Packing Lunches for School-Age Kids:

A new school year is just about ready to start & with that in mind here are some great tips and ideas from your local Polk County Extension office;

Planning is Key

With a little planning, some imagination, and feedback from your child, you can pack a lunch that they will enjoy and that meets their daily nutritional needs. By following these tips, you also can avoid the morning panic of “What do I pack today?”

Stock the Kitchen:

To reduce morning stress and make the planning process go smoothly, stock your kitchen with all the necessary ingredients. Make a list of convenient lunch foods so you only have to go to the grocery store once a week. Stock up on zip lock sandwich bags, small ¼ to ½ cup plastic, reusable containers, plastic spoons and forks, and freezer packs to keep foods and beverages cool.

Plan Weekly Menus:

It’s easier to make lunches packed with good nutrition if you plan lunch menus for an entire week. You and your child are less likely to make unhealthy, last-minute food choices as you “bag it and grab it” every morning.

Use My Pyramid, the food guide pyramid, to plan nutritious meals. The five food groups in the pyramid are milk, meat & beans, fruits, vegetables and grains. Plan daily lunches that include at least three of these five food groups and supply protein, carbohydrates and fat. Lunches also should provide about one-third of the child’s daily vitamin, mineral, and calorie requirements so they feel good and can do well in school.

Let Your Child Make Choices:

Always ask your child what they want to eat and let them help decide what to pack. When they get to make some of the decisions, they will almost always be willing to try new foods that are nutritious and healthy.

A child who helps prepare their meals tends to eat better, so let them help pack their own lunch bags. Make it a family affair to pack lunch bags for the entire week on Sunday. Discuss portion sizes and food preferences so that your child is satisfied.

If you offer healthy choices, your child will choose healthy foods. Your child will accept new foods better if you are a good role model and eat lots of new and different foods yourself.

Having the “right” tote can be very important. Let your child chose what kind of lunch container they will carry. Do they prefer a brown bag, insulated bag or a trendy lunch box? A lunch box is easier to clean and may keep food cool longer.

Older kids may feel that carrying a lunch bag is not “hip,” so they may prefer a thermal, insulated bag with pockets and tapered to fit into their backpacks. Pre-teens and teens often are very judgmental and tease classmates who bring “uncool” lunches to school. Foods that may qualify as “uncool” include: any ethnic or unfamiliar items; sausages; tuna fish; strong-smelling cheeses and other stinky foods.

Think Outside the Box

To create interesting lunches for your child, as well as for yourself, think outside the box---the lunch box, that is. Occasionally tuck a surprise in your child’s lunch box. This could be a non-food item like a sticker, riddle, comic, or a note telling them how special they are. Knowing that someone cares about them is “nourishing” in its own way.

A child’s lunch should be fun, easy to prepare and easy to eat within their lunch break, which is usually 20 minutes or less. Sandwiches are popular items, but be aware that a whole sandwich is usually too much food for most boys under eight years old and girls under 11 years old. Other good lunch choices include: raw vegetable pieces (e.g. baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, celery, red or green bell peppers); crackers; cheese slices or cubes; string cheese; whole fruit; individual containers of pudding, and oatmeal-raisin cookies. Prepackaged lunches are convenient, but they are more expensive and often higher in fat, sugar and calories than meals you prepare yourself. Pack your own portion-controlled meals that are cheaper, healthier, fresher, and tastier.

Here are some healthy, kid-friendly lunch ideas that are interesting and appealing.

• Jazz up a plain peanut butter and jelly sandwich by using whole wheat bread and adding a sprinkling of raisins and granola. Low-sugar jam can be substituted for the jelly. These changes add a new twist to an old standby.

• Vary the type of bread. Instead of always using plain white, try breads like these: whole wheat; multigrain; raisin; pita pockets; bagels; rolls; rice cakes and English muffins. Cut the bread into shapes (e.g. triangles or stars) with cookie cutters.

• Make pasta salad using fun-shaped, colored pasta (e.g. small shells, wagon wheels or ABC’s).

• For a protein-packed main dish, serve chicken, tuna or egg salad in pita bread or in a small cup or container. Remember to go light on the mayo or use the low-fat variety.

• The night before let your child help you make “deli animals” with a cookie cutter. These can be made from thick deli slices of meats (e.g. lean cuts of turkey, ham or roast beef).

• Raw vegetables can be a hit with your child, so cut celery sticks into small pieces and fill them with peanut butter.

• Make a crunchy caterpillar by alternating carrot and zucchini rounds on a toothpick. Top with a radish for the caterpillar’s head, and add round cereal for the eyes. Use a dab of cream cheese as the “glue’ to hold it together.

• Serve hummus with carrot sticks, celery sticks and cubed whole-wheat pita for dipping.

• Fill some small plastic containers with low-fat dressing, salsa, or refried bean dip so your child can dip their veggies, chips or crackers.

• Pack some yogurt dip and fresh fruit.

• Core an apple and stuff the inside with peanut butter. Top with raisins, nuts, sunflower seeds or toasted coconut. The filling keeps the cut apple from turning brown.

• Make a sandwich filling by combining low-fat cream cheese and jelly. Or, spread bread with cream cheese and top with dried fruits such as raisins, apples or apricots.

• Mash a banana together with low-fat cream cheese and top with fresh apple, pineapple or peach slices.

• Combine healthy breakfast cereals, nuts and raisins in a zip lock bag.

• Cut up some favorite salad ingredients and bag them. In the morning, add a dash of dressing and include a fork. Or, put the dressing in a separate container and let the child add it before lunch so the salad is still crisp.

• Use “filler” vegetables (e.g. lettuce, onions, tomatoes and peppers) in sandwiches to help your child get the necessary amount of vegetable servings every day.

• Make healthy muffins with pumpkin, banana, zucchini, walnuts, crushed pineapple or a combination of other ingredients. Another nice treat is oatmeal cookies with raisins.

Apple-Cinnamon Sandwich:

4 slices raisin or sandwich bread ¼ cup low-fat cream cheese 3 Tbsp chopped apple 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts 2 Tbsp chopped celery 1 tsp cinnamon

Lay out bread slices. Combine cream cheese, apple, walnuts, celery and cinnamon. Mix well. Spread filling on two slices of bread. Top with other slices.

Turkey Rolls:

2 flour tortillas 2 tsp mayonnaise 2 slices thinly sliced deli turkey ½ cup shredded lettuce 2 Tbsp shredded cheese, any type

Lay out tortillas. Spread with mayonnaise. Layer turkey slice, lettuce and cheese onto tortillas. Roll up and wrap.

Beary Good Snack Mix:

2 cups bear-shaped graham crackers 2 cups toasted oat cereal 1 cup honey-roasted peanuts ½ cup raisins ½ cup chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients in large bowl or re sealable bag. Mix well and store in an airtight container.