I have been asked many times to post ideas for kids lunches. So here ya go! The first thing I always suggest is purchasing some sort of bento box lunch kit. We get ours from www.laptoplunches.com . These type of lunch kits make it super easy to pack a healthy lunch and the fact that they are in a box keeps them from getting all squished! I also love them because they only have 4 compartments so I am not trying to fill a HUGE bag/box full of stuff! Everyday I try to pack one fruit, one or two veggies, a protein and if there is a spot left then they get a treat.
Vegetables that we find pack easy and stay well in the box until lunch are sliced cucumbers, baby carrots, bell peppers, grape tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, celery...basically any vegetable that your kid likes and will eat! I mainly pack raw veggies but will on occasion pack cooked veggies left over from the past nights dinner.
For fruits we like apple slices, small plums (I say small because they have to fit in the box), clementines (when in season), orange slices, grapefruit slices, diced melon, strawberries, raspberries (but these will get mushy if your kid spins the box around and around on the way into school and then on the way to the lunch room....we learned this the hard way) blueberries, blackberries...again think what types of fruit your child likes and figure out the best way to send it. Such as plums I tend to send whole or they can get mushy, apples sliced and tossed in lemon juice work great, etc.
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For the main dish/protein we change it up depending on what is on hand. This is where you can change it up and give variety from day to day. Our go to items are nitrate free lunch meats, leftover grilled chicken, the occasional organic Applegate Farms chicken tenders (these are pricy so we opt for homemade grilled chicken more often). Any items leftover from dinner the night before works great too...chicken legs, meatloaf, meatballs and spaghetti are all favorite lunch box leftovers in our house. In fact as I am typing this my oldest son shouted "save me some of that spaghetti for my lunch tomorrow"! I do sandwiches sometimes but they get BORING...so we will only do them when there is nothing else around. Whole grain tortillas work well for wraps with nitrate free meat and lettuce or peanut butter and honey. My daughter (my oldest child) loves to pack leftover stew, noodles or soup when we have it available. Leftover pizza works well too...yes we sometimes eat pizza! (thin crust of course)
If there is a spot left after all the healthy foods are in and we have "snacks" on hand I will from time to time pack things like pretzels, crackers, whole black olives, pickles or cheese cubes in one of the compartments. If we have made cookies or some other sweet treats they will occationally show up as a sweet surprise...but this is rare as they don't "need" that sugar pulsing through their veins while trying to sit still and focus! The teachers will thank you! :)
Think outside the normal "lunch box". Basically, pack what you know your kids will eat and what they love.
The first year we started packing lunches in the bento boxes Parker was in the first grade. I had to learn to pack lunches for my fruit and veggie loving kid since he wasn't going to be home each day for lunch. His teacher would always make a point to go and see what I had packed for him each day. One day last year I had a teacher stop me and ask if I was a nutritionist. When I said no...why? She said she assumed I was based on what all of my kids brought to school in their lunches. Made me smile! :0) I don't do it to impress others I do it to feed my kids bodies and minds the best way I know how...with real food! :)
Hope this helps! You can use the same principles when packing grown up lunches too. One last thing I almost always stick a freezer pack in the top to keep everything nice and chilled...ready for eating! If the food they are taking that day need to stay warm I will try and pack veggies and fruits that can stand being a bit warm. My daughter will take her warm stuff in a thermos...and so will Parker occasionally. But they are used to eating a lot of things like grilled chicken, spaghetti, meatloaf and meatballs straight out of the fridge...so they don't mind them cool in their lunches as well.
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