To pack or not to pack, that is the question. :o) So many children qualify for free or reduced lunches through the National School Lunch Program, that more and more children are eating at school and not packing a lunch. Then you wonder, "is my child eating a healthy lunch at school?" Are they making unhealthy choices, because you are not there to watch over what they are eating?  We keep hearing about how there is reform taking place in the school cafeterias, but I know my kids still have many very poor options to choose from. I could reach into my son's backpack any day of the week and find a Star Crunch or Cosmo Brownie inside. Not all, but generally, kids are going to pick the fun and sugary, high fat, foods to eat. We tell them to eat the other things, get a salad from the salad bar, pick a vegetable or fruit, etc. BUT these tasty treats are just right there in front of them. Our schools have a pay as you go kind of system, you put a certain amount of money on your child's account and they can withdraw from it at their leisure, in the cafeteria line, or the ala carte line (which is where kids can by slices of pizza, smoothies, candy bars, chips, cookies and the like). They no longer sell soda in middle school, so that is a definite step in the right direction, but are the other offerings really necessary?

Packing a lunch, gives you some control over what they are eating for lunch. What we like to do, as often as possible, is look through the kids' lunch menus and let them select which meals they want to eat at school, they put their initial on the day and if they don't initial it, they can take a cold lunch. If you plan on brown bagging it for your child, here are some ideas of how to keep lunches fun. :o)

Keep foods cold Buy an insulated lunch box or an ice pack if you plan to use paper bags. This will give you more packing options, if you have the ability to keep things cold! You can also freeze juice boxes and as they thaw throughout the morning at school, they will also act as an ice pack for the rest of the lunch!

Get your kids involved Put a basket of fruits, a basket of veggies, and a basket of snacks on the counter. Let them pick one from each basket. Add sandwich and drink and you have a lunch, with no disappointed kids about what is packed!

Use Ziploc Bags Buy the things your children love in bigger quantities. Don't pay the expensive prices for single serve packages of things like cookies, chips, pretzels, and the like. Buy them by the bigger package and make single sized servings.

Leave messages on your child's napkin First, don't forget to include the napkin, if there isn't one in there, your child will likely forget to wipe his/her hands and face after eating! These honestly are fun for younger kids. Print out a little cartoon off the internet. Write an encouraging note or even just a smile will leave your child smiling. :o) Kids love fun and surprises in their lunch. Be creative with shapes, colors, and themes. For example, pack a round meal—a bagel with veggie cream cheese, an orange, carrot rounds and jelly beans. Or cut sandwiches into puzzle pieces. Have a “red lunch” day with spaghetti, red grapes, strawberry milk and red fruit leather. Make a backward lunch with a sandwich made with the meat and cheese on the outside and a note written in reverse telling the child to eat dessert first.

Snack size Pudding or Jello cups Save your Yogurt containers, wash them up and fill them about halfway with pudding or jello you make at home and you have the perfect portion of pudding/jello at a fraction of the cost of those little snack packs.

Cheese Sticks, Cubes or String Cheese If your child likes cheese, this is a perfect size serving of dairy to put in your child's lunchbox. If I don't have string cheese, I will make a few cheese sticks by cutting a slice of cheese about 1/4" thick and then cut into sticks. This way you can also send cheddar, monterey jack, any type of cheese they like! And it is cheaper!

PB& J Tortillas Layer creamy peanut butter on a flour tortilla with jelly or fruit spread and roll up "wrap" or "jellyroll" style. Slice crosswise into pieces. Select the size tortilla depending on your child's appetite.

Waffles Heat frozen waffles and make a sandwich with them, using peanut butter and jelly. Or cut them into bite-sized pieces or sticks and send syrup for dipping.
 

Dips Kids love to dip! Send baby carrots, celery sticks, or broccoli trees with their favorite dip or dressing. Or send peanut butter as a dip, and include some sliced apples. You can even put the dip in those little snack sized ziploc bags, then put that inside the ziploc with the fruit or veggie and you don't have to worry about losing containers.

Create your own lunchables Create your own "Lunchables"...cut meat slices and cheese into pieces that will fit on crackers. Pack the meat, cheese, and crackers together. Have extra mustard or mayo packets from your take-out? Pack those along for condiments.

Break out of the peanut butter rut. Experiment with some new fillings for sandwiches, like low-fat lunchmeats (try flavors like smoked turkey!), cheeses, grilled veggies or chicken, tuna and egg salad. And try using different types of breads, such as bagels, rolls, pita pockets, English muffins, raisin bread or waffles (use whole-grain varieties whenever you can). If your child is devoted to peanut butter, jazz up the old PB&J standby with sliced bananas or apples, raisins, shredded carrots or granola.

Go beyond sandwiches. The options are endless. Send pasta salad made with fun-shaped, colored pastas. Make a pizza or quesadilla on a tortilla or pita round. Or roll meat and cheese slices in a flour tortilla to make a pinwheel sandwich. Leftovers are great too—like spaghetti, a chicken leg or a hearty soup, to name a few.

Trail Mix

Directions:
Combine any or all of these ingredients in an airtight container and toss gently to mix. Store airtight. Lasts for weeks.

Ingredients:
Dry snacks: cereal (low in sugar – under 5g per serving), small pretzels, graham cracker or rice cake pieces, or animal crackers.
Dried fruits: Cherries, apricots, raisins, mangoes or coconut flakes (Tip: big pieces of dried fruit can be cut up easily using kitchen shears).
Nuts and seeds: sliced almonds, pecan pieces, cashew pieces, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or peanut pieces.

Kiwi Wraps or rolls

These wraps can be served as a traditional wrap sandwich or slice it into pieces (like a sushi roll) for bite sized treats.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon peanut butter or sunflower butter
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1/2 kiwi
Tortilla -- whole wheat or plain (squared)

Instructions:
Remove the skin from the kiwi and slice it into thin rounds. Spread peanut butter over half the wrap and cream cheese on the other half of the wrap. Arrange the kiwi slices evenly over the cream cheese. Beginning on the cream cheese end, gently roll up the tortilla forming a log shape. The peanut butter will act as the glue to keep it together. Serve.

Granola Crunch

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 1/2 cups uncooked, rolled oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped dates
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup chocolate chips
 

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a 15-by-10-inch jelly roll pan.

Stir in the brown sugar until combined, then stir in the oats, almonds, and walnuts. Spread the mixture in an even layer in the pan.

Bake the granola for 12 to 15 minutes or until it is golden brown, stirring twice during the baking process. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool.

When the mixture is completely cool, stir in the raisins, dates, apricots, and chocolate chips. Store it in an airtight container.

Makes about 5 1/2 cups.  

Seaside Lunch
1 peanut butter and "jellyfish" sandwich
1/3 cup fish-shaped crackers
Sand dollar apple slices
1/3 cup fish-shaped gummy treats
1/2 cup broccoli florets (palm trees)
Sand pail and shovel (cup of low fat yogurt and plastic spoon)

In your child's lunch box, place a picture of your family at the beach and a few of the seashells you collected while you were there. She'll enjoy reminiscing or telling her friends about her vacation while she eats her lunch.

Teddy Bear Sandwiches

brown bread
peanut butter
honey
raisins
bear cookie cutter  (you can use any shape and change the name though)

Spread peanut butter on one slice of bread. Drizzle with honey and top with the second slice. Use the bear cookie cutter to cut a bear from the center of the Sandwich; press on raisins to make the eyes and nose.

Pirate's Treasure
Treasure chest of chicken (square plastic container with baked chicken fingers)
1/2 cup golden carrot coins
1/4 cup yogurt covered raisin "pearls"
1/2 cup low fat chocolate or vanilla "pirate" pudding
2 "walk the plank" bread sticks

Add a few "treasures" to your child's lunch box, like a small toy, a few coins, or a treasure map that leads to a hidden surprise that he can search for at home after school.

Shapes Lunch
Low fat tuna fish sandwich on whole-wheat bread, cut into triangles
1/2 cup round melon balls or sliced orange
1/2 cup oblong green grapes
1/2 cup cucumber slices, cut into squares
1/2 cup round sliced carrots
Rectangular low fat granola bar

Crazy Eights
8  crackers
8 ham squares (2 slices low fat ham, cut into quarters)
8 cheese squares (2 slices cheese, cut into quarters)
8 Grapes or Apple slices, Strawberries cut in half, etc
8 baby carrots
8 celery sticks (2 stalks celery, cut into quarters)
8 animal crackers or 2 graham crackers divided into 8 pieces

There's your child's lunch :o)

Tic Tac Toe
1/2 whole-wheat pita stuffed with low fat chicken salad
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup crunchy cereal
1 cup broccoli and cauliflower florets
1/4 cup fat free dressing for dip

On a 3 x 5-inch index card or piece of paper, draw Tic Tac toe grids. Use raisins and cereal pieces for Xs and Os

Bologna Boat

1 t. mustard
1 slice bologna (or turkey bologna)
1 slice American cheese
1 hot dog bun

Spread the mustard onto the slice of bologna. Top with a slice of cheese and roll them together. Place the roll in the hot dog bun and wrap it in aluminum foil.

Salad Bar Lunch
Shredded lettuce or spinach
1/4 cup low fat ham chunks
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup each grape tomatoes, sliced carrots, and broccoli or cauliflower florets
1/4 cup salad dressing (or pick up an extra packet from the deli)
1/4 cup each pineapple chunks, sliced strawberries, and grapes for fruit salad
6-8 whole wheat crackers

Pack everything individually so your child can put it altogether at school. Put the ingredients in ziploc bags inside a tupperware bowl with lid, seal and put in lunch bag or box.

Safari Lunch
1 safari sub sandwich: sandwich roll, low fat deli meat and cheese, lettuce and tomato
1 "jungle fruit" banana
1/2 cup "quicksand" chocolate pudding
1 cup "rain forest" broccoli and cauliflower florets
1/4 cup low fat dressing for dip
15 "jungle animals" crackers