Fun Lunch Ideas for Kids

Coming up with fun lunch ideas can be challenging, but lunch is a great chance to include vegetables, protein, and dairy into the overall daily meal plan. Here are some ideas to try:

Eating Together

If you can, make lunch a group effort! Lunch can be a time for children to help make their meal and serve themselves. One fun way to involve children is to host a sandwich bar where each child can "build” their own sandwich. Put several types of low-fat deli meat out on a platter, with another plate of low-fat cheese slices and lettuce or spinach leaves. Offer sliced veggies like tomatoes, onions, or bell peppers, and don’t forget some whole grain bread.

A salad bar would work the same way. Have the children help tear and rinse lettuce into bowls. Jazz up the salad bar with different colored veggies, fruits, and mushrooms. Add protein options with chopped chicken breast, beans, and sunflower seeds.  Have another bowl with shredded low-fat cheese. Include a variety of low-fat dressings to add a little more flavor. Challenge children to make their own Rainbow Salad.

On Their Own

When you need to leave the children to make their own lunches, have plenty of easy ingredients on hand. Whole grain bread or flour tortillas are easy to spread with peanut butter; leave one banana to be sliced or rolled per sandwich/tortilla. Try out this Banana Burrito recipe!

Use leftover pasta from earlier meals and add lots of diced veggies for a quick and cool lunch.

Mix diced hard-boiled eggs or drained tuna with low-fat mayonnaise and leave pre-rinsed lettuce leaves with a loaf of whole grain bread for older children to make their own sandwiches.

Want to make lunch time even easier? When you make dinner during the week, think about leftovers. Store them in child-sized portions and let each child enjoy the leftovers throughout the week for lunch.

Check out our previous Eat Smart blogs and our Recipes section on the Eat Smart website for other lunch ideas!

Packing Healthy Lunches

If you send lunch to school with your child, you have a wonderful chance to show them that healthy foods should be eaten at every meal.  Stay clear of pre-packaged lunches that are usually high in salt, calories, fat, and sugar.  Instead, you can pack a healthy lunch that will give your child the energy they need to keep going throughout the rest of the school day.

What kind of sandwich?
Think about the kind of sandwich you want to send.  Use whole grain bread or whole grain wraps to hold lean meat like turkey or chicken.  Be sure to include lettuce (keep it in a separate container or bag so the rest of the sandwich doesn't get soggy).  Peanut butter and fruit jam or fruit preserves make a nice sandwich, too.  A low-fat cheese slice in a rolled-up wrap is fun to eat.   Remember you will need to keep any sandwiches with meat or dairy (cheese) cold.  A reusable freezer pack or frozen water bottle is a good choice.

Something salty...
Stay away from sending potato chips with your child's lunch.  Pack whole grain crackers in the lunch box!  Instead of getting just salt and fat from chips, your child will get an extra bit of fiber to help them feel full.  Send along a separate container with salsa or hummus for a low-calorie dip.  Lightly salted popcorn or baked tortilla chips might be a fun treat, too!

Add veggies
Let your child choose what veggies they want to add in their lunches.  Baby carrots, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower are easy to add and a favorite for many kids.  Veggies give fiber and provide a "crunch" that kids love!  Salsa, hummus or low-fat dip go great with veggies.

Remember fruit!
Fruit is a must for a packed lunch and you have many choices.  Dried fruit is a fun way to include fruit, but remember that a little bit goes a long way.  A quarter cup of raisins, dried cranberries or apricots, or any other dried fruit equals a serving of fruit.  Or send along a whole, washed piece of fresh fruit like a small apple or a peeled orange.  Applesauce and diced canned fruit now come in single-serving sizes.  Be sure to get canned fruit without added sugar since fruit is naturally sweet.  If you cut up fruit, it must be kept cold.

Re-think that drink
Encourage your child to drink water throughout the day.  With lunch, consider sending along a small bottle of water or a can of 100% fruit juice.  Be sure to check the nutrition facts label.  Look into vegetable juices such as tomato juice, which give your child another serving of vegetables.  Just be aware that these may be high in sodium.  Some schools allow children to buy  milk even if they aren't buying the rest of the school lunch.  Check with your child's cafeteria to see if this is available.

Skip the sweets
Teach your child that a healthy meal does not include sweets.  Save those for a special treat.

Try these other tips for packing healthy lunches

• Using MyPlate to pack school lunches
• 4 Tips for a healthy and stress-free lunchbox

Packing a Healthy School Lunch

School will be starting very soon and parents will have to start thinking about what to pack for their childs lunch.  Many children will decide to eat lunch at school.  However, some children want to take their own lunch from home.  Make sure that the foods that are packed are healthy. Here are some tips and foods to include in your childs lunchbox this year:

• Sandwiches.  Make sure your child has a healthy sandwich.  Choose lean meats like turkey, chicken or even tuna fish.  Adding a piece of lettuce and tomato can top it off!  Instead of using bread, you can change it up by using a whole wheat tortilla.
• Veggies and dip.   Adding veggies like carrots, celery, broccoli or cauliflower are great options.  Try sending veggies with a low fat dip.
• Fruits.  Easy to take fruits include: banana, apples, grapes, and peaches.   Instead of a dessert, let your child enjoy a piece of fruit.
• Yogurt.  This is also a great alternative to a dessert that provides calcium and protein.
• Leftovers.  A great way to use up the foods that you had from dinner the night before and helps to save on time during the morning rush.

Things to remember when packing a lunch.

• If there are foods that should be kept cool, make sure to add a few ice packs to keep the foods cold.
• Wash out the lunchbox each day to make sure there isn't bacteria growing inside. 
• Send a personal note to surprise your child.  Your child will love when they open their lunchbox and see a note from you inside!
• Make sure to follow the schools policy on nuts and peanut butter.