch. Either use a thermos after heating it up in the morning or just serve it cold (place an ice pack in the lunch box though to prevent food illness). Check out Easy Lunch Boxes Makes packing a lunch easy! Earth-friendly and safe no BPA, lead, vinyl, PVC or phthalates.
• Have some fun and get creative with these tips from moms on how get started with bento lunch boxes for kids: Bento Lunch Ideas -Great for Kids!

  Fun with Bentos for Kids You may also be interested in:More Healthy Lunch Food Ideas for Kids PDF

• School Health and Food Policy Article Back to School- Backpack Safety Tips