Summer is winding down and the back to school posts are going strong! I know packing school lunches can be an added stress for many parents. It’s just one more thing to do before your kiddo heads out the door during a hectic school morning.
Personally, I like packing lunches and having Quinn eat at school. Why? Because she’s forced to sit down to eat. Over the summer, she often just snacks throughout the day and complains about being hungry all day. It drives me crazy. If I make her a balanced lunch at home she will often eat half and say she’s not hungry anymore, only to complain about being hungry and wanting a snack 30 minutes later. At school she’s forced to sit down and eat what I packed. No swaps available.
Packing a school lunch is an opportunity to “pack in” the nutrition when she has no other options ;). I do pack what I know she likes and will eat, but may also throw in 1-2 adventurous items she may be hungry enough to try at school.
I linked Quinn’s lunchbox, lunch bag, and water bottle she will be using this year in this post.
Here are my 5 hacks for packing a school lunch:
#1 BALANCE
I encourage you to think about packing your child’s lunch with the same mindset that you (hopefully) think about when planning your own meals. You want to pack foods that keep them full and provide lots of long lasting energy! I have a formula when packing Quinn’s lunch: protein, fruit, vegetables, complex carbs, and something fun 😉
Protein: deli meat, shredded chicken, nut or seed butter, hummus, beans, edamame, hard boiled egg, yogurt, cheese are come easy examples.
Fruit: Ideally fresh fruit so your kiddo is getting that filling fiber which is lacking in things like dried fruit and apple sauce pouches.
Vegetables: Another opportunity to add filling fiber and color to your child’s lunch. I usually pack easy things carrots, cucumber, or celery with ranch or hummus for dipping. Quinn has become more interested in salad recently so I might experiment with side Cesar salad.
Complex Carbohydrates: whole wheat bread, crackers (I like Simple Mills), tortillas, pita, quinoa, rice, or pasta. This is going to provide your child with a quick energy source.
Something Fun: I like to pack a little something fun. Sometimes it’s just a few choc chips in trail mix or little cookies, fruit snacks, candy from a holiday, etc.
#2 Take Risks
Another thing to remember is that when your child is at school there is peer pressure to eat lunch. Everyone is doing it and bonus…they can’t whine politely ask you to make them something different. If they are hungry enough they will eat what you’ve packed them. I know I get a lot of eye rolls with some of the healthier options I pack Quinn for school lunches, but she eats it because she’s hungry! I’ve learned school lunches are the time to take risks and throw in a few experimental items. If she doesn’t eat them- oh well. She was exposed to it and I’ll keep trying. Or maybe she tries it and realizes that she actually likes an item she’s previously believed was “gross”.
#3 IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT
You’re not a failure if you’re not busting out the cookie cutters and making unicorn deli sandwiches every morning. If you miss a food group your child will be fine. Nutrition is cumulative. One meal/snack/day won’t make or break their health. Aim for a general trend of balanced choices. If you get in a rut there are a lot of “cheat sheets” on Pinterest that might help you think of some new ideas to try.
#4 CONSIDER PACKING LUNCHES THE NIGHT BEFORE
I have really found packing lunch the night before to be such a time saver. I try to wash out Quinn’s lunchbox right when she gets home so it’s dry by the time I start dinner. I’ll have the lunch box out while making dinner and will put stuff in while making dinner or right after. Some things I’ll wait until the morning of if they won’t keep well overnight, but most things will. I’ll have her water bottle filled and snacks packed and set out ready to go straight into her backpack in the morning. I’m always relieved when I’m rushing for time in the morning and know that the lunch is already packed.
#5 HAVE YOUR CHILD HELP
While it may slow down the lunch making process and probably make a mess, it may encourage them to eat more if they are involved in the lunch making process. Quinn is old enough that she can make her own lunch if she’s motivated. She knows the formula and I look it over when she’s done. She typically eats more when she packs her own lunch. I also have her grocery shop with me and pick out what she wants her fruits and veggies to be for the week in her lunch.
xx, A
