Five Tips For Back To School Lunches

Back-to-school means back to brown bagging. Giving kids lunches that they’ll eat AND enjoy can be a tough task to tackle. So here are five tips for packing the perfect school lunch for your little one.

1. Get Involved: The more your kids are involved in choosing what goes in their brown bag, the better the chances are that they’ll eat it. Take your little guys shopping with you. Explain to them what’s good about each food and let them throw it in the cart. If they think they’re the ones making the calls, they’ll have much more of an appetite for THEIR choices come lunch time.

2. Re-Invent the Classics: Peanut butter and jelly is a back-to-school staple. But there are ways you can jazz up this cafeteria classic. Buying peanut butter with Omega-3 gives your little eaters extra nutrition and they won’t even know it. The dark color of wheat bread can turn some picky packers off, so check out “white” wheat bread. It has all the nutritional value of wheat, but with a color that kids are familiar with. And make sure to buy jams or jellies that are 100 percent fruit to maximize the benefits of brown bagging.

3. Save Dough by Making your Own: Pre-packaged snacks can be great when trying to count calories and keep on track. But 100-calorie packs and products like them tend to cost more. Save yourself a pretty penny by buying in bulk and making your own packs. Every food label will tell you how many pieces are in a serving and how many calories they are. So pre-portion out kids’ snacks like Goldfish or pretzels. You’ll know exactly what’s going into your child’s tummy and save money while you’re at it.

4. Familiar Faces: Yes, it’s a marketing ploy, but it does work on little kids. If you buy an unfamiliar food with a familiar face, little ones will be more likely to eat it. For example, if your child isn’t a fan of yogurt, but IS a fan of Spongebob, chances are they’ll try it if their favorite underwater adventurer is on the package. It’s a tricky way to get your kids to try healthy foods that may not be appealing to them otherwise.

5. Love the Leftovers: Most cafeterias now have microwaves on hand. Why not switch it up and give your kids a warm lunch? Cold foods like sandwiches are great, but variety is a big factor in making lunch fun for kids. Make your child’s favorite dinner and let them eat it again for lunch. If they like it, they’ll eat it twice. Just check with the school beforehand to make sure little lunch-goers can get help with the microwave if they need it.

Follow these tips to make sure back-to-school lunch isn't back-to-boring.