Kickstart the School Year With a Healthy Lunch

At my daughter’s elementary school, they often have opportunities for the parents to come in and have lunch with their student. I was sitting with my daughter and many of her friends during one of these lunch dates and was shocked to see what some of the kids had in their lunch. One little girl had a prepackaged peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a package of cookies, a package of crackers, a prepackaged cheese and crackers and a fruit roll-up. It was topped off with some kind of sugar drink. Not one item in her lunch was homemade or healthy.

What was even more interesting was this little girl’s eating habits. I noticed she ate about three bites of her sandwich, one cookie, half the fruit roll-up, and then threw the rest of the food away. The lunch was a complete bust! Not only was it not healthy, but the amount of food in her lunch was completely disproportionate to the amount she actually needed to eat. The food was just going to waste.

I remember thinking to myself, “Come on, parents, we can do better than that.” The truth is, we as parents have almost complete control over what our kids eat, especially when they are young. If you set the example, they will follow. They have to—you buy the food.

Here are some snack/lunch ideas:

• Homemade muffins (here is a link to a family favorite)
• Ants on a log (celery with peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese and raisins)
• Granola with low-fat yogurt and your child's favorite fruit
• Fruit Kabobs
• Low fat cottage cheese and fruit
• Apples dipped in peanut butter
• Trail mix
• Hummus and pita bread
• Ball of energy
• Whole wheat bread with your child’s favorite fresh deli meat (stay away from processed meat)
• Package of baby carrots
• Applesauce

I think one of the most challenging things as a mom is finding healthy food that my daughter will eat. I also try to vary what I put in her lunch so she doesn’t get tired of eating the same thing. In order to find a solution to my two main problems, I use the  choosemyplate.gov website for ideas on how to give my daughter a variety of healthy food.

Another trick I use to help keep my daughter from snacking on junk food is to have a snack planned out before she gets home from school. If I’m not prepared, then she usually grabs the first easy thing to eat.

The other challenge with preparing healthy lunches and snacks is time. I’ve been researching a lot of websites and have found some cute recipes, but honestly, who has time to cut out a two-toned sandwich?

Not me.

I have found quick healthy alternatives to chips and cookies, but I have to read the label. Look to see how much sugar, fat, calories from fat, and sodium the item has. Sometimes we can be tricked into buying something we think is “healthy” because it claims to have healthy components. However, upon a closer look at the label you will find hidden flaws.

Parents, there are healthy solutions out there. No matter how busy we are, it’s up to us to provide our children with a balanced diet. So let’s make the commitment to start the school year off with a plan to send our kids to school with healthy food.