School Lunch Ideas

School Lunch Ideas

One of the most dreaded chores when school starts up again is thinking about packing lunches for school. Clearly giving your child his or her own lunch is by far healthier than school cafeteria food. When your child is on a special diet, it is often the only choice one might have in order to secure that your child has a safe and healthy eating experience.

There are many choices and ways to prepare an enjoyable lunch for your child to bring to school. This list of tips and suggestions might be something you wish to print out and put on your refrigerator to help you pack great lunches for any child, those on special diets, or even those with no dietary restrictions.

Many children enjoy a hot lunch, especially if they have been home all summer enjoying such meals in their homes.

Purchase a small metal-lined thermos. Name brands seem to allow the foods to remain hot by the time lunch rolls around.

To prepare the thermos you will need to fill a microwavable glass container with water. Heat the glass for about two minutes. Pour the hot water into the thermos and seal it closed tightly. While the water is in your thermos, warming up the metal components, heat the food. When the food is hot, remove the water from the thermos and pour in the heated food. Close the thermos tightly, but not so tightly that your child will not be able to open it up at lunchtime. Do not forget to provide a spoon or fork.

Here are some ideas of what to pack in the thermos:

Leftovers from the night before might include: meatloaf, chicken and rice, casseroles, cut-up hot dogs and BBQ sauce or meat sauce, pasta and sauce, turkey with gravy, chicken pieces and sauce, macaroni and cheese, taco meat, beans, lentils, soup, chili, or any other ideas along these lines.

If you include a sauce, it will help maintain the foods temperature as it surrounds the main course in the thermos.

Often, if you think of ethnic foods, you will find more choices for lunches such as: enchiladas, rice bowls, macaroni, sweet and sour chicken, etc.

If your child prefers cooler foods you can try sandwiches. Sandwiches do not have to be made using bread. There are many other ideas to try. Try waffles, pancakes, rice cakes, or a tortilla to wrap the protein inside. This can also be used along with the hot foods in the thermos.

Try making sandwiches out of nut butters for a healthy option to the typical meat, fish or poultry sandwich. Other choices can be yogurt or even cereal and milk or a milk alternative. The thermos can be used for yogurt or milk. When you prepare the thermos you can put ice-cold water or crushed ice into your thermos for a few minutes, tossing out the water or ice and then adding the cold beverage or food. A thermos can also be used for cold fruits or cold soups.

Now that you have many ideas for the entrée, let us think about side dishes. There are other sources of proteins to accompany your child’s lunch. Foods such as nuts, seeds, and trail mix, which are great for sides and snacks.

Other side dishes that are healthy are fruits and veggies. You can pour some healthy dressing in a small container so your child can dip his or her veggies into it. Some healthy snack bars or healthy chips, crackers, pretzels are other good options.

Other ideas in the sweets category that you can offer as a special treat, and one that you bake from scratch, for optimal health, could be: cookies, brownies, or muffins. Add some flaxseed in the batter for heart and brain healthy omegas.

Hopefully, your child’s lunch will be the envy of the other children sitting around them. Why not write and add a little note to the lunch box, and add a sticker to complete the packed lunch? There is nothing better than putting a smile on your child’s face and having them know how much you love them and are thinking about them while you are apart. Bon Appetite

Barrie Silberberg is the author of The Autism & ADHD Diet: A Step-by-Step Guide To Hope and Healing by Living Gluten Free and Casein Free (GFCF)  And Others Interventions.

Helpful Articles

• Do You Struggle With Planning Healthy Meals for Your Family?
• Easy School Lunch Ideas for Busy Parents
• 6 Lunch Box Hacks; Save Time And Effort
• Healthy Ideas for Better School Lunches
• Is Packing Your Child’s Lunch a Healthier Option?
• Focus on Color
• 10 Quick & Easy After School Snacks
• Wellness: Breakfast for Champions

This post originally appeared on our September/October 2011 Magazine