How to Pack Healthy School Lunches Your Kids Will Love

It’s your child’s first day back to school and that means early morning rush, the getting your child to eat breakfast battle, combing your child’s hair, fixing your their uniform, packing their book bag – and oh yeah –  packing a school lunch.

Packing your child’s lunch seems to be an easy task, but many parents find themselves frustrated over it – Especially when they are trying to come up with healthy meals to put in the lunch box, that their children will actually eat.

If you’re a parent  struggling with packing school lunches, worry not! This week we came up with an easy to follow a guideline to help you make the process a lot easier. Here are our Kids Lunch Box Guidelines:

Guideline #1: Establish a Weekly Menu & Recipe Calendar

It’s important you come up with a weekly recipe menu ahead of time for the coming week. Knowing what you plan to prepare on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday… etc, gets you one step ahead of the game, because you will no longer be scrambling in the morning asking yourself what the heck to make today. You can simply look to your weekly lunch box recipe calendar and get cracking!

Guideline #2: Create a Grocery List

Once you have your weekly lunch box recipe calendar, now it’s time to shop for all the ingredients you need. It may seem old school and sometimes unnecessary – but we suggest you always have a list of what to buy. How many times have you gone through the checkout absolutely sure you got every item you thought you needed, only to return home and realize you forgot to buy peanut butter? It happens to us all – but by simply making a list will ensure no ingredient is forgotten, and you can whip up your daily lunches without a hitch.

Guideline #4: One Fruit and One Vegetable is a Must

So we know it can be hard – but try your best to include one fruit and one vegetable in the lunch box. Find out what fruits and veggies your child likes best and incorporate them into their daily lunches. Or better yet – why not get your kids involved and have them pick the fruits and vegetables they want to see in their lunch box? Giving your kids the choice not only helps to ensure their healthy foods are getting eaten, but it also gets them involved in their food preparation process.

Guideline #4: Always Include Protein Source

Adding a source of protein to your child’s lunch is essential. There are so many great protein sources our there that are vegetarian and vegan, so mix up what you include to keep it interesting!  If your children are a little fussy about their proteins, try mixing them into other foods your child likes to encourage your child to consume it. For example – mix some greek yogurt with some dried fruits and fibre rich granola for a homemade parfait.

Guideline #5: Treat to Look Forward to

So you’ve been successful in getting your kids to eat their fruits, vegetables and protein – Now it’s time to make your little one feel like he or she is up for a treat every time the healthy food is eaten. Now don’t forget – just because it’s a treat – doesn’t mean it can’t also be healthy. . These can include mixed nuts with a few dark chocolate, sweet fruits, dried banana chips, dried cranberries, dried cantaloupe,  and more! Take a cruise through the bulk section at your local grocery store the next time you are in and you might be surprised at all the healthy yet delicious options.

Guideline #6: Limit Dairy

Your child might have a hard time digesting dairy, so limit the serving. Include unsweetened almond or or coconut milk as an alternative.

Guideline #7: Include Healthy Carbs

Carbs are important to your child diet – despite what some trendy diets would have you believe. Carbohydrates are what fuels our brain function on and they are what give us energy to focus and participate throughout the school day. Just try to steer your children towards healthy carbs. Simply starting with whole wheat bread or brown rice is a great way to incorporate healthy carbs into your child’s diet. One of our favourite tasty carb lunch recipes would be to include a small helping of mashed sweet potatoes drizzled with a bit of maple syrup and topped with a few toasted pecans for an extra kick of protein – yum!

Guideline #8: Water

Dehydration is the one thing you want to help your kids avoid as it can cause fatigue and dizziness during the day.  This can lead to poor concentration and reduced cognitive abilities which are essential for your child’s learning ability. Try your best to skip soda or juice boxes when packing your lunches and substitute a reusable water bottle for them to refill throughout the day.

Bringing it all together… 

We all want to feed our kids the right healthy foods and nutrients to help them grow, learn, and function well in life – but sometimes it can be so hard to find the time to pack good lunches that our kids will actually look forward to eating. Establishing a routine is crucial and this guideline can help you get organized and on track to preparing healthy foods that your child will love.

Hope everyone has a great week!