How to Make Bag Lunches that Are Healthy and Fun for Kids to Eat

With school cafeterias everywhere serving pizza and burgers each at least once a week, nutrition can be a real concern for parents with school age children. Packing your kids lunches can not only save on the calories, but can save you money, too. Parents are dishing out from $2-$4 every day for each child's school lunch, and some schools even higher still.

The good news is, it's not as difficult as you may think to put together a healthy lunch that kids will actually enjoy eating. You don't have to fill that bag with chocolate and sweets for kids to eat their lunches! Lets not forget that there are many different fruits and vegetables that kids have been eating since before anyone around today can remember! Also, many high calorie foods, when eaten in moderation, also have very high amounts of proteins and vitamins.

The first place to start when deciding what to pack for your kid's lunch, is with their favorite foods. Most kids already love a lot of healthy foods. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, for example, can be very healthy options for your kids lunches. All natural peanut butter is packed full of vitamins and protein, which will help keep your kid's energy level high without a crash later. Jelly can be replaced with real fruit jam to lower the calories and increase the vitamins, such as vitamin C from whole fruits which promotes overall health and helps ward off colds. Put them between whole grain bread, and you've got a very healthy and very filling lunch for your kids!

Another thing to remember is that your healthy dinner you ate last night will still be healthy if your kids eat it for lunch the next day. If you purchase a thermos and small airtight plastic containers those leftovers can be packed away for school the next day! With the addition of these containers, your kid's lunches can have much more variety. Soups and stews can be kept warm for hours in a good thermos. Fruit can be protected from bruising and making a mess by being packed into those plastic containers. You can even try mixing some fruits and vegetables together this way. Peeled oranges, apple slices and baby carrots added to the same container are a great side item for kid's lunches. The oranges give a great taste to the carrots, and keep the apples from turning brown.

Just remember, keep it simple. No need to spend a lot of time and money formulating complicated recipes and buying all your kid's food from the health food store! Most kids and parents are already on the right track when it comes to eating healthy. Just remember moderation of higher fat and calorie foods, and add more fresh and healthy foods such as grains, fruits and veggies. Remember the four food groups, and have fun making them healthy lunches they'll love.