Curious Parents Education Resources

Back to School

Time to Think Outside the SCHOOL LUNCHBOX

By Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD, LDN

It’s back-to-school time, which means back to packing school lunches. Did you know that two-thirds of kids trade their lunch items with friends while 40 percent admit to throwing away portions of their lunch? Before you start singing the “brown bag” blues, try out these tips on packing a healthy and fun school lunch that your kids won’t trash or trade.

Follow the new MyPyramid For Kids

1. The five food groups are grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and meat & beans

2. Remember: smaller portions for smaller children

3. Include at least three of the five food groups at lunch

4. Some healthy combinations: 

• Wrap & Roll Combos: In a whole wheat soft tortilla, spread peanut butter with banana; salsa atop string cheese; or yogurt dip with turkey slices and carrot sticks. Wrap up and cut into chunks. Pack with milk money.

• Homemade Snackables: Cut chicken and cheese into circles. Pack with wheat crackers, cucumber slices and graham crackers in plastic container with several compartments. Kids can stack and combine any way they please!

• Super Salad Shakers: Layer mixed greens, shredded carrots, cubed ham, chickpeas and diced Mozzarella in shaker container with dressing on side. Pack with frozen milk box.

• Leftover Lunch: Pack slice of mushroom pizza with carton of yogurt and melon slices. Or toss last night’s pasta with veggies, cheese cubes and light dressing. Add a peeled orange for balance.

Send along the milk money

• Having kids drink milk at lunch gives them a third of their daily calcium, provides protein and other nutrients not found in other beverages.

• Chocolate milk is just as nutritious as plain milk. Research shows that children who drink flavored milk don’t consume more fat or sugar than children who drink only white milk.

• Pack a frozen flavored milk box with a crazy straw—it doubles as a lunchbox “insulator” and will be thawed by lunchtime.

• It’s cheap and easy to have kids buy milk at school. Many schools now offer cold milk in fun, resealable plastic bottles that make drinking it more appealing.

Take the “drag out of the brown lunch bag”

1. Keep foods simple and easy to eat. Peel fruit and cut into slices or pack string cheese, baby carrots or grapes.

2. Serve same foods with a new twist. Cut fruit into circles or use cookie cutters for sandwiches/cheese slices.

3. Pack “play with your food” items such as:

• Dunkaroos: Pack cereal and banana with vanilla yogurt for dunking. Or make a veggie “dunk” with plain yogurt and onion mix; pack with bite sized carrots, cucumbers and chicken chunks.

• Kid Kabobs: Skewer cheese cubes with fruit; turkey slices with veggies; or pieces of English muffin with peanut butter and banana.

• Hidden Hot Dog: Wrap slice of lean ham around string cheese. Place in whole wheat hot dog bun and spread mustard on top. Pack with favorite fruit.

• Breakfast For Lunch: Pack cereal/granola, fruit pieces and flavored yogurt to assemble a kid-friendly parfait

Trying something new?

• Always try new foods at home first.

• Involve kids in grocery shopping and packing their lunch – their input increases chance of acceptance.

• Substitute one new element to an old favorite. Make a peanut butter and jelly whole wheat wrap or add a new fruit to a favorite flavor of yogurt.

Don’t panic if your child insists on the same foods every day. Food jags are a normal part of childhood and as long as your child likes at least one type of food from each of the food groups, they’re doing okay. Some children need to be exposed to a new food over 15 times before accepting it. So keep offering and keep them involved—soon their friends will want to trade up for your packed lunch!

Deanna Segrave-Daly is a registered dietitian.