Packed Lunches Made Easy(ish)

It’s that time of year again; back to school! If you have little lunches to pack you’ll be happy to know we’ve got you covered. Everything from quick and easy things to make and prepare for packed lunches, to some kid-approved already prepared foods. Tune in and get packin’! General guideline; aim for three food groups, with at least one being a fruit or vegetable. Resources/Show Notes National School Lunch Fact Sheet Gina’s favorite bentos (easily stackable so you can pack several lunches at once and then store in fridge. Also very easy to clean) Nicole’s Favorite Rubbermaid containers Gina’s favorite food thermos Sally’s Favorite Lunch Packing Gear (Real Mom Nutrition) Didn’t I Just Feed You Podcast (great episode about packing lunches)   Favorite lunch products RX nut butters  (when you have a kid who barely eats, but loves nut butter, you buy the ones with extra protein!) Stonyfield yogurts and tubes Sunbutter (Creamy) Fruit Strips (these are my kid’s favorite!) Belvita Biscuits Wheat Thins (kids tend to like these…have you noticed? And they are 100% whole grain) Applesauce (preferably unsweetened.  Add cinnamon for flavor!) Delmonte fruit cups (preferably no sugar added) Chobani Flips (Paige doesn’t love yogurt, but she will eat these!) Fruit by the Foot (I know, crazy right?  But these babies are good and only around 10g sugar!  I (Gina) pack these or another sweet snack in Paige’s lunch on Fridays) Kacookies (a more nutrient dense cookie!) Mott’s Fruit Snacks (again only 10 g sugar. Often times less than even those “healthier organic” brands!) Nutri-Grain Kids Snacks (we would consider this a “dessert with benefits”, since it’s sweet but comes with whole grains and some fortification!) Nature Valley  (Gina’s favorite new products. Seriously yum.  Another “dessert with benefits”. Only 8 g of sugar and also 3 g fiber and 5 g protein)   Favorite lunch simple “recipes” or non-product ideas Apples and Caramel or Nut Butter Pepperoni and Crackers Salads; Italian salad (have them add the dressing and shake it at school! Croutons and cheese are fun additions), Grain Salad (cooked quinoa with feta, dill, tomatoes, cucumbers and a little olive oil and salt) Edamame and corn salad with a hint of lime or salt (or both) (Hint: put the edamame and corn into their lunch frozen, it will be thawed by lunch, especially if it stays out of the fridge until they eat!) String Cheese with Cherry Tomatoes Almond Butter and Jelly Sandwiches Thermos food; soup (pack some crackers with it), pasta with sauce and meatballs (or just sauce with ground meat or turkey added), leftovers Leftovers (leftover pizza is Paige’s favorite packed lunch. Of course!) Nicole’s 10th Annual Chili Contest – Enter by 9/1/19!! The post Packed Lunches Made Easy(ish) appeared first on Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Intuitive Eating Columbus OH.