How to Plan Healthy Lunches for Kids

Making sure that your carefully prepared lunch doesn't get ignored
or ditched in the trash can is a tricky feat. Here's how to avoid those
expensive, high-fat, premade lunches, and give your kid a meal that
will make him or her the envy of the cafeteria.

Instructions

    • 1

      Get input from your children about what they want. They'll be more likely to eat what they choose (except, of course, nutritional zeros like chips and soda).

    • 2

      Prep lunches with leftovers from dinner the night before. You'll be more creative and less frazzled in the evening. Save some chicken breast for salad with red grapes and celery, a slice of meatloaf for a sandwich, or cooked vegetables for pasta salad with Italian dressing. See 17 Streamline Your Morning Routine.

    • 3

      Strive for balance. Healthy lunches should have a complex carbohydrate such as whole-grain bread or pita, a source of protein (peanut butter is fine), at least one serving of fruit or vegetables and one source of dairy (string cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese or milk).

    • 4

      Get creative: Use cookie cutters to carve sandwiches into fun shapes or include the fixings for "ants on a log"--aka peanut butter and raisins on celery.

    • 5

      Sneak in fresh vegetables and fruits. While your child may leave a whole apple untouched, she may love diced apples in her chicken salad sandwich.

    • 6

      Cultivate adventurous eating. Introduce new foods gradually, pairing them with your child's favorite snacks. For example, if he loves carrots with ranch dressing, slip in some cucumber and zucchini slices as well.

    • 7

      Indulge in desserts, but don't go overboard. Rice crispy treats are low fat, oatmeal raisin cookies pack a nutritious punch, and puddings and Jell-O come in low-sugar and low-fat varieties. You don't want to deprive your children, but you also don't want them to be high-wired on sugar or falling asleep in class from a heavy, rich treat.

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • How to Calculate Children's Height From Parents' Heights
      Kids are endlessly compared to their parents and other family members. She looks just like you! says the cashier at the grocery store, or maybe grandma points out, He has his fathers nose. One area in which there seems to be endless speculation is he
    • How Not Spending Time With Your Child Affects Them
      Parental involvement has a powerful and far-reaching impact on the lives and well-being of children. The engagement and connection that develops when parents and children spend time together can have a positive effect in many different areas of a chi
    • The Odds a Child Will Be Become a Pop Singer
      In April 2010, the "Guardian" reported that becoming a pop singer ranked among the top three career aspirations of British children aged 5 to 11. Lots of kids share that hope. The Chicago Public Library has a teen program featuring recordin