WHOA! Summer came to a screeching halt for our family this week! We went from a glorious week of "summering" on Cape Cod, to setting up my office at work, to now Mama + Mia back to school/work full time. Needless to say, this week has certainly been an adjustment... I know you educators out there feel me!!
Read on to see a few easy and healthy tips I use to keep
Mia's lunchbox healthy, without her knowing. More importantly I have shared a few quick, nutritious snack ideas that are super easy + can be shared with YOUR lunch box, too!
One thing that frazzled me this week was meals/snacks for Mia's lunch box. Full transparency: it was my own fault because I didn't prep for a full week of school, even though it was a full week of work/school.
As I made my list before hitting the grocery store today, I of course did the ol' scroll through Pintrest to see if I came across anything new and exciting. Of course I got some inspo that I am excited to make my own and share with you!!
Career women are busy! Mom's are busy!... EVERYONE IS BUSY! I come from the philosophy that we all have the time to do the things we WANT to do. SO...this week I am going to do better on making the time to plan and prep meals and snacks for my daughter (+myself!). This will not only make my life easier during the week, but it will also leave us with easy healthy choices ready to rock n' roll!
Here are 3 easy tips to secretly keep your toddler's lunch box healthy, without them knowing!
1) Limit Pre-packaged items
Sure, there are endless pre-packaged options that you can buy at the store to fill up the lunch box. I try to limit just one pre packaged item per lunch box (i.e. a yogurt/ apple sauce pouch or some type of health"ier" cracker). This makes slightly more work, but it also leaves less processed, sugar dense snacks in Mia's lunch box. Mama you can do it, too!
Not to mention, some of the healthy "grab and go" items are a pretty penny!
-For example, one healthy snack we use a lot in our house is chocolate hummus + a side of pretzels. Hummus and pretzels come paired and packed, but YOU can do the same, and then son, in less than 3 minutes (and maybe this can be one of your lunch snacks too, mama! #justsayin)
2) Hit all the food groups
-It is important to offer healthy lunch box choices.
Include fresh fruit, crunchy vegetables and a combination of protein, dairy and carbohydrate foods.
Fruit ideas: watermelon, berries, grapes halved
Crunchy vegetable ideas: Chopped cucumbers, petite carrots or sweet peppers
Protein ideas: grilled chicken, some type of ground meatball (good way to sneak in some fresh baby spinach or broccoli into the meatball).
Dairy ideas: Milk, cheese sticks, yogurt or kefir
Carb ideas: Pasta with sauce, noodles with chopped vegetables, sweet potatoes, roasted potatoes or rice.
Limit items listed below from your child's lunch box + save them for special occasions or "food emergencies":
- dried fruit bars
- breakfast cookies
- chips or other packets of crisps
- pre packs donuts, muffins or "baked goods"
3) Make the meals and snacks fun and appetizing
I know, it sounds silly, right!
-Get your child involved in the decision making process. I found myself just giving Mia what I thought was yummy, and it would repeatedly get sent home. Now that Mia has more language I can ask her, "Do you like this?" Or ask "What do you want for lunch, dinner," etc.
-Encourage more healthy options by using fun colored water bottles, and containers to make it a "special + fun experience" rather than just a blah routine! Get creative!
- Add simple elements to "basic" options. For example, fruit in water or sprinkle fresh herbs on meals to add color. I swear Mia thinks cilantro and basil are unicorn magic!
BOUNUS! 3 healthy + snacks your toddler will LOVE!
1) Frozen yogurt dipped animal crackers (Dip animal crackers in yogurt, place on wax paper and freeze overnight)
2) Almond butter dipped apple rice cake (spread almond butter on a rice cake and top with slices of apples)
3) Carrot sticks and hummus (I use match stick carrots because they are fun and Mia likes them the best with her "mumus")
These tips + snacks are not revolutionary! You can totally add these tips and snacks to your kiddos' lunch box this week!
Give these snacks a go and pass them along!
Together, with some good planning and prepping we are going to DEMOLISH this week ahead!!
Go on girl!
XO, Kat