Back To School Healthy Brown Bag Lunches

Healthy Brown Bag Lunches by Dietitian, Lara Veazey, MA,RD/LD, NSCA-CPT

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Ham and low-fat American cheese on a whole wheat hot dog bun Carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes Vanilla pudding cup Low-fat milk	Whole wheat pita pocket with chicken salad (made with low-fat mayo) Ants on a log (celery with peanut butter and raisins on top) low-fat cheese cubes cubes Low-fat milk	Bagel pizza (made with whole-wheat bagel, low-fat shredded cheese) Carrot sticksLow-fat yogurt with blueberries Low-fat milk	Peanut Butter and Jelly (low sugar) on whole-wheat bread Apple sauce String cheeseLow-fat milk	Whole-wheat tortilla wrap (made with black beans, low-fat shredded cheese, lettuce, and corn) Baked tortilla chips and salsaPeach slicesLow-fat milk
Turkey, tomato and low-fat Swiss cheese on a bagel Low-fat yogurt with sliced bananas RaisinsLow-fat milk	Whole-wheat crackers Low-fat cheese cubes Grapes Granola bar Low-fat milk	Peanut butter and apple sandwich on whole-wheat bread Pretzels Honeydew and cantaloupe slicesLow-fat milk	Veggie wrap (made with low-fat cream cheese, carrots and raisins on a whole-wheat flour tortilla) -Apple w/ peanut butter-Vanilla WafersLow-fat milk	Bagel with banana slices and peanut butter Low-fat yogurt and strawberries Graham crackersLow-fat milk
Fruit and low-fat cream cheese sandwich on whole-wheat bread Celery sticks w/ Peanut butterChocolate pudding cup Low-fat milk	Bugs Bunny salad (1/4 cup shredded carrots, 2 T raisins, 2 T chopped walnuts) with yogurt-honey dressing (2 T plain yogurt and 1T honey) Graham crackers String cheese Low-fat milk	Cold pasta salad (made with whole-wheat pasta, diced vegetables, low-fat mayo and chicken) Pretzels Sliced apples with peanut butter Low-fat milk	Mini-croissant with ham and low-fat cheddar cheese Whole-wheat crackers Banana Low-fat milk	Roast beef sandwich (made with low-fat Swiss and on whole-wheat bun)  Mandarin orangesTapioca pudding cup Low-fat milk
Turkey quesadilla (made with low-fat cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes) Baked tortilla chips Fruit cup Low-fat milk	Whole-wheat pita pocket with tuna salad (made with low-fat mayo) Carrot sticks Low-fat yogurt with Apple slices Low-fat milk	Pocket pizza (made with 2 tsp. pizza sauce, 2 tbs. red-fat mozzarella cheese) Celery Sticks with peanut butter and craisins Low-fat milk	Kebabs of cherry tomatoes, low-fat cheese, olives, and ham Low-fat yogurt with a banana Vanilla wafers Low-fat milk	Peanut butter and honey sandwich on whole-wheat bread Carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes String cheese Low-fat milk

 It's Back to School time again and be sure to check out these healthy brown bag lunch tips can help make filling your kid's lunch box stress-free:

• Make several containers or snack size pre-portioned baggies of items to include in your child's lunches for the week (vegetables, crackers, pretzels, dry cereal)
• 
  
  Organize your storage container drawer and have a staging area set up with everything you need in one place, including
  • At least two insulated lunch boxes or brown bags
  • Plastic baggies (snack size and sandwich)
  • Storage containers in all sizes
  • Spoons, forks, napkins, and straws 
  • re-freezable ice packs 
  • Thermos or water bottle
• Buy 8-fl-oz bottles of water or fill several water bottles, and keep the refrigerator stocked for the week; in the summer months, you may choose to freeze these, so the ice is melted into cold water by lunch
• Have your child purchase milk, chocolate milk or orange juice, if possible, at school; this way you don't have to worry about packing a drink, spoilage, or leaking
• 
  
  Know what to pack
  • It's OK if your child likes to have a conventional lunch that includes a sandwich, fruit, vegetables, snack item, and a drink 
  • If your kid prefers to "pick" and does better with yogurt or cheese, for example, make sure you balance the meal so that it contains protein, fruit and/or vegetables, some carbohydrate, and fat
• Involve your child in packing the lunch, as much as possible; older children can often prepare and pack their own lunch with adult supervision
• If you are planning to pack dinner leftovers for lunch, pack the storage container as you are cleaning up for dinner—this saves time