Figuring out what to pack that’s simple to prep (we’re talking low- to no-effort here), nutritious and quick to eat during short school lunch periods can be a challenge, and every household with kids knows how hectic weekday mornings can be. Here are some tips from local parents and a registered dietician on quick things to make or add to lunchboxes to make sure kids are getting what they need to focus and function at their best and parents aren’t feeling even more stress.
“We often do various iterations of a roll up (tortilla with a thin layer of either hummus, sun butter, chocolate sun butter, or even regular butter),” said Ann Arbor-area mom Rachel Marit, about what her kids take with them for lunch. “Figuring out lunches and meals in general is tough. We usually include fruit such as strawberries, clementine sections, grapes, blueberries, apple slices or maybe dried fruit. Sometimes we include an applesauce pouch or yogurt pouch, some kind of crackers or pretzels, or cut-up cucumbers or carrots. We also do various sandwiches like sun butter and jelly, chocolate sun butter, cold grilled cheese and things like this.”
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For Alicia Jensen’s kids, school lunches are often leftovers from recent meals. “We have a collection of Thermoses and that is what they primarily use for lunch. The trick is to preheat the Thermos with boiling water while you are prepping the lunch. When the lunch is ready, pour the water out, wipe dry and put your hot foods in,” she said.
“Things my kids love that we send in the Thermos: spaghetti, lasagna, chicken and rice dishes, baked potatoes, mac and cheese, broccoli and cheddar soup and chicken noodle soup,” Jensen said.
“We had success with crackers and cheese with either a hard-boiled egg and egg slicer or nitrate-free turkey salami slices — kind of a riff on Lunchables,” said Carol Lessure. Meanwhile, Emily Dickman has another hack: “I’ve been doing my own frozen Uncrustables with better ingredients and my kids love them (you can get cute cutters and presses). So far, cucumber-turkey-hummus roll-ups have been a big hit and so have quesadillas.”
“My kiddos use bento boxes and have a snack-tastic lunch,” said another local parent, Brittany Diedrich Tobias.
Help for picky eaters
According to local registered dietician Megan Hilbert, MS, RDN with Top Nutrition Coaching, if you’re looking for ways to sneak foods into kids’ diets, “Just keep introducing them to said food! Research shows that kids need to be introduced to food 10 to 15 times before they may accept it. Kids are very intuitive eaters who like structured meal times, eating with others and not being forced to eat things.”
If you have a finicky eater in the house, “Veggie-based pasta sauces that are homemade or store-bought paired with whole wheat pasta can be a great main dish in a lunch for a kid who is picky about vegetables. Noodles can also make a great base for proteins in lunches, which can be harder to incorporate in kids’ lunches. Add in shredded chicken, meatballs or other protein they enjoy.”
Hilbert also suggest caregivers add a bar for more protein. “Many bars out there are fruit-based, but sometimes a lunch may need more protein and picky eaters may struggle to get enough, so you want to look for bars that have at least three to four grams of protein and four grams of fiber, and less than five or six grams of added sugar. Kind Bars, GoMacro Bars, and Skout bars are good examples of this,” said Hilbert.
“Simple, healthy foods like dried fruit bars with no added sugar are great, non-perishable choices that are also good sources of fiber, phytonutrients and healthy carbs,” said Hilbert. If your child is more into real fruit, Hilbert suggests packing firm, slightly under ripe whole fruit that can’t be smashed, like firm plums, grapes, apples, pears, tangerines, etc.
Another good options for kids who want a crunchy kick are roasted chickpeas or edamame, which you can find at grocery stores or make at home. “Chickpea puffs or lentil chips are also healthier options that often contain some fiber or protein, with way fewer additives compared to other crunchy snacks,” said Hilbert.
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