Comments on: Healthy Lunches for Healthier Kids

By: Kelly Lester

Kelly Lester — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 02:35:54 +0000

Lots of wonderful ideas here! Check out my yummy lunch gallery for inspiring pics of healthy & simple lunch box ideas: http://bit.ly/cjDMh2 – Kelly Lester, mom and CEO, EasyLunchboxes.com

By: Gina

Gina — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:33:38 +0000

love that idea Lori

By: Duong

Duong — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 05:40:19 +0000

Stacie, Thanks for the many great ideas. I love Jessica’s book…I actually gave one away on the blog a while ago!

By: Duong sheahan

Duong sheahan — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 02:23:41 +0000

I just discovered this great website for some great lunch ideas: http://www.laptoplunches.com

By: Stacie

Stacie — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:47:17 +0000

-Cherry tomatoes with cubed fresh mozzarella.
-Grapes mixed with sliced pineapple.
-Apple fries (cut them into sticks) with honey dip.
-Carrot sticks, yellow/orange/red pepper with humus dip.
-Fresh diced tomatoes mixed with goat cheese and a dab of olive oil.
-Make a whole chicken on Sunday and use it for various lunches
throughout the week in lieu of sodium filled lunch meat:
*chicken mixed with wacky mac (made from real, all-natural tomato, spinach and beet ingredients), cucumber, feta, Greek olives, etc . . . add what they like and send a little tub of dip (Italian, Ranch, etc).
-Peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole wheat bread.
-To make yogurt more interesting, I send a small baggie/container of organic granola for him to sprinkle into it. I only buy all natural yogurt with fruit.
-Whole wheat mac & cheese mixed with tuna – it’s good cold too.
-Boil whole grain pasta, corn & peas the night before. Add sliced black olives, crumbled bacon and toss in light Italian dressing. Put in fridge overnight and serve cold the next day.
-Fruit medly – Fresh watermelon, cantaloupe, blueberries, mango.
-A mixture of nuts, yogurt covered raisins, dried mango/pineapple/cranberries and a few dark chocolate covered pomegranates (found at wholesale store BJ’s).
-Whole wheat quesadilla. When I melt the cheese, I sneak in some pureed carrots, sweet potato or even spinach.
-I always send something fun too. Sometimes a cookie or bar that I made (usually with granola/organic jelly, oats, etc) and often times I just send a mini-candy bar. It’s not too much, but just enough for him to have a little treat.

I highly recommend Jessica Seinfeld’s book on how to sneak pureed veggies into your meals. It’s awesome. I also add flax seed meal to all of my baking. I am a huge fan of lap top lunches fro teh kids to take their lunch to school (www.laptoplunches.com).

By: Kristie McNealy

Kristie McNealy — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:30:57 +0000

You’ve already given some great ideas, but here are a few others that come to mind:

-Whole grain bagels or soft pretzels with cream cheese to dip them in
-Hummus with pitas and raw veggies
-Apple slices with soynut butter
-Cubes of meat and cheese
-Hard boiled eggs

My mom used to freeze our drink for the day to keep other foods in our lunch cold until it was time to eat.

By: Pamela Reilly, Naturopath

Pamela Reilly, Naturopath — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:55:54 +0000

What a great topic! Here are some quick, easy ideas:

- Raw fruits & veggies with almond butter or hummus dips are always excellent choices.
- Spelt wraps filled with spinach, olive oil, herbs, avocado, & tomato are popular with my kids. (The spelt and avocadoes provide more than enough protein.) The options for fillings in wraps are endless.
-A fruit & veggie smoothie made with frozen fruits, dark leafy greens and a variety of veggies in a thermos is another great option.
-Stuffing red, green or orange peppers with brown rice and beans or lentils and spices works well when put in an insulated container.
- Raw marinara over shredded zucchini or summer squash is also very popular in our house. The great thing about raw foods is that there’s no need to worry about heating!

Most kids with peanut allergies do well with almond butter or brazil nut butter. I find either works well stuffed into celery, spread on other veggies, or put into sandwiches with sugar-free whole fruit spreads.

I look forward to seeing everyone else’s ideas! Thanks for sharing! Many blessings!

By: Duong

Duong — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:46:27 +0000

That is tough when you have 2 different allergies! We have to watch the peanuts so no pbj’s here for my youngest hence has caused us to be very creative and cautious over the years.

By: Dawn @GirlfriendCeleb

Dawn @GirlfriendCeleb — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:33:42 +0000

Great topic – and a hard one! We can’t do the tuna b/c my son is allergic to fish and my other child is allergic to nuts – makes it difficult to get a healthy protein which is why I like the “organic” deli meats. For my little one I did make a healthy-ish classroomn snack today of cheese cubes speared with pretzel sticks. She is very picky so that was pretty good for her. I am also looking for some good cloth lunch kits – anyone have a favorite?

By: Beth

Beth — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:16:17 +0000

I just blogged about healthy school lunches! Our favorite is veggies or baked torilla chips with hummus. I love hearing what others put in their kids’ lunchboxes. Here’s a link to my other ideas: http://livinghealthynaturally-beth.blogspot.com/2009/08/healthy-school-lunches.html