As your kids go back to school or begin remotely, things can get hectic again. Although that might have been normal a few months ago, it can feel odd and crazy now. Students may not be able to buy things at their school cafeteria as they could before so, here are a few ideas of nutritional lunches you can pack your kids for school or in your kitchen.
1. Sandwiches/Wraps
Sandwiches and wraps can be very easy to prepare. Ask your children ahead of time about their preference for what they want on their sandwich. Meat and cheese? Tuna salad? Peanut butter and jelly? Cream cheese? Don't forget those condiments. These can be very easy to quickly prepare, and you can do a whole bunch at once.
2. Yogurt
Although flavored yogurt can have lots of artificial flavorings and colors, plain yogurt can be healthier. It can be delicious too if you add things to it. Different fruits like berries and bananas add great flavor, as well as granola (some granola, however, can have too much sugar, though, so be careful). Try adding cocoa powder to your yogurt as a greatly-reduced sugar chocolate pudding. Try freezing the night before, by the time lunchtime rolls around, it will be thawed and ready to eat.
3. Salad
Salads can be versatile and do not need to be heated like foods such as soup. Besides, they're meant to be healthy, but flavorful things such as produce and croutons can be added. Your children can choose what they want to have, making them more a part of the process. If you want more protein in their diets, you can add hard-boiled eggs, chicken, or beans. Produce such as apples, pears, berries, peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, and mushrooms also go well.
4. Put in a little note
Whether your child will be in school for lunch or home, leave them a note with their lunch to remind them how much you love them, proud of them, etc. It is a great little way for a pick me up to get through the rest of the school day. Click here for some FREE printables.
5. Healthy Snacks
For some, kids can be picky eaters. But snacks, some kids just love snacks. Click here and here for some amazing, delicious, and nutritious snack and some other ideas.
Here are some other helpful tips:
1. Hydration
Make sure that you pack a full water bottle. Many schools are closing water fountains, so they might not be able to refill. If your children feel themselves getting dehydrated in their masks, encourage them to get a drink. Also, if your child doesn't drink enough, the bottle in their lunch bag can be a good reminder for them that they need to stay hydrated. Staying hydrated also helps with staying healthy, which is always important, but especially in this day and age.
Also, try packing water for your kid(s)'s lunches instead of a sugary drink such as soda or juice. Sugary drinks can actually make you more thirsty, and water helps with digestion and other bodily functions, as well as helping you stay hydrated. Drinks with excess sugars aren't good to get used to because when they become a normal part of the diet, you are consuming a lot more sugar then you would be having water normally.
Click here for some tips and tricks.
2. Containers
Especially because people need individual containers/packages of food for hygienic purposes, there's a lot of garbage, which is bad for the environment. Try getting reusable containers. I personally love Bento boxes or those similar. Not only are you saving money (they are relatively cheap and this way you don't have to buy new materials when you run out), but you are reducing waste. If children pick out their containers, they might feel more of a bond to it, making it more inclined to eat whatever is in their containers. It's cheaper to buy a larger bag of something, such as potato chips, and put them into portions in reusable containers than just buying an individual potion-sized bag of chips. For younger children, practice with them opening and closing.
3. Hand Sanitizer
Make sure to pack hand sanitizer with your kids' lunches. They may not be able to go to the bathroom to wash their hands due to capacity limits, so this will be helpful to sanitize their hands before touching their food.
4. Have Kids Choose
If your kids aren't eating what they have packed or are complaining that their food is boring, have them more invested in the process of picking and choosing what goes in their lunch.
5. Shake It Up
Even if your kids aren't complaining about their food, it can be helpful to change up the meal every once in a while. It can get kids used to other types of food, and they can make more informed opinions. This might have them stop complaining as much and lessen the amount of time that they are bored with their food. If your kids start complaining about the change, have them choose what they want for their meal.
6. Meal Planning
Often, lunch can be an overlooked meal. People can just grab whatever and go. Especially during the hectic school morning, it can be hard to logically plan out what to eat in the middle of the day. That's why it is important to think what your kid(s) will be eating ahead of time so the chaos is a bit more organized. This way, you will find what meals work, instead of sending your kid(s) with cold leftovers of last night's dinner. Plan ahead and you can put produce in containers so each morning, you just have to add protein, a sandwich, etc. Put bins in the cabinet or pantry specific for "parent-approved snacks" so you or child can toss them in the lunch box or if they are remote learning, they can help themselves.
7. Pacing
Your kid(s) will most likely have some sort of eating time limit. If your kid(s) eat(s) slowly, give them a time limit. Practice eating in a designated time slot so they'll know to expect the timing. I know this is something I will really have to work on for my kindergartener. It takes him a good hour to eat his meals.
8. Smaller Dishes
Sometimes kids can get tired of eating too much of one food. That's why you should maybe try smaller portions. You could pack a main dish, a fruit, and a snack, that way kids can get what they want to eat (the snack), but are still getting the nutritional value from their meal.
9. Have Your Kids Pack Their Lunches
Your children won't always have you there to pack their lunches for them, so this is a great way to help your kids become more independent. Walk them through the steps of how to assemble all of their food and show them what you do when packing. If they get the hang of it, they can even start preparing some of their own simple food and it'll help make your life easier in the process. That is a win-win in my book.
10. Don't forget to make and eat breakfast.
Breakfast is known for being the most important meal of the day. Here are some ideas for breakfast on those busy school mornings.
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