Homemade Lunchables
How to Make Your Own Lunchables for Your Kids
Ahhh, Lunchables. They're fun, affordable, convenient... and not terribly nutritious. Kids love Lunchables, but they deserve better.
It's easy to make homemade Lunchables that are still fun, affordable, and convenient but much healthier than the prepackaged product. Lunchable nutrition facts show too much saturated fat and sodium and not enough fiber, and the disposable package is just plain wasteful. If you make your own Lunchables, you control the quality of the ingredients and can easily put together a much healthier alternative with reusable packaging that's just as much fun as the original.
Keep reading to find out how to make healthy, homemade Lunchables, with tips for fun presentations that will make your kids forget all about those salty, sugary, fattening cardboard-box lunches.
Why and How to Make Your Own Lunchables
Healthier, greener homemade Lunchables
A typical Oscar-Mayer Lunchables meal includes Ritz crackers, cracker-sized slices of turkey and cheese, a Capri Sun juice pouch, and a serving of candy. Even if you have picky eaters who won't touch a carrot stick, there's plenty of room for improvement with this meal. Simply replacing the Ritz crackers with a whole grain variety and the candy with some raisins is a great start. Take it a step further by adding fresh fruit and milk instead of juice, and you'll have a pretty healthy meal that most kids can handle. With more adventurous eaters, offer some fresh veggies with low-fat ranch for dipping.
The key to getting your kids to accept these healthful changes is to make it fun. Presenting their lunch in the style of the prepackaged Lunchables makes kids feel like it's something special. Making your own "sandwiches" with crackers and squares of meat and cheese is just more fun than eating a plain old full-size sandwich.
Make It Fun
Part of the fun of Lunchables is the licensed characters or kid-friendly puzzles you sometimes find on the packages. Send a sticker, a dessert treat, or a special note from Mom or Dad in the lunch box instead for a fun surprise.
Laptop Lunch System - Perfect for packing a healthy lunch that's fun
A Laptop Lunch system is perfect for packing your healthy homemade Lunchables. They come in several kid-friendly colors and prints and include everything you need to pack a waste-free lunch. Extra container sets are sold separately too, so you can take advantage of their being dishwasher-safe even if you don't run the dishwasher every day. See all the Laptop Lunch options here.
Save Money
Skip the individually packaged snacks and sides. Buy things like crackers, dried fruit, and dessert treats in bulk packages and portion out servings yourself, and you'll get much more for your money.
Oscar-Mayer Lunchables Nutrition - Learn more about what's in pre-packaged Lunchables
- Lunchables: How Bad Are They Really?
A quick analysis of Lunchables nutrition facts. Or, more accurately, Lunchables lack-of-nutrition facts. - Is That Right? New Lunchables Are 'Wholesome'
The Washington Post takes a look at the newer "wholesome" varieties of Lunchables.
Reusable Lunch Accessories - Containers and utensils for a waste-free lunch
Go Green
Make lunch from home more eco-friendly by making everything reusable. There are tons of options for sandwich boxes, small snack containers, and reusable utensils. You'll keep hundreds of little plastic bags and forks out of the landfills every year.
Mix It Up
Make sure there's lots of variety to keep things interesting. Mix and match crackers, mini pitas, cut-up toast, and sandwich wraps for stacking or dunking with deli meats and cheeses, chicken salad, egg salad, peanut butter, and hummus.
