School Lunches Made Easy

This time of year brings about the moans of many families as they must wake up earlier than summer allowed. However, rather than the arduous task of relearning to rise early, the most painstaking part of the new school year is packing a lunch that your child will actually eat. Ask any parent of children who pack their lunch daily, and they will surely describe in great detail the daily debacle they face packing their children's lunchbox. While you may be tempted to give in to buying lunch at school for at least double the price of packing a lunch (and in the process compromise your more healthful lunch), consider a few tips that may help you win the lunchbox battle.

Give Children Ownership

Perhaps the greatest tip for success lies in engaging your children in the decision making process. This allows them to not only have food they like (well, "like" for that particular day), but gives them ownership of their meal. Remember, often times food battles are about control battles. Who doesn't remember their own food battles with parents as children? You may considering grocery shopping with your children and having them pick out a few items they would like for lunch that week. Once its time to actually pack the lunch, start simple for the younger set by by giving them a two choices of a food you know they will eat. Perhaps its the standard peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or yogurt and crackers. Pack that into their lunchbox. Then offer them another two choices of a healthful side. Perhaps apples or carrots? Entice them with fun dips, such as honey, cinnamon and brown sugar, or ranch dressing. As they take ownership in their meal planning, they are more likely to gradually branch out and eat a food that they think is just "okay." Soon, you may be able to offer them the raisins that they eat once in a blue moon.

Get Children Moving

Most children, no matter how old they are, can take a more proactive part of making their lunch. Perhaps they will place their precut apples into their lunchbox. They may assist in getting a napkin for their lunch bag, grab an ice pack from the freezer, or fill up their reusable water bottle. Older kids might enjoy spreading the peanut butter on their sandwiches, or mixing up a pasta salad with precut tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.

Acknowledge Appearances

Kids are notorious for liking or disliking things based on appearance. Food is no different. There are several different things you can do to make lunches appealing without having to read the latest blogs on creative lunches or make a time consuming lunch. Utilize those cookie cutters more! Simply cutting that sandwich differently turns the ordinary lunch into something special. Put apple butter and raisins on celery for the ever popular "Ants on a Log," or create your own fun name for a creation your child likes. (We call quiche "cheesy pie" - my kids would never eat it until one day I reintroduced it after a hiatus and renamed it!) Invest in a colorful lunchbox, such as a Laptop Lunch (www.laptoplunches.com). The colors in this bento box system really make food pop in the most appealing way.

You may be asking, "What if Junior wants that Peanut Butter and Jelly every day for lunch?" If he is eating a well balanced meal, let it be. Chances are sooner or later he will change his preference for another favored food that will become the lunch star for a time. You may be able to even change that well loved pb&j gradually to Almond Butter and Jelly sandwich.

Turning lunch into a positive experience will help you reach that seemingly far out dream that your children regularly eat their packed lunch. And that means they'll achieve more in school, be less cranky upon arrival home, and grow into self sufficient adults that can make healthy choices about their food.