Sending your child off to school with the right food for the day can send even the most organized parent into a tailspin especially at the start of a new school year.
For those of us whose children are going to school and spending the whole day away from home for the first time, trying to figure out what to pack in their lunch box can be even more anxiety-producing. Preparing nutritious, affordable, food that will sustain your child all day, not take too much time to make, and that your kid will actually eat can feel like an overwhelming task.
Regular food preferences – if there’s actually such a thing – can turn mushy after a few hours
out of the fridge or even worse, combine with other food in the lunch box making them clearly inedible for your child, and then of course there’s the lunch box itself ...
The Play Lab has a few expert tips for creating stress-free healthy lunches and snacks that
won’t cost too much time or money but will provide your child with wholesome and tasty
sustenance for their entire day at school.
Start by letting go of the idea that you have to prepare the perfect food. Your child’s
expectations of what’s inside their lunch box are probably much lower than yours, in fact with all the excitement of being at school they’re probably not even thinking about lunch at all.
Yes, a mix of complex carbs, protein, healthy fats, fruits & veggies is ideal and healthy
fat will help keep your child satiated for longer but remember, school lunches can be
unpredictable and rushed. Aim for food that you know they can eat easily on their own and like. Did they enjoy last night’s dinner? Pack it up!
Preparing food to nurture your child while they’re away from home is a learning process
that will grow much easier with time.
Here are some tips to get you started:
TIPS
Stay off tik tok (and all social media) for this one! It doesn’t matter what other
parents do, only what works for your family. Plus whatever’s being shown online
probably isn’t real anyway.
Food planning can become a fun new activity with your child. Invite them into the
planning process by going to the grocery store (or looking online) together.
Brainstorm some lunchtime meal & snack ideas with your child and keep the idea
list on the fridge. Sometimes we can forget the most basic things when our brains
are overloaded and having lists that include types of fruit your child will eat can save the day!
Here’s some LUNCH IDEA PLANNERS to print out or keep on your phone: Lunch Idea Planner 1, Lunch Idea Planner 2
You can even prepare meals together using a learning tower and children can pack their own lunch the night before.
Ask their school what the rules for school lunch are, often there will be
restrictions as to what your child can and can’t bring.
Find out whether their school allows your child to reheat their food in a microwave or not.
Take into account that both your child’s allotted time for lunch and attention span
will be limited. Be realistic about what food they can most easily and quickly eat.
Pack finger foods for younger children who aren’t as comfortable with utensils.
Include a refillable water bottle in addition to any juice or milk.
Remember the most important thing is that your child will reliably eat the lunch
you’re making.
Pick and choose from the following options below. Include your child, ask them which
they’d like. These are meant to be inspiring suggestions to ease your way into lunch & snacks for the school day, try to grab a few of each to aim for a healthy overall meal.
Thermos tip: to keep food warm, add hot water for a minute before putting food in, then dump it out and add the food.
FOR GRAZERS
make a non-meal out of a bit from each food group, a few apple slices or berries with
some whole grain crackers spread with almond butter, avocado, or tahini, string beans, and half a cup of seasoned or sauced protein of your choice (chicken or cheese cubes, meatballs, tofu, or beans).
PREPPING TIPS
Choose one (or two) nights to prepare large batches of your protein (whether it’s meat,
beans, eggs, or tofu,) as well as a grain, and chop fruits and veggies.
Mix and match for dinner that will also become lunch. Younger children can help plan,
wash fruits and vegetables, and even pack their lunch box the night before.
Listed below for inspiration are a few dinner-to-lunch ideas that can be eaten hot or cold.
Wrap any of it up in a quesadilla or naan!
Tex-Mex: refried beans, sweet potato, avocado, chicken, shredded lettuce, and
cheese
Farm Bowl: quinoa with chicken, black beans or chickpeas, and peppers
Asian Bowl: seasoned tofu with rice, spinach, and peppers
CONTAINERS
Finding containers you and your child both like is key. If possible buy multiple ones so
you can pack 2 lunches at once taking the pressure of preparing tomorrow’s lunch away.
Lunch boxes can run from $15 to $80 dollars. We’ve chosen a few that won’t pollute the planet or break the bank. These sustainable, reusable lunch boxes that are leak proof, easy for little fingers to open, dishwasher-safe, BPA-free, and have compartments to make meal and snack prep easier: Bentgo lunch boxes, Omie Lunch boxes for both hot and cold food, and affordable and earth friendly containers: Earth Hero or Eco Preps.
PRESENTATION
Cookie cutters can transform everyday fruits or sandwiches into fun edibles in the shapes
of hearts, stars, or flowers and also be a fun activity to do with your child.
WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! Is there something your kid really likes? Tell us! What are your favorite snacks, lunches, thermoses, or lunch boxes? Have you mastered the art of lunch & snack prepping? Let us know your tricks.
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