Maybe you’ve been focused on getting better cereal into your kids’ morning bowls, and you totally spaced on what to pack for lunch?
Getting into back-to-school mode can be a real challenge, as everything shifts into overdrive and you’re racing to make sure homework’s done while also having to worry about three (three?!) meals a day.
Lunchboxes filled with homemade meals presented in pretty shapes may have their time and place, but for most busy parents their lucky if playdoh is in pretty shapes, let alone their kids foods! Relying on leftovers from dinner, mixing and matching foods that may not be traditional lunch foods and using "healthier" packaged meals can really help a parent out. Frozen meals and packaged meals can be kind of a like a personal assistant to any parent, offering a little help with back-to-school meals—the key is finding the most healthiest packaged options.
Keep reading for five super simple healthy brown bag lunches you can rely on all school year long.
5 Healthy Brown Bag Lunches for Kids
Chicken Meatball Sub
Kidfresh’s chicken meatballs are packed with healthy protein and include hidden onion, celery, and carrots for extra nutrients. Heat ‘em up at home and then make your little one a nutritious version of a meatball sub by adding tomatoes and cheese and using healthy bread.
Fruit and Yogurt and Veggies
Lunch doesn’t have to be in sandwich form to be portable. Pack up foods your kids love in a Bento box for a smorgasbord-style lunch. Think a handful of apple slices, carrot sticks, some Greek yogurt and a nut butter for dipping, a few slices of organic cheese, and some healthy trail mix. There is something slightly decadent about this style of lunch that kids really enjoy.
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Upgraded PB&J
The truth is: this classic never gets old. Sure, with white bread and super processed spreads, it’s little more than a sugar bomb. But it’s easy to make a healthy, delicious version. Choose a nut butter that’s just nuts (and maybe some superfood seeds or a little salt), fruit preserves without added sugar, and a healthy bread like sprouted grain, whole wheat, or sourdough.
Goodles Mac ‘N Cheese
Here’s a food you usually serve hot but that totally works cold: Pasta! Cold mac ‘n cheese is like a delicious, cheesy pasta salad. Heat up the Goodles version and pack it in your kid’s lunch box with a piece of fruit. They won’t know but they’ll also be having veggies for lunch, thanks to pureed added broccoli, kale, spinach, sweet potato and pumpkin.
Leftover Burgers
Here’s an idea: Instead of cold cuts, make a big batch of burgers, like these chicken-veggie burgers, and then send the kids to school with a burger piled with veggies, on a whole wheat bun or English muffin.
(Photo: Shutterstock)