Tips for Livening up Your Kid's School Lunch

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

01 Sep 2009 10:51 PM

For some kids back-to-school means back to eating the same ol' peanut butter and jelly sandwiches five days a week. If you pack your child's lunch every day, then you know how challenging it can be to come up with new and exciting options your kid will actually eat (and not trade for cookies and chips).

Instead of spending the next eight months packing PB&J, consider breaking out of the sandwich rut with these ideas:

* Leftover pizza

* Leftover pasta

* Leftover fried rice

* Soup in a thermos

* Brown rice salad with nuts and veggies

* A slice of quiche or frittata

* Vegetable and potato patties

* Mini meatballs with a small container of tomato saucer for dipping

* Crackers and peanut butter

* Hard-boiled eggs

* Vegetable sushi

* A container of baked beans and hot dogs

* A container of tuna, crackers, cherry tomatoes and a disposable fork

Most kids would rather see cookies in their lunchbox than carrot sticks, but that shouldn't stop you from adding nutritious offerings such as fruits and vegetables to your child's school bag.

However, if you are placing fruits or vegetables in your student's lunchbox there are some tips to keep in mind. For example, when packing vegetables make sure to store them in a Ziploc bag. Watery veggies can make sandwiches soggy. Try carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, snow peas, and celery sticks filled with peanut butter if you plan to sneak in some nutritious snacks.

Also, fresh fruit is much easier to eat when it is already cut up. You can squeeze lemon juice over apple slices to keep them from browning or place grapes in a plastic bag to maintain their freshness. If you are really pressed for time simply add a banana to your child's lunchbox.

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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