Back-to-School Hacks: Healthy lunch boxes as seen on ABC-TV LA
All of these would be placed in the Easy Lunchboxes brand of containers. Just two parts, dishwasher safe and BPA-free.
1: “Sushi roll” Lunch Box
Almond Butter and Grape “Sushi Rolls”: Cut the crust off 2 slices of 100% whole-grain bread. Roll flat with a rolling pin or your hands. Spread with nut-free Sunbutter (made with sunflower seeds) and sprinkle with sliced grapes. Roll tightly like sushi. Cut into thick slices with a serrated edge knife.
Designer eggs that double as a craft: Using a white crayon, have your child draw designs onto shell-on hard-boiled eggs. Dye with natural food coloring according to package directions. Create autumn leaves and colors in the fall and change according to the season or holiday. Kids love showing these to their friends. Position in silicon muffin cup.
In-shell edamame
Dark Chocolate Milk Tapioca Pudding: No matter the flavor or fat content, all milk has the same nine essential nutrients including high-quality protein, calcium, potassium and vitamin D. The clean ingredients allow you to feel good about what you are eating and the Chocolate Milk Pudding contains six more grams of high-quality protein per serving.
2: Hummus Dipper Lunch Box
Hummus dip: Hummus counts as a vegetable and two heaping spoonfuls a day gets you to the USDA-recommended 1 1/2 cups of legumes per week, since it’s made from chickpeas.
Silicon muffin cups filled with: matchstick carrots, sugar snap peas, 100% whole-grain crackers or pita wedges.
Apple Star Sandwiches: Cut a Granny smith apple horizontally into thick slices to reveal the star-shaped core. Sandwich natural peanut butter between two apple slices.
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3: Turkey Meatball Box
Turkey meatballs skewered with cherry tomatoes, paired with Ranch-flavored Greek yogurt.
Popcorn trail mix: mixed with no-added-sugar dried fruit. Buy popcorn made with simple ingredients (like organic popcorn, coconut oil and salt) or make your own. Popcorn is a true whole grain and a good source of fiber.
Snack bar sandwiches: KIND Healthy Grains Popped Salted Caramel bars cut in half and filled with almond butter and sliced apple. Disclosure: KIND is a client of mine.
For beverages:
It is best to stick with milk or water. You can add some seasonal fruit slices to water to add flavor, like apple slices and lemon.
I send Scarlet to school with a reusable sport bottle filled with filtered water, and Stella with a Thermos straw bottle filled with milk.
You might also enjoy:
Garlic and Smoke Popcorn Mix
Creamy Vegan Ranch White Bean Dip
Swedish Turkey Meatballs with Greek Yogurt
I'm a chef nutritionist, not the food police. I eat cookies but make sure to eat my broccoli too.
