Ways to pack a healthy lunch for your child | News

This week brings the start of school for many communities. As students return to the classroom, many parents are faced with the problem of how to get their picky eat­ers to eat a healthy lunch when they go back to school.

While most school cafeterias offer several hot and cold daily lunch selections to provide a well balanced meal, many students still choose to “brown bag it,” and the thought of how many uneaten sandwiches and apples end up at the bottom of the cafeteria’s trash can is enough to make you lose your own appetite!

You are not alone in this dilemma of what to pack for lunch for the picky eat­er, as it is a problem in most households. Parents must struggle with creating a happy balance of of­fering a nutritious lunch that is appealing enough to get their child to actually eat it.

To break the curse of the uneaten lunch, you first need to break some old habits when it comes to making lunches for your family.

Avoid making lunch for the day during the morning rush. This is when many bad lunch choices may be made due to time constraints. Also avoid “the old stand by” menus.

Sure your child may love baloney sandwiches, but is anyone going to “love” any sandwich when they have it five days a week all school year (I will reference the cafeteria trash can again, the answer is NO)?

Start this school year off on the right foot by planning ahead. Take a few minutes during the weekend to plan lunch menus for the upcoming school week. This will give you plenty of time to shop accordingly and prepare in advance.

Dry ingredients, such as crackers or granola, can be portioned and bagged in advance for the week, thus saving time on those hectic week nights.

Although variety is the “spice of life,” most children don’t like a large va­riety of nutritious foods.

Creativity is your friend when it comes to planning healthy meals for your pic­ky eater, so you may need to think outside of the typical lunch box.

Start with a “compartmental” lunch box. These are lunch boxes that have individual compartments for different types of food, and are readily available at big box retailers and online.

The “compartmental” lunch box will give your child a “Lunchable” experience without the high cost of the pre-packaged Lunchable Brand lunch. They will get a similar, fun lunch experience while giving parents better control of the nutritional value of their child’s lunch.

Compartment lunch containers will also help you to remember all the components that will create a balanced meal for your child.

Typical compartment lunches can consist of mul­ti-grain crackers, turkey slices, cheddar cheese, al­monds, raw vegetables, and dried fruit. However, the substitutions are endless to make a suitable compartment lunch that will fit your child’s specific tastes and dietary needs.

Switch out crackers for pita bread triangles or ba­gel quarters.

Replace cheddar cheese with cream cheese or cottage cheese.

Meat choices can be re­placed with other proteins like yogurt, hummus or hard boiled eggs.

If your child does not like dried fruits, offer a colorful selection of fresh fruits, like berries, peaches, or melons. A side of chocolate hazelnut spread for dip­ping can turn fruit into a dessert!

Granola, trail mix and pumpkin seeds can all add a salty, crunchy texture that will liven up any lunch.

Make fresh vegetables more appealing with a side of ranch dressing or pea­nut butter for dipping. Ce­lery and carrot sticks are fine, but try throwing in a few cucumbers, sugar snap peas, or cherry tomatoes just to mix it up.

Choose theme days like DIY Nacho Monday. Fill lunch compartments with multigrain tortilla chips, shredded cheese, diced turkey, chicken or ham, a side of salsa and fresh fruit.

Kids will love creating their own lunchbox pizza on Pizza Friday. Pack pita bread triangles, turkey pep­peroni, string cheese and a side of pizza sauce. Add fresh fruit to jello for a sweet end of the week treat.

Another fun alternative to the boring sandwich is the Sandwich Kabob! Use popsicle sticks as skewers, and slide on pickle slices, whole grain bread cubes, ham or turkey and cheese cubes. Repeat the sequence on each stick (use two to four sticks depending on your child’s appetite). Make accompanying Fruit Kabobs using cubes of your child’s favorite fruits.

Pasta salads are also a kid friendly, versatile choice for school lunch. They can be made well in advance and can be eaten cold. Many of your favorite pasta salad side dishes can be amped up to main course status simply by adding sliced veggies and sliced meat or hard boiled egg.

When packing your new and improved school lunch menus, remember many lunch foods will keep at room temperature, but be aware of those that will require to stay cool. These foods will include anything dairy, such as yogurt, cheese, milk, mayonnaise, and most meats and eggs. When packing these types of foods, be sure to use enough ice packs to keep your child’s lunch cool for several hours.

Unlike the square, metal lunch boxes of yesteryear, today’s lunch containers come in a multitude of thermal materials in a variety of colors, patterns, and brand names that are conducive to keep food and drinks cold for hours.

As you embark on your new mission for a healthy lunchbox lunch, accept the fact that getting children to try new things is not al­ways easy. Keep in mind most children are “visual” eat­ers, meaning if their lunch looks aesthetically pleasing, they may be more likely to try it. The use of fun shaped crackers and colorful foods can help, and don’t beat yourself up if you throw in the occasional cookie as a treat.

This school year promises to be another challenging year for students as the ongoing pandemic persists, so don’t sweat the small stuff. Picky eaters have been growing up into healthy adults for generations, so the odds are on your side that you and your family will survive the battle of the lunchbox.

Besides, summer vacation is just a short 181 school days away.