Healthy lunches for kids to take to school
Submitted by: Doug Warburton

Making lunch that kids will eat for school can be fun and educational as well. Making lunch together can help educate your child on how to create and learn healthy eating habits. The time you spend with them will also help you learn your child's likes and dislikes. Making lunch together is a time to create bonds and memories that both of you will remember long after they grow up.

You may have one child that will eat whatever is packed for lunch or you may have one that doesn't eat at all. We all want our children to have something good to eat so they have enough fuel to last throughout the day. Not every child likes peanut butter and jelly and some can not have it but wish they could. Also some may only like ravioli if it comes out of a can. So how can you get your child to eat a good lunch and know that they are not going hungry just because they don't like what you made?

There are many different ways to accomplish this. One would be to get mad at them because they didn't eat the lunch you packed and then come home and complain about how hungry they are and eat every cookie and other not so good for them snacks but that really wouldn't solve the problem would it?

Perhaps instead of getting upset about not eating their lunch, be concerned and ask some questions. Did you have enough time? Did you not like what you had? Was it cold? Did it get squished? Their answers may surprise you. Most likely they did not eat because they didn't like it and perhaps only ate the cookies intended for after lunch was finished instead of eating the cheese sandwich first. But he likes cheese you say! Try to be a little more active and caring with what is going to school. Having a Baloney sandwich every day for 3 weeks can get real old really fast, if you disagree then make one for yourself every day for the next 3 weeks and see what you think. We, as adults, get to eat what we want (most of the time) so why shouldn't your child have a similar choice?

A great way to have children eat a healthy lunch is to have them involved in making the choices and preparing the lunch. Start with sitting down in the kitchen or dining room and make up a short "What I would like for lunch list of ideas". Listen to their ideas and then think of and suggest more ideas that they would be able to chose from. PB&J, Turkey and Cheese, and so on. You can even use leftovers like meatloaf or spaghetti. Make portions that they will eat so there is less waste but enough so that they feel satisfied. Each night before calling it a night, get the lunch prepped. Get the lunch box set and start with the main meal. If it is a turkey sandwich, have them help get the turkey and bread and a plastic bag. Next find out what kind of veggies they would like and pack some veggie dip. If they want some crackers and cheese, put that in too! If they have something other than milk from school, like juice packets or even their water bottle, have them grab the drink. Finally have them get their treat for the end of lunch. I try to use fruits like strawberries, orange slices, apples, bananas or grapes. Fruits are a great alternative to other sweets. If you want them to have a few cookies, fruit bar or jello, that,s great but pack whatever you and your child have chosen to help them eat a good lunch. Put it back in the refrigerator until morning and then all they have to do is pull it out and put it in their pack or school bag. Making lunch at home is cost effective, healthy, fun and can help save you money in every way, every day.

I will also give mine the opportunity to see if they want a school lunch. We will the menu and see what is being served. If they want what is being served, that is okay too. My oldest says it can be a hit or miss on school lunch. Sometimes it sounds good, but doesn't have the appeal she read about. I know the schools provide a nutritious lunch for the students, but I also know that my children know what to expect for lunch because they helped get it ready and I know it is healthy and they will eat and not be hungry. This will help in the morning for both of you. It allows them time to eat breakfast and focus on getting ready for school in addition to you getting to spend a little more quality time with them.

I have bought a few different thermoses, some short and wide, others tall. Some work really good some do not. I have found that some leak so make sure theirs does not before you send to school. Kids have a tendency to randomly place things upside down and sideways without much notice only to find the chicken noodle soup is now inside of their homework folder next to and on top of their assignments. If you send a lunch that you want to be warm, you want to get it hot at home first. Most schools will not re-heat lunch that is not provided by the school.As the parent, make sure the meal that should be warm at school is hot, and only you should put it into the thermos. That way it is still nice and warm when lunch is served. You can also find insulated square packs and I have sent chicken nuggets, meatloaf and other items. A nice feature of the insulated packs is that they can be heated or chilled, helping to keep things from going bad.

When I was a child, there were no school lunches available so we brought it from home. Some kids even lived close enough to be able to go home and eat. Others, like myself, sat at the school and ate. I had to make my own sandwich and get what ever else I thought I wanted and put it in the pack and out the door I went. Milk was provided by the school, but everything else was BYOB. Bring Your Own Bag..

Either way, enjoy spending time together with your kids