How to Build Healthy Brown Bag Lunches for Your Kids

Kids (and husbands!) can be very picky eaters and there may be times when you wonder just how you are going to get anything healthy into their little bellies. Healthy kids lunches may seem impossible but you can do it by substituting some healthier items while still making it fun!

Start Early with Healthy Kids Lunches

Start having your kids eat healthy when they are young. While not hopeless when children are older, it can be more difficult to get them to eat veggies if they have never had anything but potato chips and chocolate bars. Not only is it better to not begin them on the junk food road but it will keep your entire family healthier at the same time.

Make Healthy Kids Lunches Fun

You remember lunch time yourself, looking at what the other kids have in their bag and hoping someone will love tuna salad sandwiches so much that they will do anything to trade their turkey and mustard sandwich with you. This still happens and your child is more likely to eat his or her lunch if it looks good to everyone else as well.

Put healthy kids lunches in fun lunch bags. The plain brown bag lunch is out so let them color on their lunch bags and add stickers and embellishments. Carrot and celery sticks and a small plastic container of salad dressing is fun, as are apple sticks with a caramel dipping sauce.

Use whole wheat or whole grain bread for sandwiches but use your cookie cutter to make them into fun shapes. If using lettuce on the salad shred a little carrot in it too or add some cucumber slices! PB and J's can be made with all natural, no sugar added, peanut butter and jellies. Tuna or chicken salad sandwiches are just as good with carrot and celery chopped fine and added in as just tuna, relish and mayonnaise.

Pita pockets are fun for kids and they know come in whole wheat and whole grain versions that make healthy kids lunches fun.

Soups are a great healthy meal for children if you make them from scratch. Throw in noodles in different sizes and shapes to add to the fun. Instead of regular saltine crackers use whole grain crackers. These may take a bit of getting used to but it won't take long and if you start them young enough they will never know there was anything else!

Healthy Kids Lunches Need Desserts Too!

The most fun in a kid's lunch is the dessert and all kids like to have something a little sweet before they go back to class. There is nothing wrong with a small bit of chocolate but dark chocolate will be better for your child than milk chocolate. Do not give a whole chocolate bar, instead just an ounce or two.

Other healthy desserts are dark chocolate covered strawberries, blueberries lightly sprinkled with chocolate or banana nut muffins. Almost anything you make yourself and do not buy pre packaged and processed is going to be healthier than what you find in the stores. Moderation is key even if the item is unhealthy.

Start slowly and work in healthy kids lunches gradually if your child is not used to the new items until the whole family is eating healthy!