Brown
Bag
Lunch Ideas
Don’t
celebrate in front of the kids, but it’s almost time for
school to start! Packing lunches that are healthy and something
they won’t trade away is a challenge.
Brownbag
101
Sandwiches are
usually the mainstay. The obvious choices are ham, turkey, roast
beef, and very lean corned beef and pastrami. Processed lunch
meats like bologna and salami also come in low fat and fat-free
versions. Make sure any lunchmeat is at least 98% lean or has no
more than 2 grams of fat per ounce.
There are light
or low fat cheeses available with 5 grams of fat or less per
ounce. They taste like the regular cheese and have even more
calcium.
Let’s not
forget the old standby, PB & J. The healthiest choice (see
this month’s Ingredient Substitutions) is a freshly ground or
natural peanut butter, such as Smucker’s Natural. It’s the
old-fashioned kind where the oil sits on top. Carefully stir to
mix in the oil, and then refrigerate the peanut butter.
That was the
easy part. Now what? Fresh fruit or the small boxes of raisins
are always healthy choices. If your child will eat raw
vegetables, try packing some of the baby carrots. Still hungry?
Pack a snack-size zip-lock bag full of pretzels, light microwave
popcorn, baked tortilla chips, or baked potato chips.
Cookies are a
good dessert for packed lunches. If you don’t have time for
homemade cookies, there are some healthy choices you can buy
listed below. Look for cookies with 2 grams of fat or less per
serving.
The healthiest
beverage choice, of course, is milk. Most schools offer 2% or
even 1%. The chocolate milk is usually 1% or 2%. Second best is
a fruit juice (not drink), and of course, there’s
always water.
For
Extra Credit
If you’re
worried about your child’s lunch staying cold enough sitting
in the school locker, check out this month’s FYI.
These portions
are what determine the suggested daily number of servings for
each of the basic food groups, as recommended by the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
