Packing School Lunches

Putting together lunches that your children will enjoy can seem like a daunting and complicated task, as you struggle to align the tastes of your kids with all of the food in the world and create a culinary concoction that your children won't trade away. There is a way you can accomplish this and give your kids a healthy treat at the same time. Don't start sending cafeteria money just yet.

One of the first things you need to do is to make sure that your kids have the right gear for their gourmet experience. Have your kids select their own lunchboxes or lunch bags. This will let them express their personal style and will allow them to make a choice. They can give the presentation of their lunch a personal touch that will make it more attractive. Most older kids prefer plain brown bags, what with conformity being an obsession and all, but younger kids will jump at the chance at picking a fun lunch bag.

Buy a frozen ice pack or freeze the juice boxes you plan to include. This will help refrigerate everything in your child's lunch so that he or she doesn't end up with soggy sandwiches and other lunch problems. Containers are likely to “sweat” a little when they thaw, too, so wrap them up well to avoid any sogginess soaking through.

Try to include a good combination of your child's favorite snacks and healthy choices. If you include a bland sandwich and a pile of carrot sticks, your child may end up putting the lunch on the trading block. But if you pack lunches with yummy treats and healthy choices, kids are more apt to eat everything in the bag and look forward to lunch the next day. Like all things in life, packing school lunches is really all about balance.

Also, celebrate special days and make lunch time unique. Include little heart cupcakes for Valentine's Day or pack some neat stuff as it gets closer to Christmas or another popular holiday. Plan lunch menus around special days and give your kid a lunch that the school will envy around his or her birthday. Be creative, too, and include theme lunches on days like Chinese New Year so that your kids can eat and learn at the same time!

Packing school lunches is often a task that many moms and dads fear, but it doesn't have to end up that way. You can pack a school lunch that is both exciting and healthy, just by being a little innovative and creative. Include foods that you know your kids love and foods that you know they should have. Pack veggies and include a special dip to add some flavor, for example, and your kids will enjoy their lunches instead of trading them away for a box of cookies or other unhealthy snacks.

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