Back to School: Get Creative with Kids' Lunches

Now that school is starting, does the idea of packing a healthy lunch for your kids make you break into a nervous sweat? Are you at a loss for creative ideas? Do your kids come home telling you that they didn’t eat because they didn’t like anything in their lunch box?

Don’t fear!

Getting your child to eat his or her lunch just takes a little planning and creativity. Use these ideas to make your packed lunch the highlight of your kids’ day.

1. Shake it up.
Prepare an old lunch in a new way. Instead of a regular peanut butter and jelly on white bread, make Pinwheel PB&Js by rolling up the PB&J in a flour tortilla and slicing it into pinwheels. Try a peanut butter and raisin or banana sandwich for kicks. Try dark chocolate peanut butter instead of regular. While some kids freak out when they see a new “food form,” as kids get older they will be willing to try more things, so don’t be afraid to shake it up. And, if they are really hungry, they’ll at least try it.

2. Get ‘em to pitch in.
Getting your child to help make their meal is a great way to help ensure that they eat their lunch, not trade it away. It also makes them feel more grown-up. You could try filling one of each of three plastic baskets with fruits, vegetables and snacks. Then allow your child to pick one item from each basket for their lunch. Add a sandwich and a drink, and you’re done. They might actually eat all of their lunch if they chose what was in it.

3. Chart it.
For siblings who like different foods, make a chart of favorite foods with the child’s name at the top and foods they like and will eat for lunch underneath. Then you can pick items from the list when you are still tired in the morning before your coffee kicks in. Keeping it simple and easy for mom! Turn it into a checklist and your kids can check off the items they want in their lunch the night before.

4. Theme of the week.
Surprise your kids by incorporating a new lunch theme every few weeks, such as serving all red foods. Pair a strawberry jelly sandwich with cherry tomatoes and low-fat ranch dressing with cherry Jell-O for dessert. Meals could be all round foods (a bagel with cream cheese sandwich, an orange, and carrot rounds) or a backwards lunch (a sandwich with meat and cheese on the outside and a note written in reverse telling your child to eat dessert first).

Do you have an idea to spice up your kids' school lunches? Let us know by leaving a comment. We want to hear from you.