These creative and healthy back-to-school ideas won't end up in the cafeteria trash can
Packing your kids' school lunches can feel like taking a big test where there are no right answers.
Question No. 1: Can you make a healthy lunch that won't end up condemned to the cafeteria trash can?
Despite the temptation to fork over the cash for your kids to buy lunch, packing it yourself is healthy and affordable, says Betsey Gerstein Sterenfeld, owner of Essen recreational cooking school, in Manheim Township.
"It can sometimes feel so overwhelming to put a lunch together," says Sterenfeld, a highly organized mother of two grade-schoolers.
"It's like everything else - you need to practice."
For busy parents, packing lunch often seems like just another chore. It's easy to get stuck in a boring-PB&J-every-day rut.
Lancaster General registered dietitian Jan Kristensen puts her teenage twins to work, involving them in planning and packing.
Have a contest to see who can come up with the best, wackiest lunches. Family members can taste-test the new ideas.
"It's fun to get [kids] involved and see what kinds of ideas they come up with," Kristensen says. "Then you don't have to do all the work."
Yes, there is lunch beyond Cheetos and Chips Ahoy. Try these rut-busting back-to-school ideas.
GIVE FRUIT A CHANCE
Fruit can be fun.
Nectarines, nino bananas and clementines are easy to pack and just big enough for petite appetites, says Chef Bill Scepansky, of Four Seasons Produce, Ephrata.
Sweet-tasting pluots - a cross between an apricot and a plum - come in fun flavors and kid-friendly colors.
Cut a kiwi in half and wrap it up. Your child can scoop out the fruit with a spoon.
Or mix it all up with a colorful homemade fruit salad.
Just make sure all fruit is nice and ripe.
"If it is truly ripe, chances are it's just as sweet as candy anyway," Scepansky says, "and kids will want to eat it."
But if it's too hard, they might toss it.
BRING ON THE VEGGIES
Don't give up on crudites if your kids pooh-pooh celery and carrots.
Let your child choose her own lunch veggies, Scepansky suggests. There's a better chance she'll actually eat them.
Dress it up with dip. Sterenfeld packs colorful red-pepper hummus with her kids' faves, which include red and yellow peppers, and raw or blanched green beans.
Kristensen's kids like salad dressing - and not just the standard ranch. Give other flavors, like Asian, a whirl.
REVAMP THE CLASSICS
Your stuck-in-a-rut child may insist on peanut butter every day. But you can still make it healthier.
Smear less-sugar natural peanut butter on whole-grain bread. Sneak in sliced bananas, fresh berries, raisins, dried cranberries or even grated carrots.
Sterenfeld makes a "peanut butter and banana split sandwich" by adding banana slices, pineapple jelly, mini-dark chocolate chips and even fresh strawberries to the standard peanut butter and bread (which she toasts).
Kristensen serves tuna salad on a whole-wheat tortilla or bread, mixing in chopped apples or grapes for a burst of unexpected flavor.
EXPAND YOUR DEFINITION OF ‘SANDWICH'
Sometimes just stuffing sandwich fare in a tortilla makes it interesting enough for kids to dig in.
Sterenfeld spreads a whole-grain tortilla with mustard or mayo, then tops it with an array of lean meats and veggies. Roll it up, slice it and you've got "pinwheels."
Top toasted slices of leftover baguette with cheese, fruit, meat or vegetables to create fun little crostini.
Or add an air of novelty to a sandwich with something as simple as cold meatloaf, Kristensen says.
MIX IT UP
Kristensen wakes up her kids' taste buds with spicy or unexpected food combinations.
Cut corn off the cob and mix it with tomatoes and black, pinto or kidney beans. Pack tortillas or baked, low-fat chips for scooping.
Mix small, cooked pasta with unsweetened, canned, bite-size fruit and a little cottage cheese for three food groups in a single spoonful.
MAKE LIQUID SUNSHINE
Parents who make their own smoothies can control sugar and customize fruit flavors for their kids.
Sterenfeld's family likes a blend of frozen strawberries, peaches, whole-milk yogurt and a touch of honey.
Experts generally advise limiting fruit juices, which can be high in sugar and lack the nutrition of whole fruits.
But try adding a splash of flavor to your child's water bottle with homemade fresh juice, Scepansky says.
THINK WAY OUTSIDE THE LUNCHBOX
Who says you have to pack lunch for your child's midday meal?
If you're really stumped, try breakfast, like baked oatmeal; pumpkin or zucchini bread; or whole-grain cereal topped with dried fruit and milk, Kristensen says.
A healthy "parfait" of fruit, yogurt and nuts can also hit the spot.
ADD A SWEET OR SALTY SNACK
Plenty of treats are way more nutritious than candy bars.
Dried fruit, like dates, raisins, cherries and cranberries, can satisfy a sweet tooth.
No-fuss toasted almonds or walnuts are packed with protein and brain-boosting omega 3s, Scepansky says.
Kristensen's favorite sweet treats include 100 percent whole-grain Fig Newtons, lightly sweetened whole-grain cereals, low-fat graham crackers, angel-food cake, ginger snaps and small muffins.
Sterenfeld makes an "energy snack mix" of whole-grain cereal, dried fruit, nuts and mini-dark chocolate chips.
Once in a while, she skips the other stuff and sends a scrap of plain old chocolate.
"Who's gonna be sad when they open up their lunchbox and see a little piece of dark chocolate?" she says.
"I always say, ‘If it makes you happy, eat it first.' "
Contact Mary Beth Schweigert, of the New Era, mschweigert@lnpnews.com or 291-8757.
