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This was an article in the SA Express-News (and probably every other paper the Washington Post owns) but if you didn't see it:
The most important things you can pack in your child's lunch box are a healthy attitude, nutritious, fun food and love.
Occasionally, include a note telling your child to have a nice day, or that you hope they do well on their test, or how sweet they are, or how cute they looked today. You'll be surprised how much they will appreciate this.
It's important to let your child know how much you love and care for them. Talk to them about what is important to eat and why. Feed their hearts with love and their tummies with good food and give them a head start to becoming fit, productive adults. No one else can do it as well as you.
A week's worth of breakfasts
Bananas on a Cloud: Top half of a toasted English muffin with low-fat peanut butter and fresh banana slices.
Bugs on a Tire: Top half of a toasted bagel with low-fat jelly swirl cream cheese and raisins.
Happy Face French Toast: Prepare French toast; instead of dousing with maple syrup, decorate the toast with canned low-fat whipped cream, fruit and chocolate chips for a face.
Recipes
• Ants on a Log
• Fruity Peanut Butter Spread
• Savory Beef and Cheese Roll-Ups
Eggs in a Frame: Cut a hole in a slice of bread; lightly butter and put buttered side down in skillet; break an egg into center and cook until done.
Berry Good Granola: Top granola with fresh berries and serve with orange juice and a muffin.
A week of afternoon snacks
Here are a week's worth of after-school snacks — plus an extra one, for good measure.
Kid's Favorite 'Nana Cream Pie: Tear a banana into bite-size pieces. Place on graham crackers. Add a dollop of low-fat or fat-free whipped cream, top with another cracker and squish together.
Orangesicles: In a bowl, combine 2 cups plain yogurt with a 6-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix and pour into popsicle trays and freeze. (Or, pour into ice cube trays, insert sticks, and freeze.)
Apple Volcanoes: Cut off the top of an apple. Using a spoon, scoop out the core of the apple and fill with peanut butter; top with raisins.
Fruit in the Clouds: Place a dollop of low-fat whipped topping on a plate and top with berries, fruit and miniature marshmallows.
Crazy Juice: Combine 1/2 cup tomato juice with 1/2 cup pineapple, apple or pear juice.
Banana Chocolate Shake: Blend 1 banana, 3 tablespoons peanut butter, 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup and 1 cup milk in blender. Pour into a glass; serve with a straw.
Here are 20days worth of lunch ideas they put out:
1) Crunchy PB and banana sandwich on Whole wheat bread
Purchased container of green applesause
Cluster of grapes
Oatmeal Cookie
2) Deli-sliced turkey and thinkly sliced cheese in whole wheat tortilla spread with lite mayo, mustard or ranch dressing
Sm. pkg purchased baked chips
Applice slices with a sm container of PB for dipping
3) Fresh tuna salad in container
Canned potato sticks in zip-top bag to top tuna salad
Banana with 2 oz container of caramel ice cream topping for dipping
Small container of granola for dipping caramel banana into
4) PB and G- Combine PB and granola and spread on a whole wheat tortilla and topped with sliced banana and a dash of cinnamon
Small container mandarin orange slices
Bag of popcorn
5) Trail Mix wrap; combine dried apricots, bananas, toasted almonds and more combined with enough plain yogurt to hold it all together. Stir in two tbsp apricot preserves nd 1 cup shredded wheat or granola, wrap up in tortilla
Juice box of 100% OJ
Small bag of low-fat cookies
6) Rolled Meat and cheese sticks- roll deli sliced roast beef, turkey or ham into tight rolls. do the same for deli cheese slices. Tuck carrot sticks into the ends of each roll.
Cut up fruit in container
Vanilla tapioca pudding cup
7) PB sanwich with raisins and sunflower seeds
Jell-O cup
Small bag pretzels
sm. cup of mixed fruit
8) Ham and Pimento cheese sandwich on a hot dog bun
Zip-top bag of sweet pickles
zip-top bag of baked tortilla chips
sm. container mild salsa
Apple slices with caramel dip
9) Thermos bean and bacon soup
zip top bag of goldfish crackers
Bag of cherries
zip-top bag of trail mix
10) Sm container of canned chicken
zip top bag with minced celery, cruimbled bacon, chopped toasted almonds
halved bagel
zip top bag with dried fruits
11) Sm Container ready-made ham salad
sm container pimento cheese
triscuits
sm container pitted black olives
zip top bag of pineapple chunks
12) Sliced chicken in pita bread
Container light ranch dressing for spreading on pita
zip top bag of lettuce and tomatoes
zip top bag of mini caramel flavored rice cakes
container of cinnamon flavored applesauce
13) Purchase tuna salad on hot dog bun
bagog lettuce and tomatoes
thermos of tomato soup
chocolate chip oatmeal cookie
14) Deli pasta salad
bag of triscuits
bag of cheese cubes
container of canned peaches
15) Turkey dog cut into 1-inch sections and skewered on frilly toothpicks with cheese cubes and cherry tomatoes
dip container of ranch dressing
sm box of raisins
16) Thermos low-sodium tomato soup witih goldfish cracker or popcorn to top it
Rolled ham
Carrot stick and celery sticks
Fruit salad Jello
17) Ham salad in celery sticks
Cantalope balls
Bran muffin
Strawberries with powdered sugar dip
18) Turkey wrapped cheese sticks
Popcorn sprinkled with Parmesan cheese
Carrot sticks with pineapple flavored cream cheese
Craisins
Energy bar
19) Health choice bologna slices with cut out faces
Cheese slices with cut-out faces
crackers
Honeydew melon balls with frilly toothpicks
Cereal snack bar
20) Skewered lean hamwith pineapple chunks, cherry tomatoes and cheese cubes
Cheese crackers
banana muffin
So- there's some inspiration for you all. (and actually I think I'll try some of these suggestions myself!)
The most important things you can pack in your child's lunch box are a healthy attitude, nutritious, fun food and love.
Occasionally, include a note telling your child to have a nice day, or that you hope they do well on their test, or how sweet they are, or how cute they looked today. You'll be surprised how much they will appreciate this.
It's important to let your child know how much you love and care for them. Talk to them about what is important to eat and why. Feed their hearts with love and their tummies with good food and give them a head start to becoming fit, productive adults. No one else can do it as well as you.
A week's worth of breakfasts
Bananas on a Cloud: Top half of a toasted English muffin with low-fat peanut butter and fresh banana slices.
Bugs on a Tire: Top half of a toasted bagel with low-fat jelly swirl cream cheese and raisins.
Happy Face French Toast: Prepare French toast; instead of dousing with maple syrup, decorate the toast with canned low-fat whipped cream, fruit and chocolate chips for a face.
Recipes
• Ants on a Log
• Fruity Peanut Butter Spread
• Savory Beef and Cheese Roll-Ups
Eggs in a Frame: Cut a hole in a slice of bread; lightly butter and put buttered side down in skillet; break an egg into center and cook until done.
Berry Good Granola: Top granola with fresh berries and serve with orange juice and a muffin.
A week of afternoon snacks
Here are a week's worth of after-school snacks — plus an extra one, for good measure.
Kid's Favorite 'Nana Cream Pie: Tear a banana into bite-size pieces. Place on graham crackers. Add a dollop of low-fat or fat-free whipped cream, top with another cracker and squish together.
Orangesicles: In a bowl, combine 2 cups plain yogurt with a 6-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix and pour into popsicle trays and freeze. (Or, pour into ice cube trays, insert sticks, and freeze.)
Apple Volcanoes: Cut off the top of an apple. Using a spoon, scoop out the core of the apple and fill with peanut butter; top with raisins.
Fruit in the Clouds: Place a dollop of low-fat whipped topping on a plate and top with berries, fruit and miniature marshmallows.
Crazy Juice: Combine 1/2 cup tomato juice with 1/2 cup pineapple, apple or pear juice.
Banana Chocolate Shake: Blend 1 banana, 3 tablespoons peanut butter, 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup and 1 cup milk in blender. Pour into a glass; serve with a straw.
Here are 20days worth of lunch ideas they put out:
1) Crunchy PB and banana sandwich on Whole wheat bread
Purchased container of green applesause
Cluster of grapes
Oatmeal Cookie
2) Deli-sliced turkey and thinkly sliced cheese in whole wheat tortilla spread with lite mayo, mustard or ranch dressing
Sm. pkg purchased baked chips
Applice slices with a sm container of PB for dipping
3) Fresh tuna salad in container
Canned potato sticks in zip-top bag to top tuna salad
Banana with 2 oz container of caramel ice cream topping for dipping
Small container of granola for dipping caramel banana into
4) PB and G- Combine PB and granola and spread on a whole wheat tortilla and topped with sliced banana and a dash of cinnamon
Small container mandarin orange slices
Bag of popcorn
5) Trail Mix wrap; combine dried apricots, bananas, toasted almonds and more combined with enough plain yogurt to hold it all together. Stir in two tbsp apricot preserves nd 1 cup shredded wheat or granola, wrap up in tortilla
Juice box of 100% OJ
Small bag of low-fat cookies
6) Rolled Meat and cheese sticks- roll deli sliced roast beef, turkey or ham into tight rolls. do the same for deli cheese slices. Tuck carrot sticks into the ends of each roll.
Cut up fruit in container
Vanilla tapioca pudding cup
7) PB sanwich with raisins and sunflower seeds
Jell-O cup
Small bag pretzels
sm. cup of mixed fruit
8) Ham and Pimento cheese sandwich on a hot dog bun
Zip-top bag of sweet pickles
zip-top bag of baked tortilla chips
sm. container mild salsa
Apple slices with caramel dip
9) Thermos bean and bacon soup
zip top bag of goldfish crackers
Bag of cherries
zip-top bag of trail mix
10) Sm container of canned chicken
zip top bag with minced celery, cruimbled bacon, chopped toasted almonds
halved bagel
zip top bag with dried fruits
11) Sm Container ready-made ham salad
sm container pimento cheese
triscuits
sm container pitted black olives
zip top bag of pineapple chunks
12) Sliced chicken in pita bread
Container light ranch dressing for spreading on pita
zip top bag of lettuce and tomatoes
zip top bag of mini caramel flavored rice cakes
container of cinnamon flavored applesauce
13) Purchase tuna salad on hot dog bun
bagog lettuce and tomatoes
thermos of tomato soup
chocolate chip oatmeal cookie
14) Deli pasta salad
bag of triscuits
bag of cheese cubes
container of canned peaches
15) Turkey dog cut into 1-inch sections and skewered on frilly toothpicks with cheese cubes and cherry tomatoes
dip container of ranch dressing
sm box of raisins
16) Thermos low-sodium tomato soup witih goldfish cracker or popcorn to top it
Rolled ham
Carrot stick and celery sticks
Fruit salad Jello
17) Ham salad in celery sticks
Cantalope balls
Bran muffin
Strawberries with powdered sugar dip
18) Turkey wrapped cheese sticks
Popcorn sprinkled with Parmesan cheese
Carrot sticks with pineapple flavored cream cheese
Craisins
Energy bar
19) Health choice bologna slices with cut out faces
Cheese slices with cut-out faces
crackers
Honeydew melon balls with frilly toothpicks
Cereal snack bar
20) Skewered lean hamwith pineapple chunks, cherry tomatoes and cheese cubes
Cheese crackers
banana muffin
So- there's some inspiration for you all. (and actually I think I'll try some of these suggestions myself!)
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