When it comes to school lunches does it feel like you are making the same thing day after day? We thought we would help a little... I picked up a book this past weekend called
Healthy Lunchboxes for kids by Amanda Grant. It has some great idea's for kids lunches that I had never thought of and thought I would share a few idea's with you....
Here are a few Sandwich ideas...
Cheese & Apple - Grate some of your child's favourite cheese and mix it with grated apple, 1 chopped scallion, a squeeze of lemon and a little mayonnaise. Choose your child's favourite bread ( this combination is particularly good on a wholewheat bread )...
Hummus, Tomatoes & Lettuce - Spread some hummus onto your chosen bread, and top with thin slices of tomatoes and lettuce leaves ( I tried this one and instead of lettuce used baby spinach )...
Avocado & Red Bell Pepper - Mash 1/2 ripe avocado with a little lemon juice and spread onto your chosen bread. Finely chop 1/4 red bell pepper ( you can use orange or yellow as well ) and sprinkle it over the top of the avocado.....
Tuna with Cucumber - Mash some canned tuna, spread onto your chosen bread, and top with thinly sliced cucumber. ( canned salmon could also be used )
A couple Fun Salad ideas.....
Pick 'n' Mix Salad - Let your child help you decide what to put in the pick 'n' mix salad... Into a bowl add your cut up veggies, fruit and cheese... Send with some crackers, a roll or a rice cake if you wish...
Idea's for the salad can be.... Chunks of Cucumber, Celery, Carrots, Red Grapes, Cheddar Cheese ( squared ) and a handful of raisins...
( make it colourful so it's not only healthy but fun so your child will want to eat it, and if they help you pick out what goes in it that's even better! )
Coleslaw - Thinly slice some cabbage ( a small head or 1/2 large ) and whatever colour your child would rather eat, or mix it up and add both... Peel and grate 2 carrots, thinly slice 1 red bell pepper, add 1 handful of raisins. For the dressing 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt, and a tablespoon of honey ( I use agave instead of honey ). Mix dressing and pour on the salad. Put it in the fridge and you are ready to serve.
Green Salad - Cut up chunks of lettuce or use baby spinach, then give your child ( children ) the choice of what they wish to add to it... cucumber, carrots, radishes, cherry tomatoes, or maybe they would rather fruits in their salad, thinly sliced, apples, pears, or berries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries...
For the dressing you can use your child's favourite ( but send it with them in a different container and let them put it on at school... It might even be fun to let them make the dressing.. Idea's 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice or red or white wine vinegar or even balsamic vinegar and for more flavour you can add any of the following, 1 tablespoon or honey or agave, 1/2 small garlic clove ( crushed ) or 1/2 teaspoon of mustard.
Keep in mind all the idea's above can be made to suit your child... They are also just a few idea's I happened to pick out of the book. There are lots of websites as well that have useful information on them about just what we should be feeding our children. Should you wish to get a list of the websites contact the school council email at cameroncouncil@hotmail.ca
We would also
love to hear what healthy lunches and snacks are your children's favourite.... Please let us know by leaving a message in the comments section...
