L U N C HI D E A S

Q U I C K & E A S Y B A C K T O S C H O O L

Real Living Nutrition 

It's that time of the year again!

Kids are off to school and parents areback to stocking their pantry with

school lunch supplies

It's often tough for parents to lookfor convenient grab and go items to

throw in lunch boxes and be sure thattheir children get nutrient rich foods.

The supermarket stocks the shelveswith over processed foods in perfectlunch sized containers that make life

easier

The problem is many of those foodsare high in calories, high in sugars, and

low in nutrients

The trick is BALANCE

Find ways to make it equally as easy topack your child's lunch without solely

depending on the processed items

Here are somego - to lunchbox convenient

foods

Fresh Fruits It's the easiest part of the lunch packing experience.

Throw in an apple, banana, easy peel mandarin, or a handful ofgrapes

Have your kids pick their favorite to ensure they eat it

If you need a "throw inthe box" food item,cheese sticks are

perfect

The kids like them,they contain protein

and calcium, and they'reas easy as it gets

Cheese Sticks

The little prepackagedapplesauce containers arereally easy to throw in the

bag

Make sure the brand youbuy is 100% fruit with no

sugar added

Apple Sauce

If your school isn't a nutfree zone, trail mix is a great

addition to lunch

The nuts provide protein,vitamins, minerals, and

healthy fats to help the kidsstay full for the remainder of

the school day.

Trail Mix

Perfect on thego snack and a great option tosneak in fruit to a child's lunch

Look for dried fruits withlittle or no added sugar

Can also be added to trail mix

Dried Fruits

Along the same line as the trailmix, seeds are great!

They're easy to pack, nutrientdense, and a great finger food

most kids love

Make sure they're already shelledso the school staff doesn't have

to deal with sunflower seed shellsall over the place

Sunflower Seeds

Delicious, crunchy, and easyto throw in the bag.

Can also be paired withhummus or low fat ranch

dressing.

Rich in beta carotene whichturns into Vitamin A

Baby Carrots

Can be paired with peanutbutter, cheese, etc.

Provides vitamins, minerals,nutrients, and dietary fiber

Look for 100% whole grain onlabels

Whole Grain Crackers

100 % Fruit Juice Easy to throw in their lunch box

It contains many nutrients but lacks fiber; pair with whole fruits

Healthier alternative to soda or other sugary beveragesMake sure it's 100% fruit juice and no other added sugar

Keep these foods stocked so on thosedays when you're running late, you canstill throw together a quick sandwichand a few of these healthier grab and

go items

What are your favorite healthylunch foods?

We would love to hear from you

Real Living Nutrition A Balanced Approached To Healthy Eating In The Real World