how to pack a healthy lunch that your kids will actually eat!
I found this great article on Girlie Girl Army and thought I'd share these tips with all you kind moms!
How to Pack a Healthy Lunch that You Feel Good About and Your Children Actually Eat!
Lunches are such a tricky thing¦on one hand all of the children are comparing what they got in their lunchboxes (and do you really want them to be the ones with the lame lunch?). And, on the other hand, you want to send them off with something nutritious to fuel them through their day that you feel good about and that they will eat! If this is your conundrum, read on!
Most Mom's Lunchbox Criteria are that the lunch must:
- Be quick and easy to pack.
- Be healthy and include fruits and/or vegetables.
- Contain foods kids will actually eat.
This Insulated Cow Lunch Bag (pvc-free/ ethically made and $30) is a perfect way for your kid to explain why s/he doesn't eat animals!
Some Healthful Hints to Improve the Lunch Box Battles
Get your kids involved in the shopping and/or preparation and ask what they like. Take them somewhere like Whole Foods or your local healthy grocery shop and let them pick out some healthy options for their lunchboxes. Spend some time in the produce section and let them experiment with some different fruits. If your child normally only eats apples, try the cherries if they are in season! Buy a few mangos, a box of strawberries or some clementines. These make healthy, delicious lunchbox additions as well! Encourage them to make their own decisions as to what they want to try- whether it is a new type of drink or treat. They will be much more likely to embrace it if they have chosen it. Do not and I repeat do not take them to a big grocery store where the aisles are lined with potato chips and cheese puffs!
Buy a lunchbox that is easy to use and that your child likes!
My children use the Lands End ones but there are many other fun ones to choose from these days! One of my favorite companies is Laptop Lunches, which has fun bento box style lunchboxes and also a wide variety of fantastic lunchbox ideas!
Include multiple colors & textures into their lunches.
When we are at a restaurant, we like a variety of colors and textures on our plates and kids are like that too! Pack a soft sandwich, crunchy carrot sticks and creamy vegan yogurt for a satisfying combo. For nursery age children, cut their sandwiches into shapes and make fun things like: ants on a log (celery filled with vegan cream cheese topped with raisons.)
Include condiments in their lunchboxes!
Condiments are not just for grown-ups, and children love, love, love to squirt and dip things. You could include hummus or ranch dressing to dip carrots into, ketchup for a tofu dog, or even maple syrup to dip a grilled almond butter and jelly sandwich into- yum!
Leftovers are great for lunch!
Get out of the grilled daiya cheese and pb&j thinking and be experimental with what you include. Did you have grilled tofu the night before? Then wrap up the tofu in a wrap! Have pasta the night before? Include that too! You will be surprised how much more your children will enjoy their lunches, and eat them! Lunch boxes don't have to- and shouldn't- contain the usual sandwich every day! If you do pack a sandwich, vary the bread- serve it on whole wheat one day, a wrap the next, a pita the next and try to add vegetables such as lettuce and tomato when you can.
Last, but certainly not least, remember to always pack a treat!
When your child opens their lunchbox you don't want them to be the only one without something to look forward to! So, make sure when you are at the grocery store with them that they pick out something that is delicious but not high in sugar, high fructose corn syrup and saturated fat! I keep a variety on hand and just vary which one I throw in their lunchboxes.
Below are some specific ideas for you:
The Cheat Sheet
Main Course (choose one):
- PB&J with a twist- use almond butter & banana grilled on a whole wheat served with a side of agave
- Smart Dogs- in a bun or rolled up with vegan cheese in a tortilla
- Vegan Cheese Quesadillas on corn tortillas with a side of salsa
- "Perfectly Healthy" Veggie Pancakes (recipe below)- cook it the night before & serve at dinner, then heat it up in the morning and pack it the next day (these also freeze well)
- Avocado & tomato sandwich
- "Mexican Sushi"(see recipe below)
- Vegan chicken nuggets with organic ketchup for dipping
Snacks (choose one):
- Fruit- bananas, apples, oranges, clementines, cherries, or grapes
- Vegan Yogurt- (choose one high in acidophilis and low in sugar)
- Carrots sticks with hummus for dipping
- Celery sticks filled with vegan cream cheese
- Dried fruits (no-sugar)- raisins, apricots, bananas, papaya or mango
- Trail mix (no-sugar)- try one with Goji berries for iron and Vitamin C
- Veggie Booty (Roberts American Gourmet)
- Spelt Pretzels
- Organic "Cheese" Crackers by Eco-Planet
- Treats (every lunchbox must have a treat, right!?!)
- Organic animal crackers
- Newman "Own oreo" cookies
- Late July peanut butter crackers
(Some snacks via Vegan Girl Next Door)
Drinks (choose one):
- Always pack them a big bottle of water in a bottle of their choosing as well and encourage them to drink it throughout the day! Opt out of the sports drink route, unless you find some without added sugar!
- Honest Kids- (fun squeeze packs) comes in Tropical Tango, Goodness Grapeness or Berry, Berry Good Lemonade
- Apple & Eve All-Natural Apple Juice (box)
- Vruit Carrot Apple Juice (box)
- R.W. Kudsens Spritzers- Lemonade, Red Rasberry or Grape (can- they think it is soda!)
- Vita Coco Coconut Water (box)
- Good, Old-Fashioned Water!
Good luck and good packing! Do you have any great tips for packing kids' lunches?
38 comments
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Hi my name is Kim Castner. I'm a mom and founder of Go Green Lunch Box.
I appreciate this opportunity to respond to Ann Garcia's concerns posted on Feb 9 about certain features of the Go Green Lunch Box ... As probably one of the only food containers in the market that has multiple leak-proof compartments within a single unit, Go Green Lunch Box's silicone is intended to be soft/"flimsy" to function properly in conjunction with its "turn 'n lock." Unlike a single compartment plastic food container, in which the lid's four sides (when pushed down/closed) provide a leak-proof seal, Go Green Lunch Box's central "turn 'n lock" serves that "pushed down/closed" effect. Once the "turn 'n lock" is in the "Close" position, it exerts a downward pressure along the inner perimeters of the individual compartments. Consequently, the silicone has to be soft enough so that, upon contact with the smooth tops of the compartment walls, the silicone is able to flex outward as much as possible, to create a leak-proof seal.
As for the retention clips being difficult to close or the "turn 'n lock" breaking easily, it is possible that incorrect assembly at the factory may have been the reason. Without seeing the clips themselves, it is my belief that the black nylon string was not threaded correctly, causing it to get in the way of the clips to interlock easily. However, the "turn 'n lock" breaking is quite unusual because it is made of a stronger grade of plastic than the box itself. Again, without seeing the actual "defect," I would be guessing only.
Anyway, maybe too much info, but I'm really proud of my idea and just want to let folks know that I stand behind my product I will gladly correct any manufacturing-related issues.
Thanks.
-Kim Castner
mom/founder
gogreenlunchbox.com
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Great reminder - I had gotten in a lunchbox rut! The cheat sheet is great.
Thermos foods usually get us through the winter -- made a rice/edamame cassarole with seitan this weekend, then heated it up Monday morning and put it in their thermoses -- must add a little extra water to keep it moist. We also do veggie wraps in rice paper.
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Thanks for the ideas. I have struggled this year because my daughter is going to a Friends School where we aren't allowed to send food that has been processed in facilities that use nuts. They suggest sending meats, cheeses, and crackers, but, of course, we're vegan. I don't have any trouble getting my daughter to eat fruits and veggies, but the protein source is an issue.
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Thanks for the tips everyone! My two kids have the Go Green Lunch boxes;they are bento type. The design needs a little tweaking in my opinion, the silicone rings are flimsy, the retention clips are hard to close at times, and the turn-n-lock key that keeps each compartment sealed from each other breaks very easily. I love that the carrying bag has an erasable board where you can write notes for your child-they love the jokes I write for them, the silly drawings or even a "you are the sunshine of my life" note. I keep an erasable marker in there so they can write ME if they wanted, too.
I just found one that I'm really, really interested in: PLANETBOX (at planetbox.com) I probably can use the carrying bags we already have from gogreen lunchbox, only it is sooo pricey!
http://www.planetbox.com/index.html
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I remember when i was little, my mom would just pack a pp&j sandwitch and a drink and have my Pink backpack... and usaly i would get a little specal snack or two in there
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Lara bars are vegan...check out the website for more information. My 14 month old son loves the cocunut cream pie and carrot cake flavors. I think they are a bit softer than the other flavors. They are a fantastic way to feed them fruit and nuts. They are also my favorite snack, while pregnant and now breastfeeding.
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@ Mags. You can easily get tofu in the UK, if you're not near a decent health food shop (which usually sell lots of different brands and types of tofu) all the big supermarkets sell a brand called Caldron. Tesco, Sainsbury and Waitrose definately sell it. Good luck!
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Possible tips to consider for picky eaters:
http://www.lifescript.com/Life/Family/Parenting/10_Ways_Youre_Making_Your_Child_Fat.aspx
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My 3 1/2 YO loves the Larabars. Most are vegan but some main contain some dairy. I let the dairy slide since it's such a tiny bit and it gets him to eat the nuts I want him to eat. I love that they're raw too.
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Lucky all you who don't have picky eaters! I've always cooked (vegan or otherwise) home cooked, pretty varied meals and 2 out of 3 of my kids are still super picky. If they don't like dinner they just eat the elements they do like (usually fruit and rice). For lunches, I do make pb and j a lot. sometimes breakfast with warm pancakes/waffles in a thermos. I find that while those main course ideas alicia posted look good to me, I don't see my kids eating any of them anytime soon. I often take a bunch of sides and that's their lunch. Carrots and dip (hummus or ranch, depending on the kid) lots of fruit, whole wheat crackers, peanut butter to dip them in. who says they have to have a main course element. Lots of sides work too. And of course a treat:) Must say, I have a girl scout so I've been giving lots of non-vegan girl scout cookies for that. Sorry
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Thank you Jessica and Michaela, I will be on the look out for it. I am in the UK, I used to live in Canada and I have not seen anything like it in the supermarkets here or there, but maybe the health food shops carry it, fingers crossed!
It seems like Canada and America carry more of a choice of vegan friendly foods.
I am still looking for tofu here :-/ -
MMm wow great lunch recipes, I think I might actually use some of these for my lunchboxs...have such a hard time figuring out what to bring for lunch for work...
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Hi Alicia - great post! Lots of wonderful food ideas and resources. Thanks for this! I def agree with Andrea - presentation is everything, especially when dealing with small children! I've got a couple of posts on my blog about my EasyLunchbox containers and how they can help you make your own healthy "Lunchables" - indeed, something about those plastic trays makes food extra appealing to kids, despite the fact that it's hard to actually call what they put in them "food", lol... both http://www.easylunchboxes.com/blog/lunchables-or-momables/ and http://www.easylunchboxes.com/blog/to-pack-or-not-to-pack-that-is-the-lunch-question/ include lots of inspiration for healthy and affordable lunch packing no matter what your family's dietary style may be.
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I find that presentation is everything with kid's lunches.
If I wrap up a hummus and tortilla wrap, some cut up carrots and cherry tomatoes and some dip in a container all tucked in with a colourful napkin, my kids will be more apt to tuck into their school lunches. oh, that and a Coconut Cream Larabar!
Sometimes I also pack a little note (" I cant wait to see you after school" or " you are my sunshine') it takes two seconds and I write it on any ol' scrap of paper ( nothing fancy) and they always talk about it after.
It's hard to please my kids all the time and they seem to fluctuate from being easy going eaters to picky eaters, but I do find that my attitude influences their choices too. If I'm all uptight ( " c'mon, pleeeeze try this yummy kale smoothie???!!!!") they resist.
But if I just try and relax ( and with three small ones, this is a tall order), and put in mostly what I know they like ( home made hummus, veggies and dips, whole wheat pretzles, bagels with nut butters or vegan cream cheese, and dried fruit) then they are happy. I wont ever cut sandwiches in the shape of something ( not that that's bad, but I have no time ), but a colourful napkin or note goes a long way with making kids comfortable about their food.
Happy kids= happy mommy.
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Thankfully my 4 1/2 year old is a good eater. She eats what we eat. I have NEVER fixed her anything different than what we are eating. Every once in awhile, if she really doesn't like the main dish, she can have a pb&j but I will NOT make a separate meal for her. and she must try at least a few bites. The sandwich option doesn't happen very often. Usually it's a spicy issue.
Her lunches are usually leftovers from the night before or a pb&j or other type of sandwich and various sides, depending on her mood that morning. She helps us make her lunch.
There are mornings where she'd rather have a carrot than anything else for breakfast. Works for me! :)
We rarely argue about food. Well, maybe the candy/junk but even that's not too bad as she'd rather have veggies and fruit.
I am really Blessed.
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Kari - mostly you just have to read ingredients. Some Luna Bars have yogurt, for example. I think all Lara Bars are vegan, but that might be wrong. Plus, General Mills bought the company a couple of years ago, so now not all of their bars are raw.
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I WISH those Alternative Baking Co. cookies in the picture were healthy. Each has about 560 calories, lots of (cane) sugar and oils including palm and canola. But they're awesome for a very occasional treat: http://www.alternativebaking.com/index2.cfm
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I am new to this and have nothing to offer in the way of suggestions, but I do want to thank you for all of the ideas.
I have one question: Are Larabars vegan and/or superhero? Neither? I just noticed they weren't mentioned in the book (which I just bought over the weekend, so I'm only about half way through reading it, so maybe they're mentioned somewhere). I see the Clif & Luna bars above. Just curious. Thanks so much!
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@Mags - Daiya is certainly the best shredded vegan cheese for sure! It melts gooey and is so yummy! I use it in pasta, on pizza, on "meat"balls, stiry fry its so awesome!
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My girls are homeschooled- so we don't often pack a lunch, unless it's for a field trip or something....
BUT- when we do... we use reusable sandwich/snack baggies that I made from fabric scraps that I have around.
Currently we have in the rotation of homemade snack bags:
Star Wars, Care Bears, Tinkerbell, My Little Pony and plain blue for Daddy's lunch box.
I followed the tutorial by Angry Chicken :)
http://angrychicken.typepad.com/angry_chicken/2010/07/snack-bags-a-sewing-tutorial.html
Everyone, and I mean everyone! Loves our snack bags! Get out your machines people- it's time to make your own! :)
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