Make Healthy Lunches Fun!

When I was in school, lunchtime used to bring on a serious case of lunchbox envy. I wanted to make my own pizza like my classmates with Lunchables and mix candy into my yogurt from a special compartment in the lid. It’s fun to personalize your meal by making it yourself. But many of the do-it-yourself options for kids are high in sodium, sugar, or both.

In response, we’ve come up with a list of nutritious ways for kids to play with their food. Try these tips to make healthy meals just as exciting as the ones I envied in school.

Mix Your Own Salad

The Internet is buzzing with advice on bringing salads to work in a mason jar. Why not apply the concept to school lunches? All you need is a mason jar (or another suitable lidded container), some kid-friendly salad ingredients (try strawberries, cucumbers, or carrots), and a packable bowl (probably paper or plastic). The idea is to put the dressing at the bottom of the jar and then stack the rest of the salad ingredients from least absorbent to most absorbent. Therefore ingredients that stay crisp, like carrots, would go toward the bottom, while vegetables that wilt easily, like lettuce, would go at the top. When the lunch bell rings, your child shakes the contents of the jar into the bowl and mixes them up himself for a healthy meal.

Yogurt Goodies that are Good for You

Candy isn’t the only goodie that mixes well with yogurt. Small fruits like raspberries or low-sugar cereals like granola and Rice Krispies add a special ingredient to an ordinary yogurt cup without adding excessive sugar.

Food-coloring can also be a fun, no-calorie way to make regular yogurt as appealing as more sugary brands. Pack a small food-coloring dispenser and let your child turn her lunch blue or green or whatever color she prefers!

Follow a Recipe

Instead of packing the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich, what if you just sent the instructions? Send peanut butter, jelly, and whole wheat bread with a short note explaining how to put the ingredients together. Not only will children enjoy making their own lunch, they will also be practicing important skills like reading and following a recipe.

Written by:
Jessica Bickel-Barlow  

Jessica is a recent graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois where she majored in Radio, Television, Film (RTVF) and English Literature. She worked for the Michael and Susan Dell Center during the summer of 2013 as a Communications Intern and she is thrilled to be returning to the Center this summer to further contribute her writing skills.