Bagged Lunches: 10 Ways to Go Greener, Healthier & Cheaper
1. Heat it up. Invest in a quality thermos to send hot items in place of a sandwich (try shopthermos.com).
Thermoses have revolutionized our lunches because my son doesn't like sandwiches, but even kids who do will appreciate a change of menu. Try sending hearty soup, pasta with cheese or marinara sauce, or rice and black beans. For an extra fiber boost, send whole wheat pasta or brown rice.
TIPS: The short, squat thermos style is easier for spooning up lunch. Double check to make sure your child can open the thermos before you commit him to a hot lunch.
2. Skip the sandwich bread. For variety, switch it up and try flat bread, rice cakes, whole grain crackers, or bagels. With any of these items, you can pack hummus, cream cheese, cheese slices, or string cheese. Rice cakes and crackers do better as separates, but flat bread holds up well with a spread on it. Greek pita bread is a favorite in our household.
3. Wrap it up. Try wrapping cream cheese and a turkey slice or ground beef and grated cheddar cheese in a tortilla. I also send quesadillas containing refried beans and cheddar cheese, and my son doesn't mind that it's cold by lunchtime.
4. Try dipping. Pack vegetables, such as carrot sticks, celery, cherry tomatoes, or sliced green pepper, and include a little container of favorite salad dressing or hummus for dipping. Kids love veggies they can dip.
5. Packin' fruit. Browned apple slices may not be your child's cup of tea (some kids also dislike the taste of lemon that protects from browning). Try sending a banana, orange slices, kiwi slices, a tangerine (when in season), or frozen berries. For extra protein, include a container of nut butter for that banana. (Before sending peanut butter, check on current allergy policies in your school.)
6. Crunch it up. Change out potato chips for a different kind of crunch: pita chips, low-salt nuts, popcorn, or whole wheat crackers. Often, children are required to supply their own snack in the classroom, and a baggie of tamari almonds will serve them better than fried chips.
7. Bake it yourself. Make your own cookies or bars for treats or enlist an older child's help. (My 10 and 13-year-old kids love baking.) Weekends are a great time to try out new recipes, get your kids involved, and stock up for the week. You'll cut down on processed treats and extra packaging, and save money in the process (processed foods cost more).
8. Buy in bulk. As tempting as those individual packets of Annie's crackers are, they cost you more than a single larger box that you can parcel out into kidsized containers. Pre-packaged snacks also may be wasted if not consumed completely, or may contribute to your child eating more of a product than he would normally eat. Buying in bulk allows you to tailor the amount you send.
9. Pack a sippy. Send water, milk, or 100 percent fruit juice as a beverage in a re-usable sippy container. Water is best. Kids need to rehydrate to avoid afternoon fatigue, but if your child is like mine, he'll refuse water in favor of milk. Skip the packaged drinks to cut down on unnecessary sugar and extra waste. Best trick, send a water bottle with your child that she can use it all year in her classroom.
10. Box it up – simply. Some folks love Bento boxes, but I find that any lunch box able to accommodate a thermos serves us just fine (plus I get frustrated fitting puzzle-like containers all together). Invest in a stack of tiny Tupperware containers to cut down on throwing out plastic baggies, and you'll avoid spending more than you intended on a fancy lunch kit.
Joanna Nesbit is ready for her kids to start packing their own lunches, but they say they eat more when they're surprised. She's still packing lunches.
This article originally appeared in the April 2011 issue of Genesee Valley Parent Magazine. Copyright 2011.
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