Healthy lunch ideas for your little ones

When it comes to not eating their lunch at school, kids usually have a million excuses. The banana was too squishy, they were too busy talking or they ended up trading the casserole you spent an hour making from scratch for a handful of nutrient void gummy bears. (Lunch swaps are made as often as Bay Street deals and are serious business.) Of course, all of this can only be uncovered if the lunch bag actually makes it home at the end of the day to undergo inspection. Calling all parents: I know you’ve been there!!

For many kids, asserting decisions around food is one of their first real independent behaviours. At school, that’s exacerbated by a lot of distractions and temptations during the lunch hour. So how can you make sure those fruits and veggies cut through all the noise?

A lot of it comes down to thinking like a kid again. Get your kids involved in the process so they feel some control and ownership. Try funky things with boring staples (think rolling sandwiches into pinwheels or cutting apples into french fry sticks). And think out of the (lunch) box by incorporating breakfast and dinner items or even finger foods. Watch the video above to hear more great ideas from registered dietitian Annie Hoang, as well as a mother who is already bracing herself for the back to school transition.

So, as we prepare for another academic year, here’s hoping our kids will be as excited about the food inside their lunch bag as the new lunch bag itself. And at the very least, we can give ourselves an “A” for effort.

For help navigating the (sometimes dreaded) lunch hour planning, follow the path below:

[toggle title=”Click here to read a text-only version”]

Make a list, involve your kids, make sandwiches fun, get adventurous, repurpose meals, pack finger foods, avoid sugary drinks, be mindful of food allergies, keep food fresh.

[/toggle]