There’s a huge difference between a school lunch and a sack lunch, and it all comes down to what you choose to put in the sack lunch (should you choose to provide one for your kiddos) to keep your kids healthy, satisfied, and above all, full. Learn some tips I use to make great sack lunches cheap and easy, that are healthy to boot!
If you have ever gone on a lunch date with your kids, then you totally understand why parents take the time to make their kids a sack lunch. The school lunches I have attended in the past only had one thing going for them, and that was the milk choice as a beverage. When choosing to make a sack lunch for your kids, there are 2 essential things you should keep in mind: brown and cold.
Brown, as in brown bread. As in whole grains. Brown crackers, etc. Whole grains are essential for anyone’s health, and wasting your child’s nutrition on white bread when you could give them energy simply by switching to a whole wheat is just simply ridiculous.
Cold, as in ice, cold…water. Don’t make your kids juice. Even the sugar-free versions still teach your kids to have a sweet tooth. 70% of people are dehydrated at any given time, and kids are no exception. When choosing a beverage for your kids, fill an old bottle halfway with water, freeze it, then fill the rest of the way with water so they can have ice cold water all day long. If you can send them with a 20 ounce bottle or bigger, then you get a gold star!
In simply making sandwiches out of whole grain and serving only water as a beverage, you are well on your way to an awesome sack lunch. For sandwiches, the classic peanut butter and jelly works out great because most kids love them and they don’t have to be kept cold, unlike deli meat sandwiches. However, if your kids have little ice packs in their lunchboxes, then a classic tuna fish, chicken salad, or egg salad sandwich will work great. Simply wrap the sandwich around the cold water bottle to keep cold (after wrapping the sandwich in tin foil as opposed to a sandwich bag). Deli meats (like lunch meats, hot dogs, etc) are super full of fat and sodium, and when they reach room temperature can harbor lots of bacteria. Steer clear of deli meats.
Whether your kids eat them or not, send them with a fruit, but you’ll have better luck if you let your kids pick out the fruit they want themselves. When we go grocery shopping, we let each of the kids pick their own fruit, so long as it’s affordable. This way, those peaches, fuji apples, grapes, and bananas are all going to get eaten because they were personally picked out. For pickier kids, let them pick out a fruit jerky, found in the fruit and vegetable aisle.
A yogurt is possibly the best snack ever for kids, and can replace that milk they only drink halfway through. In fact, a cheese stick and a yogurt can satisfy much of the protein and calcium needs of your kid, and satisfies a sweet tooth. We bought 12 yogurts the other day for $3, and 6 of them are already gone. In our house, the yogurt may as well be candy the way it gets eaten. Nonfat and lowfat, the kids don’t know the difference. But you do.
Picky eaters? Send them with a snack, like whole grain crackers, and some cheese. The kids love wheat thins and triscuits, and with a few cheese sticks, at least they’re getting something in their belly. If you’re concerned, send them with that classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich anyhow. Odds are, they’ll eat it.
On occasion, toss in that odd cookie or granola bar, or even a fruit snack. But don’t make those types of treats a staple, or that’s all that will get eaten. If it has to be unwrapped from original packaging by your kid (like cheese and crackers, a Twinkie, etc) then they likely don’t need it in their snack lunch. Fruit jerky is just as tasty as fruit snacks, a whole grain muffin satisfies that pastry craving. Whole grain crackers with a cheese stick in place of processed cheese and crackers, and an apple instead of fruit juice. Stick with this rule, and you’re good to go, and on your way to quick and easy and healthy sack lunches!
note: whole grains and protein keep kids fuller, longer, so your kids won’t be snoozing or rumbly in their tumbly half an hour after lunch. Keep this in mind when making sack lunches for your kids overall.
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how I do sack lunch for the hubby and kids
