Last updated on April 26th, 2024 at 10:33 pm
The great school lunch debate! Do you let the kids eat what the school serves, the nutritional value of which has been questioned lately? Or do you send a lunch along with them to make sure they are eating healthy? Do you need some fresh ideas for their lunch box? How do you send healthy food that they will actually eat? Lisa Leake at 100 Days of Real Food Blog has many great ideas for healthy whole food lunches that she sends to school with her two young girls, ages 5 and 7.
She says: “They love their lunches! I only send stuff I know they’ll eat! We only experiment at home and then I send what I know they’ll like.”
Below is just a few of the school lunches she sends with her girls. Hope it gives you some inspiration!
Whole Wheat Banana Pancake Sandwich
Whole wheat banana pancake sandwich with cream cheese in the middle, 2 whole-wheat ebleskiver “round” pancakes, organic apples, plain yogurt mixed with a little maple syrup, vanilla extract, bananas, and homemade granola.
Bread/Fruit/Cheese Kabobs
Bread/fruit/cheese kabobs, a mix of puffed brown rice cereal & sunflower seeds, and frozen peas/corn mix. I love how festive this lunch looks!
Heart Shaped Peanut Butter & Honey Sandwich
Heart shaped peanut butter & honey sandwich, fruit mix, organic cheese stick, and Kettle brand baked potato chips
Heart-Shaped Pancake Sandwich
Heart-shaped pancake sandwich with cream cheese and strawberry jelly in the middle, little heart fruit pieces (including strawberries, pear & melon), and applesauce.
Egg Salad Sandwich
Egg salad sandwich on whole-wheat bread, apples, plain yogurt with a little honey and homemade nut-free granola
To Learn More About Whole Food Lunches Check Out These Posts on Lisa’s Blog
Real Food Tips: 10 Ways to Switch Up Your Kid’s Lunch
Real Food Tips: 21 Ways to Plan Ahead for School Lunches
Here Are Some Tips From Other Mom’s Of Multiples:
“PB&J on whole wheat, a fruit, a veggie, sun chips, granola bars, low sugar juice packet. Early on they wanted school lunch on pizza day but soon found it nasty and wanted only home lunches.”
Julie P.
“On the weekends, we pack our own snack containers for the week and it’s just a grab and go to assemble a lunch in the morning that way.”
Pamela H.
“All four of mine pack a lunch every day. The two seven year olds and two five year olds use a checklist to make sure they have everything they need for a balanced lunch. Our checklist includes ice packs, lean protein, yogurt, cheese stick, fruit, veggie, chips, water bottle, and spork/napkin. I buy all the food on Saturday and divide them up into individual containers. I keep an over-the-door shoe holder on the pantry door to hold all the non-refrigerated items, like water bottle parts, sporks, napkins, chips, etc. I keep three dedicated tubs in the refrigerator to hold the yogurt, fruit, and veggie choices. They get at least three choices for each item so they really eat what they pack because it was their idea (not mine). The only thing I have to do in the mornings is help them with their lean protein. Their most recent popular choices include a hard-boiled egg, a hero sandwich, soybutter/jelly sandwich, or soup in a thermos (chicken noodle and veggie soup are popular). We also like chicken taco wraps, chicken salad, and a garden bar salad with some sort of protein (grilled chicken, ham, turkey breast, etc.)
Bev H.
What do you send to school in your children’s lunch? Leave your comments below.
