Healthy and Beautiful School Lunches

Here are some ways to make your homemade lunches more balanced and beautiful:

Mix it up, but with a plan: Meal planning for school lunches can streamline the process and take out extra decision-making

in the morning. This also helps to avoid lunch burnout for kiddos. Planning by the week or even month is a great way to ensure kids are getting necessary food groups and nutrients each day, in the right quantities and frequencies. For example, make a plan to have fish once per week or aim for ten different vegetables per month.

Emphasize protein: Many kids' lunches are seriously lacking in protein, something they need to grow, learn and thrive. While peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are great, they don’t actually offer that much protein and can displace higher-protein options. I am not suggesting that PB&Js are bad, but this is better as a once or twice a week choice to make room for more nutrient-dense options. Nuts and seeds are great for snacks or condiments, but really cannot replace the nutrition found in animal products that kids need for growth and development.

Meat, eggs and dairy are the most nutritious sources of protein—this could be all-natural lunch meat, tuna or salmon, hard-boiled eggs, egg salad, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, summer sausage or meat sticks. These options could go on a sandwich or wrap, pair with whole-grain crackers or stand alone with a bit of mayo or mustard.

Artful fruits and veggies: Besides adding beauty and novelty to the day, an artfully made meal can make trying new (or not so favorite) foods more exciting and appealing to kids. One place we see this often is with produce. When veggies are cut into easy-to-eat sticks or fun shapes, especially if paired with a yummy dip like hummus or homemade ranch dressing, kids are more likely to eat them. This works great with fruit, too, though it is often much easier to get kids to eat fruits than vegetables! Chopped salads or coleslaw that stand up to waiting until lunchtime without getting soggy, as well as seaweed snacks or nori used as a wrap instead of a tortilla (think homemade sushi, but easier!), are all tasty ways to get more veggies in at lunch. The more colorful the produce, the better, both for nutrition and eye appeal. Don’t be afraid of adding plenty of dips, sauces and dressings to make vegetables more palatable for kiddos, too! If made with the right ingredients, these condiments add healthy fats kid brains need to thrive.

Dairy daily: Kids need lots of calcium-rich dairy foods each day to support growing bodies. If you are packing their lunch, chances are that they are not getting a carton of milk. To be sure they are getting their calcium needs met here are a few ideas: simply pack insulated bottle of whole milk (be sure it is a leak-proof vessel), or get creative and send smoothies, homemade chocolate milk, string cheese or cheese cubes, cottage cheese, or yogurt with or without added goodies like berries or granola.

Smart sweets: It’s no secret that kids want something sweet with their school lunch, but there are ways to make even this part of the meal nutrient-dense. Fresh fruit is an easy choice, but if you want to mix it up, a fruit and yogurt parfait, low-sugar granola/ protein bar, a homemade cookie or other treats are fine to add in small quantities. Avoid regularly adding candy or super-sweet items made with food colorings and artificial ingredients, opting for sweet treats with more nutrition in them instead.

Make it beautiful: Japanese culture has embraced this need for meals, even to-go ones, to be nutritionally complete and aesthetically pleasing. The practice and
art of bento achieves this, by ensuring that each component of the lunch is pleasing to the eye and balanced to meet childrens’ needs. There are many variations on bento, ranging from simple ingredients placed in separate compartments to elaborate items made to look like characters or animals.

You can add pizzazz to the containers, not just the food itself. Whether it is a classic bento box or several smaller, separate containers, find stainless steel jars with colors your kid loves, as well as a lunch box that they help pick out with a design they are excited about. The package can be beautiful with the homemade meal as a gift inside each day. Don’t forget the sweet note if you have an extra minute in the morning!

I know how chaotic school mornings can be, so set realistic expectations on the time and effort you have to put into making your kiddo’s lunches. You don’t have to
attempt making school lunches fit the “bento” aesthetic or put hours in each day if that does not work for your family. To save time, you can also always rely on leftovers to toss in a school lunch! If your child loved dinner the night before, that is a great way to prevent food waste and give them a nutritious lunch, plus save you time. Most leftovers are great served cold, but heating them up in the morning and putting them in an insulated container works well, too.

By using a variety of colors and textures and packaging the food neatly you can start to beautify a simple lunch. Even for adults, meals presented in a careful way that’s pleasing to the eye makes eating healthfully more appealing, so apply these principles for your lunch as well. Add some fun and cooperation by having the kiddos help make their lunch, doing what you can the night before. When children help prepare meals, they are more likely to try new foods and get excited about food and cooking. With a bit of planning, you can make each school day’s lunch a feast for the senses, ensuring your kiddo gets the nutrition they need and adding a bit of beauty to each day.