As the first few weeks of the school year and fall are upon us, it's important to make sure our kids are getting the fuel they need to make it through a full day in the classroom and beyond. Making an interesting, appetizing, and nutritious packed lunch for kids can be a challenge, but as a mother of three, I've come up with some fool-proof ways to make sure my kids are not only sent to school with a nutritious lunch, but that they actually eat and enjoy what's in their lunchboxes.
One key is making sure your kitchen is stocked with great products that your kids love (here are some of my favorites), so they have options when packing up lunch. I also love using Planet Box lunch kits because they are customizable and have separate compartments for each food so kids don't get overwhelmed. Here are six more tips to help your child get a nutritious lunch that is yummy, exciting, and easy to make.
- Pack a pallet of colors. Include colorful foods for eye appeal. A colorful meal indicates an abundance of vitamins (green jello doesn't count). Try sweet red pepper slices, bright orange steamed yams and carrots, green broccoli trees, dark lettuce leaves, yellow apples, purple grapes and on and on.
Lunch is the most important meal of the day to keep our kids full and focused until that final bell rings. Don't make the afternoon harder on them! Pack a nutritious lunch and they'll be well on their way to a productive day.