How to Build Healthy Brown Bag Lunches for Your Kids

Save money and make sure your kids are eating healthy with a few creative approaches to brown bag lunches.

Switch It Up

Use bagels, English muffins, or rice cakes for sandwiches, or use a wrap or flat bread. Instead of peanut butter and jam, try cream cheese and jam. Use hummus instead of mayonnaise and sprouts instead of lettuce.

For a twist on traditional sandwich fare, try these as sandwich fillings, with crackers, or by themselves:

• Cheese, avocado and sprouts

• Grilled cheese with cucumber and sprouts

• Cheddar or mozzarella cheese with apple slices

• Turkey with cranberry sauce and lettuce or sprouts

• Cream cheese and smoked salmon

Make It Fun

With a few fun and creative touches, you can entice your kids to eat good-for-them foods:

• Spread cream cheese or peanut butter on a bagel, English muffin or rice cake. Make a face with raisin or dried fruit eyes, a cashew or almond nose and an apple or fruit slice smile.

• Use cookie cutters to cut regular sandwiches into fun shapes.

• Try this Family Fun magazine recipe for Two-Tone Sandwiches (http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50270): Take a slice each of wheat and white bread. Stack them on top of one another. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the middle of the bread slices. Switch the slices (so the white cut-out is inside the wheat bread and vice versa) and add sandwich fillings.

• Make "Stickwiches," another Family Fun idea (http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50340): Cut bread, meat and cheese into cubes. Slide the cubes onto a skewer with cherry tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and olives. You can serve honey mustard for dipping.

Add A Little Something Extra

Instead of chips, try these healthy brown bag alternatives:

• Vegetable sticks with salad dressing or honey mustard for dipping

• Pretzels

• Celery sticks filled with peanut butter or cream cheese

• Crackers

• Nuts

• Tortilla chips with salsa

• Popcorn

• Make your own chips with this recipe from Amazing Moms (http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/baglunches.htm): Cut fun shapes from tortillas, then brush lightly with olive oil and bake until crisp. You can sprinkle with parmesan cheese or garlic salt for added zip.

And Don't Forget Dessert

For healthy, low sugar desert ideas, try

• Fresh fruit

• Pudding cups

• Graham crackers and peanut butter

• Fruit yogurt

• Dried fruit

• Fortune cookies

• Vanilla wafer cookies (with yogurt or pudding for dipping, if you like)

Resources

Laptop Lunches http://www.laptoplunches.com/ideas.html

Family Fun Magazine http://www.familyfun.go.com

Amazing Moms http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/baglunches.htm