Sunday, August 3, 2014
It is time to think outside of the (lunch) box with our kid’s lunches. Here are some great suggestions for you to keep things easy, healthy and creative…
Send something warm. Buy a stainless steel food far and send something warm in their lunch. Mac & cheese, turkey chili, whole grain pasta with some tomato sauce (or just a little evoo and Parmesan cheese), even mini quiches. A food jar can really open up your options for lunch time. There are a lot of food jars available at your local retailers but we like to use these and ordered from Amazon…Stainless Steel Food Jar.
Make a yogurt smoothie. There are so many healthy yogurts available today from greek yogurt packed with protein to coconut yogurt. Buy some reusable silicon ice pop containers and make your own yogurt smoothie. Layer yogurt with some granola or flax meal and minced fresh fruit then freeze. The combinations are endless. Pop them in a lunchbox and they’ll be ready to go by lunchtime. Plus they can serve an as extra cold pack! I like to use these Silicone Ice Pop Makers that I just buy on Amazon.
Make a mash-up. Fruit and vegetable squeezes aren’t just for babies anymore. They are an excellent way to make sure our kids are getting in all those important veggies. Try using a reusable squeeze pouch and filling it with a yummy combination of fruit & vegetables such as carrot+apple+coconut milk+dash cinnamon. How about a fruit & veggie smoothie combining spinach+banana+carrot+mango+strawberries+little flax oil+vanilla extract+almond milk+water…here’s a little secret…they won’t even know there is spinach in there! These combinations all freeze well so make a few in advance and pop them in the freezer. Simply pull out the night before and put them in the fridge. They’ll be ready by morning! If you are looking for reusable pouches my family uses these Little Green Pouches.
Make your own crustables. Pick your bread (whole grain, gluten free) then pick your filling. Any nut butter works great. Top it with a little natural fruit spread or a touch of honey. Then either use a sandwich crimper (I like this one) or trim the crust off and crimp the edges with your fingers. This is a great thing to make in bulk and then freeze. They hold up very well and make pack lunches a dream. Be sure to wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap and then store in an airtight container or zip lock bag in the freezer.
And here is one other tip: involve the kids in packing their lunch. Pull some chairs up to the counter and form an assembly line. I have found that kids who are involved in preparing their snacks and meals are more likely to eat them plus this is a great way to teach your children about family responsibilities while making it fun- be warned it can get a bit messy but so much fun!
So don’t be afraid to think out of the box a little for lunchtime. Give one of these a try…your kids will definitely thank you!
Be sure to follow TNT on social media