School lunches need not be boring! While peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a school lunch staple, it’s a good idea to mix things up so kids get a wide variety of tastes and textures to tickle their taste buds. And you can make school lunches more cheerful by packing foods into bright containers and compartments. Here are some easy-to-plan and easy-to-prepare school lunch ideas:
- Chicken and Fruit Salad: Cut cooked chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Chop fresh spinach. Cut an apple into bite-size pieces. Combine chicken, chopped spinach, apple and some grapes. Drizzle with dressing then toss.
- Spread low-fat mayonnaise onto a whole wheat tortilla. Top with low sodium ham slices and low fat cheese slices. Roll and wrap.
- Make a tasty chicken noodle soup using chicken breast, farm fresh veggies and no-yolk noodles.
- Use a large cookie cutter to cut whole wheat bread into fun shapes, like flowers, fish, stars, etc. Make tuna salad or chicken salad sandwiches.
- Make a bento box filled with a peanut butter and jelly whole wheat mini bagel, halved cherry tomatoes, pineapple chunks and mini oatmeal cookies.
- Fill a mini whole wheat pita pocket with grilled chicken strips and fresh vegetables. For dessert, surprise your child with low-fat yogurt with sliced strawberries.