Back to school season is here! And if you feel like planning and packing lunches takes up way too much of your time, you’re not alone. Try these tips to pack school lunches that are easy, nutritious, and accepted by even the pickiest of eaters.
I started packing my daughter’s lunch when she was about two and started going to nursery school.
At first, I had so much fun with it. Cute notes? Check. Fun colors? Check. I even tried cutting things into fun shapes.
That novelty quickly wore off!
Packing lunches is time consuming. You have to consider:
As both a mom and dietitian, there are a few helpful lunch packing tips I’ve learned. Let me share them with you.
1. Focus on adding different food groups.
Different food groups add different nutrients. They ensure that the meal has protein and fiber to make it filling. This also ensures that your little ones gets a variety of nutrients that his or her growing body needs.
I always recommend trying to add: a main dish, an additional source of protein if the main isn’t high in protein, a fruit and/or vegetables, and a fun food.
Some of my favorite main dishes (*that my 3.5 year old actually eats*) are: mac & cheese, pasta with meatballs, grilled cheese sandwiches, and bagels with cream cheese. You can also try things like chicken nuggets & fries, PB&J sandwiches, or grilled salmon.
Because foods like mac & cheese or bagels aren’t always the highest in protein, this is a great place to add another protein source, like a cheese stick, hard-boiled egg, or small container of hummus.
Next, try to add different fruits and vegetables that your child likes. Not only do fruit and vegetables add fiber, vitamins, and minerals, but they’re also just easy! Simply wash them, chop them, and they’re ready to go.
We love California grapes. They’re delicious, portable, and the easiest to add to anything.
Grapes are full of health benefits too. They contain nutrients that help support brain health, heart health, and immune health. They’re a good source of vitamin K and contain important antioxidants and polyphenols.
My daughter will often eat them whole, but for children under 4 years old, it’s recommend to cut them into quarters. My one and a half year old loves them this way!
Lastly, add a fun food. This can be anything from chocolate chips, to gummy bears, to a cookie. Adding something like this actually helps to ensure that your child eats the rest of their meal too, by making the entire lunchbox look a little more exciting.
It also helps them create a healthy relationship with food. Regular exposure to dessert helps keep it neutral and not make it something “special” that has to be earned.
When dessert is looked at as something that’s on par with mac & cheese or carrots, kids aren’t as likely to become obsessed with it. Instead, it’s just another food. Pretty cool, huh?
2. Add color and make it visually appealing.
It really is true that we eat with our eyes first. The more visually appealing something looks, the more likely we are to want to eat it.
You don’t need to do anything over the top in order to make a lunchbox look pretty, either.
Simply try to add different colors (easy with different fruit and veg!). Getting a lunchbox with different compartments makes this simple too – you can add one food in each compartment.
Think about it: if you were given a lunch with everything thrown in super sloppily, you wouldn’t really want to eat it, right? You do not have to cut your kids’ food into Pinterest worthy shapes, I promise! But take a few minutes to cut and arrange the food nicely. It really makes all the difference.
3. Keep it easy.
Unless you genuinely want to, you do not have to cook up anything fancy for school lunches. Keep it easy!
I recommend having a few staples that you go to for lunch each week. This way, you can rotate between them seamlessly and also already know a few meals offhand that your child enjoys.
For example, each week, I’ll list 2-3 lunch ideas for my kids for the week. Then, I’ll rotate between them Monday through Friday, trying not to do the same meal twice in a row (and hey, if that does happen, no big deal!).
These lunch ideas are always simple too, just like I mentioned above. The one featured here literally took 5 minutes to throw together. All you have to do is add cream cheese to the bagel, cut the grapes, and put everything in the lunchbox. It couldn’t be easier.
I often find that my daughter eats best during school lunch. She’s had a busy day at school and she’s hungry. Also, social eating can be really helpful for kids – it’s nice to eat when you’re sitting at a table with friends who are doing the same!
And lastly, there are no alternate options. She only has what’s in her lunchbox and can’t ask for something different (which is why I try to include at least a few foods that I know she loves).
That said, there are also days when not much lunch gets eaten. Maybe your child isn’t super hungry, or doesn’t love what was in their lunchbox that day.
Please know that it’s all super normal. Your kids know their bodies and their appetites best. As long as you continue to offer 3 nutritious meals a day, they will most likely get everything they need.
This blog post was created in partnership with California Grapes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
