Healthy and Convenient School Lunch Ideas
What kids eat for lunch has a huge impact on their overall health and well being, as well as on their ability to reach their full academic potential in school.
By taking the time to pack healthy snacks and lunches for your kids to eat while they are at school, you can help make sure that your children are getting proper nutrition. Of course, you have to send items that your kids actually like if you want them to actually eat what you send.
Fortunately, there are plenty of healthful and kid-friendly options for convenient and nutritious on-the-go, packable meal and snack ideas.
Four Healthy and Convenient Ideas for School Snacks and Lunches
1. Goji Gourmet Cookies
Youngsters certainly love cookies. While many commercially available cookies don’t really meet the definition of healthy, there are some options that you can feel good about and that your kids will enjoy. Goji Gourmet, for example, makes several flavors of healthy cookies packed with nutritious ingredients including Goji berries, oats, almonds, wheat germ, buckwheat, honey and much more. They taste great, are fun to eat and pack a powerful nutritional punch.
2. KIND snack bars
Rather than sending heavily processed snack bars to school with your kids, consider sending snack bars from KIND Healthy Snacks. These all-natural bars contain whole nuts, fruit and honey for a tasty treat full of nutrients for long-lasting energy. They are available in full-size bars as well as minis that are perfect for young children.
3. Chips from Food Should Taste Good
Most kids love chips. Fortunately, you don’t have to completely forego all chips to provide your children with healthy snack options. Opt instead for healthful, all-natural chips from Food Should Taste Good. They come in a variety of flavors and feature nutritious whole grains like quinoa, flax and sesame seeds. They are available in 1.5 ounce serving bags, the perfect size to pack in school lunches.
4. String Cheese Snacks
It’s really important for kids to get enough calcium in their diets, so individually wrapped string cheese sticks can be a terrific addition to home-packed school lunches. Most supermarkets carry several varieties of string cheese from companies including Sargento and Kraft Foods. While purchasing individually wrapped string cheese sticks costs a bit more per ounce than buying blocks of cheese, you just may find that the convenience makes them worth the price – especially since kids seem to find the packets fun to open and eat.
More Healthy and Convenient School Lunch Options?
These are only a few of the many convenient and healthful options for school lunches and snacks. What other goodies do you pack for your kids to help make sure that they’re eating right throughout the school day? Share your ideas in the comments section below.