Pack Healthy Lunches :

Dear Jodie:
We send our 7-year-old to a small private school where everyone brings their own lunch. Last year, our daughter only ate half her lunch and was always starving when she got home. I took a lot of pride in what I prepared and packed to go into her lunch box, but she kept asking for the prepackaged ones "like the other kids." I was wondering if you could offer some advice on how we could begin this school year on a new and exciting adventure with simple, but healthy lunches?

When kids sit around a table at school and see what others have to eat, they almost always want what someone else has. That's normal. Many of the kids bring those quickie Lunchables, and this is probably what she was requesting. Try these tips and see if they make a difference in getting your daughter to eat her healthy lunch.

Prepackaged Foods: The Lunchables are popular because parent's can throw them into a lunch box or sack and be done. They are also packaged in pretty colorful containers enchaining the appeal to kids. However, they are high in sodium, fat and most are filled with way too much sugar. You can purchase colorful individual containers that will spice up your daughter's lunch box and kick it up to the "cool" zone. Colorful Containers: Add her name or even her choice of stickers to the outside of each one. Decide how much to decorate and what to use based on your decision to go with the containers that last forever or the cheaper ones. There's some pretty neat less-expensive containers that can be found in most grocery stores. This way, if they accidentally get lost or tossed in the trash at school, it's not such a waste.

Choice Varieties: Plan ahead and offer plenty of choices of food. By shopping ahead of time for school lunches, you can offer a wide variety of healthy food. Here are some suggestions that kids usually enjoy:

Peanut butter and apple slices

Trail mix made from dried fruit, nuts and cereal

Yogurt

Cheese cubes

Fresh cut up veggies

Whole grain or wheat crackers

Pretzels

Slices of fresh cheese

Mini pita pocket wheat bread with various fillings (chicken, turkey, ham, tuna, etc.)

String cheese logs

Natural applesauce

Dried fruit

Bite-size nuts

Lunch meat with homemade pizza sauce, cream cheese, or other favorite spread (maybe even a homemade Ranch dressing dip), rolled up with a favorite veggie inside.

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