Looking for new ideas for your kids’ school lunches? Here are some budget-friendly, creative ideas from the American Heart Association to keep kids happy and healthy at lunchtime:

Make a smarter sandwich.

While some kids prefer the same thing every day, others may be OK with a slight switch to their sandwich. Here are a few options:

• Use different breads, such as 100% whole-wheat pita pockets or 100% whole-wheat tortilla wraps. Choose wraps low in saturated fat and made with no hydrogenated oils.

• In addition to lettuce and tomato, try shredded carrot or zucchini and sliced apple or pear with a turkey sandwich.

• Try avocado or hummus as a swap for cheese or mayo.

Take advantage of leftovers.

Think about using the leftovers from a family favorite dinner for lunch the next day. Use a thermos to keep foods hot or cold until the lunch bell rings.

Some ideas:

• Soup (tomato, vegetable or bean).

• Chili (vegetarian or made with lean or extra lean ground chicken).

• Spaghetti (whole wheat with tomato, pesto or marinara sauce).

• Bean casserole or beans and rice.

These foods sometimes have a lot of sodium, so make them homemade with little or no salt, or compare nutrition facts of similar products and choose the ones with less sodium.

Make lunch fun.

Sometimes it’s OK to let your kids play with their food, especially when they are getting extra nutrition. Try packing one of these fun dunks with dippers:

• Apple and pear slices to dip into low-fat, plain yogurt or peanut butter.

• Carrot, celery and sweet pepper strips to dip into hummus, fresh salsa or homemade bean dip.

• Whole-grain crackers (low in sodium and saturated fat and made without hydrogenated oils) or slices of grilled tofu to dunk into soup.

Get kids involved.

When kids help pack their lunch, they’re more likely to eat that lunch! On nights you have a bit more time, have them choose which fruit or what type of whole-grain bread they want and let them assemble their lunch. Make this a weekly routine. It’s another great way to spend family time together.

Pack lunch safely.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers the following advice for keeping packed lunches safe.

For cold lunches, use a soft-sided lunch bag and include at least two cold sources. You can use two frozen gel packs (not smaller than 5x3 inches each) or combine a frozen gel pack with a frozen juice box or frozen bottle of water. Place cold sources on top and bottom of the perishable food items to keep them cold.

If there's a refrigerator available at the school, store perishable items there upon arrival. Remember to leave the lid or lunch bag open so that cold air can circulate and keep the food cold.

For hot lunches, use a clean and insulated container to keep food like soup, chili and stew hot. Fill the container with boiling water, let it stand for a few minutes, empty and then put in the piping hot food. Keep the insulated container closed until lunchtime to keep the food hot at 140 degrees or above.

After lunch, discard all leftover food, used disposable food packaging and paper bags. Do not reuse disposable packaging because it could contaminate other food and cause foodborne illness.

For more information on packing kids’ lunches safely, visit Keeping “Bag” Lunches Safe.

Sources:
American Heart Association
U.S. Department of Agriculture