Rainbow Blog

Lunch Revolution…Making lunches healthy AND delicious!

posted by: Kia

Trying to pack a healthy and delicious lunch 5 days a week can be quite the challenge!  It’s a tricky balancing act of putting together food that is nutritious while also being food that your kids will eat!  It’s good to keep safety in mind by keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold!  I just finished taking a Food Safe course so food safety is on my mind a lot lately.

 These are some of my favorite suggestions when it comes to packing lunches!

1. The Lunch Container:  There are so many fantastic options these days!  Bento style containers, stainless steel, thermal lunch food jars…the list is endless!  I suggest researching them and find the one that best suits your needs.  My one caution is…make sure your kids can easily open and close the containers.  We bought a popular brand lunch container for our 6 year old but she had a very hard time opening and closing it.  If you are buying online, then I’d suggest emailing the company and asking them if it’s kid friendly!  I just did that last week and heard back from one company that put together test group of kids and all of them could easily use the lunch container!

2. Team Work:  Get your whole family involved with lunch preparation. It eases the workload on you and teaches your kids valuable life skills. Children of all ages can and should help with planning and preparing their lunch.  It’s a great opportunity to teach them about the importance of healthy food choices. Kids are far more likely to eat lunches that they helped put together!

3. Plan Ahead:  Take some time to sit with your kids and find out what they like to eat (no junk food).  Come up with a simple lunch menu for the week, then put together your shopping list before you head out to the grocery store. That way you are buying items that will get used up during the week rather than ending up spoiling in the fridge.

4. Fruits & Vegetables Everyday:  Fruits and veggies are a must have for healthy lunches! Kids eat with their eyes so have fun chopping fruits and veggies into fun shapes.  There are lots of great kitchen tools that make it easy to create fun designs and patterns! Try making small fruit kabobs as a fun alternative. If your kids aren’t too fond of fruits and veggies, try including yummy dips such as their favorite salad dressing, hummus or plain yogurt.  Dipping makes eating more fun!

5. Balancing Act:  Try to incorporate a good variety of proteins, grains, and produce for every lunch.  Keep things interesting by switching between sandwiches, pita pockets, wraps, rolls…that way you won’t get stuck in the same old rut day after day!  If you feel that it’s important to include a sweet snack, just be sure to keep it very small and remind your child that it’s to be eaten after everything else!

Here are some of my favorite websites for recipes, nutrition and lunch ideas!

Lunch Containers:
http://www.easylunchboxes.com/
http://www.laptoplunches.com/
http://www.fit-fresh.com/index_alt2.php
http://www.gogreenlunchbox.com/
http://www.lunchbots.com/

Recipes and Meal Ideas:
http://www.notesfromthecookiejar.com/
http://www.danispies.com/
http://bentolunch.blogspot.com/
http://www.happylittlebento.blogspot.com/
http://madeyourlunch.com/

Healthy Eating:
http://fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com/
http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution
http://www.feedourfamilies.com/
http://whatscookingblog.com/
http://www.superhealthykids.com/

Putting together a healthy lunch can be easy with a little planning, creativity, and most importantly by getting the whole family involved! 

Happy Healthy Eating!
Kia