The latest movie icon, the brightest rainbow, the fastest superhero…Lunchboxes in the school lunchrooms are as varied as the children. What is inside is the next surprise. A nutritious lunch is only healthy if the child eats it.
I pack a lunchbox every Tuesday when I teach classes. Great joy to open my superhero lunchbox when I am hungry. It is easy to make, delicious, and nutritious. My superhero lunchbox this week contained a mandarin orange (fruit), crunchy carrots (vegetable), a cheese stick (dairy), peanut butter and jelly sandwich (protein and carbohydrates), flushed down by water. Yummy. My lunchbox superstar plate proudly follows the recommendations of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics https://www.eatright.org/health/wellness/healthful-habits/make-your-kids-meal-a-myplate-superstar
The challenge is to make every child smile and eagerly eat their packed lunch. With some creativity and planning, it is possible. Make food a family affair and involve the child in food shopping, the superhero shopping buddy. An assembly line of food items are made and placed in the superhero lunchbox. Think about the drinks, water or low-fat dairy or dairy alternative. This superhero child is more likely to eat their lunch.
More fun with food in on our menu. With colored pencils and paper, draw our favorite fruits, vegetables, proteins (meat, chicken, tofu, plant-based) and carbohydrate (bread, crackers, pita). Each food item is drawn on a round piece of paper, each item as a slice of pizza. Cut up this pizza into slices. Play mix and match for that special lunchbox plate.
Kids are creative, with colorful imaginations. Love a rainbow, try rainbow-colored carrots. Next on the menu, a family tasting session. Superheroes love sound effects. There is an extra crunch eating sliced apples or adding them to a cheese sandwich. Those uniquely shaped crackers and tortilla chips make lunch fun. Change up the shape of the bread when using an English muffin or pita bread pocket.
Explore https://www.eatright.org/food/planning/away-from-home/banishing-brown-bag-boredom for more fun ideas to end lunchbox boredom. Share with me your favorite lunchbox ideas.
