4 ways to refresh your lunchbox routine

Let's face it.  It's April.  You've been packing your child's lunch for school for seven consecutive months. Suffice it to say that the lunch box routine might be getting a little old for both you and your kids. While everyone touts breakfast as the most important meal of the day, the content of a child's lunchbox shouldn't be overlooked.

Lunch is more than just filling up their fuel tank. A child needs to get a balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals at every meal in order to give them the energy to learn, play, and grow every day. With packed after-school schedules, a well-balanced lunch is even more important to give children what they need to carry them from the busy school day until dinner time.

So are you ready to refresh your lunch box routine? Here are four tips to packing a healthy, kid-friendly lunch:

1. Stick to the rule of three. That means that each meal should contain three of the food groups: whole grains, protein, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats.  Meals like yogurt with fruit and granola to mix in, or a whole wheat quesadilla with black beans and tomatoes made the night before will help to provide a variety of nutrients to help meet a child's daily needs.

2. Play with shapes. We've all seen heart shaped sandwiches, but what about taking it one step further with these bento box creations? Just like adults, kids eat with their eyes first, so making a healthy lunch visually appealing helps to guarantee that the lunch box comes home empty. Get creative by adding strips of veggies to make sandwiches faces, or try cutting up softer vegetables like cucumbers with cookie cutters.  Putting several veggies on a toothpick like a kabob can make the most basic veggie options fun to eat.

3. Think of alternatives to traditional meals.  We often think that lunch needs to include something like a sandwich, but if your kids love breakfast, there's nothing wrong with offering breakfast foods as an option.  Waffles with nut butter and blueberries, or whole grain cereal with milk and a banana follow the "rule of three", and can provide kids with some interesting variety.

4. Include a drinkable meal.  While I am not a fan of pre-packed yogurt drinks as they often contain added sugars and flavorings, a healthy homemade smoothie can be nutrient packed and an easy option for the time-pressed parent. Combine plain Greek yogurt, frozen berries, ½ of a banana, and spinach leaves to a blender, then blend with some fat-free milk to your child's desired consistency.  Pop them in a freezer safe cup overnight, and it will double as an ice pack the rest of the lunch box.  An added bonus:  you can make a week's worth in one batch.

Lastly, don't forget food safety.  Remember, if you are sending cold foods, send an ice pack.  Cold foods need to stay less than 40 degrees in order to stay out of the range of harmful bacterial growth. Reusable lunch boxes can also harbor bacteria from day to day, so throw out all leftovers as soon as kids get home, and then wash it with dish soap and hot water.

A few simple changes and a little creativity goes a long way to make lunch healthy and something to look forward to.

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