Lunchbox Love

Fun and Healthy Ideas for Back-to-School Lunches…

Back-to-school season brings new routines, busy mornings and the familiar question: What are we packing for lunch today?

A healthy lunch doesn’t have to be complicated — or boring. With a simple mix-and-match approach, you can create colorful, satisfying lunches that give kids plenty of variety without adding extra stress to the morning rush. The trick is to include a little something from several categories: protein, whole grains, fruits or vegetables and, of course, something fun.

Better yet, many of these ingredients can be prepped ahead so kids can help build their own lunches.

Start with a protein to help make lunch satisfying. Try sliced turkey or chicken, hard-boiled eggs, cheese cubes, hummus, Greek yogurt or sunflower seed butter.

Add a whole-grain favorite such as crackers, a tortilla, pita bread, mini bagel or whole-grain bread. Then fill in the gaps with colorful fruits and vegetables — berries, apple slices, grapes, melon, cucumber rounds, snap peas, bell pepper strips or baby carrots.

Finish with a little extra that kids will look forward to, such as popcorn, a homemade mini muffin, a few pretzels or a small piece of dark chocolate.

Here are three easy combinations to get you started.

Turkey & Cheese Pinwheels

Ingredients:

• 1 whole-wheat tortilla
• 2 T cream cheese
• 3 slices turkey
• 2 slices cheddar cheese
• Handful of baby spinach

Directions:
Step 1: Spread cream cheese over the tortilla. Layer with turkey, cheese and spinach, then roll tightly. Slice into bite-sized pinwheels.
Step 2: Pack with strawberries, cucumber slices and whole-grain crackers for a colorful lunch that’s easy for little hands to eat.

Apple Sandwich Bites

Ingredients:

• 1 crisp apple
• 2 T peanut, almond or sunflower seed butter
• 2 T granola
• Sprinkle of cinnamon

Directions:
Step 1: Core the apple and slice it horizontally into rounds. Spread nut or seed butter on half of the slices, sprinkle with granola and cinnamon and top with the remaining apple slices to create mini sandwiches.
Step 2: For school lunches, check classroom allergy policies and try sunflower seed butter when a nut-free option is needed.
Step 3: Pair with cheese cubes, snap peas and a few pretzels.

DIY Hummus Lunchbox

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup hummus
• Whole-grain pita, cut into triangles
• Baby carrots
• Cucumber slices
• Bell pepper strips
• Cheese cubes

Directions
Step 1: Place hummus in a small container and surround it with pita triangles and colorful vegetables for dipping. Add cheese cubes for extra protein.
Step 2: Round out the lunch with grapes or berries and a homemade oatmeal bite or other small treat.

A few minutes of preparation can make weekday lunches much simpler. Wash and cut fruits and vegetables at the beginning of the week, portion crackers and other snacks into reusable containers and keep easy proteins ready in the refrigerator.
Kids can help, too. Give them a few choices from each category and let them build their own lunch. They may be more excited to eat what they helped choose — and it gives them a little independence along the way.