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In today’s post, I’m talking about why packing healthy school lunches
I’ll be sharing my 3 simple strategies for easy, healthy school lunches, which include:
- Give yourself parameters
- Prep ahead
- Keep it simple with (upgraded) staple items
Listen in (above) or watch (below) to hear more details about how I use these strategies to simplify school lunch packing and feel good about feeding my kids!
What are the elements of a healthy school lunch?
What is a healthy school lunch anyways? Bad news: ultimately what “healthy” means for your and your kids is up to you.
For us, we aim for a balanced meal that has protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
And yes, this may mean that my kids don’t eat their WHOLE lunch every day. Whenever I get frustrated by this, I remind myself that how much they eat isn’t up to me.
Want to hear more about the Division of Responsibility (DOR) in feeding? The Ellyn Satter Institute is a great resource for this as it Natalia Stasenko from Feeding Bytes.
How to easily pack a healthy school lunch
Now that we know what you are in charge of (what you serve) and what you aren’t in charge of (how much your kids eat), let’s talk about actually packing the lunches.
If you, like me, have spent days staring at the lunch box and fridge trying to find something easy that you can actually feel good about, then this post is for you.
Here are 3 simple strategies I’ve found for packing a easy, healthy school lunch:
1. Give yourself parameters
One of the best ways to stop decision fatigue is to give yourself some guidelines for making decisions.
This is why I love bento boxes when it comes to school lunches. We have the Bentgo boxes for our 2 and 5 year olds, but there are plenty of other awesome ones out there like this and this.
Here’s what our structure looks like:
The awesome thing is that once you’ve decided on the elements of your healthy school lunch, then you just have to fit items into the template. This is so much easier than deciding from every food
2. Prep ahead
Now that you know what types of food you need, it becomes much easier to prep them ahead. There’s no reason you should have to be chopping and making things every day (or night).
Here are some of my favorite school lunch items to prep ahead:
- Make sandwiches (can even be frozen!)
- Slice cheese
- Cut apples (sprinkle with some lemon juice)
- Wash berries (use this system to wash ahead)
- Hard boil eggs
- Slice carrots and bell peppers
P.S. this is why I love the Bentgo box. They have affordable inserts so you can have extra to pack additional lunches ahead of time and just slip into the serving box on the day of.
3. Keep it simple with (upgraded) staple items
Want to pack a healthy school lunch with no extra work? Get clear on your healthier staple items that you’ll buy and use so that you don’t have to worry about it over and over again.
Some examples:
- Natural peanut butter with no added sweeteners or oils
- Whole grain bread (we like Dave’s Killer Bread)
- Organic cheese sticks (we buy ours at Costco)
Now you have a rotating stock of items to use in your school lunch template for easy and healthy school lunch options.
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