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Making school lunches day in and day out is no walk in the park.  Moms try hard to get the nutrition right and pack foods their kids will eat and even enjoy at school.  Here are some timely tips to keep lunches healthy, encourage kids to eat it and save time.

HEALTHY LUNCHES

• Think food groups.  Aim to have at least 3 out of 4 in your kids’ lunch.
• Lunch energy comes from carbs, protein & fat, all needed for growth and development.
• Try a simple makeover. Put more vegetables & fruit in your kids’ lunch & few, if any, packaged snacks or treats.
• Add color, crunch and a dip. The more green, red, white, yellow veggies in the bag the more it will be in your kids tummy!  Kids love to dip. Pack hummus, yoghurt or guacamole.
• Build a healthy lunchbox relationship with kids. Ask them how they liked lunch & brainstorm for improvements.

PICKY EATERS

• Taste rules. Ask kids what they like and involve them in planning meals and snacks.
• Play the name game.  Play up the tastiness of healthy food. Use delicious descriptive words to tantalize the taste buds.
• We all eat with our eyes first. Try different shapes, a variety colours to make lunches more interesting.
• Watch out for lunch trades! Ask what foods get traded at lunch and send food they wouldn’t want to part with.
• Be a role model.  Offer samples of healthy food and enjoy it yourself.

TIME CRUNCH

• Stock up on a healthy food pantry.  Great ingredients are whole grain breads/wraps, lean cooked meat, sliced veggies, grated cheese, pre-washed baby spinach.
• Cook leftovers with a plan. Make extra at dinner and pack “planned overs” for lunch.
• Keep supplies handy to make lunch packing easier. Have a container drawer, open up a shelf on the fridge.
• Some days kids’ activities at lunch leave them with little time to eat. Portable foods like wraps, or extra easy to eat snacks like bars, dried or cut up fruit/veggies work well on such busy days.
• Set aside time in the evening to pack lunches and snacks. You’ll be glad the next morning.