What To Do For Back to School Lunches

I know that I’ve been introducing the back to school topic a lot over the past week or so and believe you me, I do not want summer to end.  But since Faith is starting a full time pre-k program, I’m obliged to start planning for the fall in a totally new way.  Now that I’ve done my favorite part, which was back to school shopping (get my shopping list here), I'm starting to assess other ways our lives will be impacted by Faith starting school.  One of the big things we’ve never had to worry about is food.  The in-home child care program my kiddos attend provides breakfast, snack, and lunch.  Meals are an important part of any kid’s day and now I need to come up with a working meal plan for my little lady.

So I have a few things to consider – allergies at the school (both severe nut and gluten allergies) and my daughter’s inherent pickiness.  My daughter will not eat traditional sandwich options and loves to snack.  I’m sure this is pretty common for most people with toddlers, but when we find food that Faith likes and find new healthy foods, we get really excited.

HEALTHY EATING

In order to come up with new lunch ideas and a working meal plan for Faith, I'm sharing inspiration from Nuts.com in an effort to get the community excited about healthy eating as well as provide families with options for healthy snacking.  Below are some great options Nuts.com featured in their healthy snacking articles that fall into foods that Faith will eat and that I’ll definitely stock up on for the fall.

Chia Chips // Honey Vanilla Energy Squares // Vegan "Cheese" Kale Crackers // Dutch Pretzels

OPTIONS FOR LUNCH

This article describes how to create a healthy, filling lunch.  To create a balance of foods Faith will eat and ensure there is includes protein, fiber-rich foods, and complex carbohydrates, I've featured foods below that will provide her with the nutrition she needs.  I can combine rolled deli meat / pepperoni with veggies / fruit along with a protein rich snack such as hummus or a carb like veggie sticks.

Cheese squares // Rolled turkey slices (family fav - Boar's Head honey maple) // Pepporoni slices // Broccoli // Bananas // Watermelon // Hummus (go great with chia chips) // Nutella // Veggie sticks

Finally, Nuts.com has a few recipes that look absolutely delicious that serve as other sandwich substitutes for the fall, including this blueberry chia jam bars and banana bread recipes.  These recipes are gluten-free and provide her with a healthy complex carbohydrate.

Do you have picky children?  If so, what do you do for lunch options?  How do you encourage healthy eating in your family?

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