BACK TO SCHOOL LUNCHES

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."
                                                  -- Steve Jobs

Summer vacation for America�s kids is coming to a close and the first day of school is almost here.  What was the best part of YOUR summer vacation?  

Lead the way for a great school year by innovating with school lunches.  The best school lunch your kids will get is the one they make with you.  Getting the right balance of good carbohydrates, lean protein, and the healthy fats can make the difference in your kids' success at school (and your success at work).  

Let�s start by planning:

1.  Pick out a great lunch box for each of your kids (and one for you so you can take healthy lunches to work).  Google �bento lunch boxes� for new ideas.  What is a bento?  Quite simply, a bento is a visually appealing lunch in a box.  According to Wikipedia, a bento is �a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine.  A traditional bento holds rice, fish or meat, with pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container.�  Remember to plan for a way to keep the lunch cool with an icepack inside an insulated lunch bag.  Some of the containers I have been using in our Growing Healthy Kids� programs are the square and rectangular plastic boxes with built-in cooler packs.  Check out stores like TJMaxx and Homegoods for a great selection. 

Ready to learn how to make a bento box? Click here to watch the video!

Click here for an overview of how to make a bento lunch.

2.  Take a walk with your kids through your favorite food market or big box stores like Costco and Sam�s Club.  Make a list of 10 foods that store well and can be bought in bulk (to keep costs down).  Here are some ideas:

• Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pecans, etc.)
• Dried fruits (bananas, apples, apricots, peaches, cherries, blueberries)
• Dark chocolate squares (Ghirardelli has always been my favorite brand since visiting Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco throughout my childhood growing up in California.)
• Pretzel sticks
• Triscuit crackers
• Miniature whole grain bagels (which can be frozen)

3.  Now make a list of protein foods that can be easily prepared once or twice a week.  Here are some ideas:

• Hard boiled eggs
• Quinoa salad
• Hummus (pack with celery, carrots, or cucumbers)
• Tuna
• Canned wild salmon
• Wrap sandwiches made with whole grain breads (check out flat-outs and La Tortilla Factory�s choices).  These can be used with sliced cheeses and low-fat meats like turkey. 
• Peanut butter or almond butter (make your own cracker sandwiches with whole grain crackers or flatbreads)
• Whole grain pasta salad (use Dreamfields rotini pasta as the base)

4.  Keep a chart in the kitchen of the seasonal fruits and veggies where you live so you can incorporate those into the plan.  Fresh is best! Buy from your local farmers whenever possible.  


5.  Buy a stainless steel water bottle.  Your kids can fill it with water each night and place it in the fridge to chill overnight.  Make a family pledge to stop using disposable plastic water bottles.  Go back to school in style with the stainless steel Growing Healthy Kids water bottle--click here.

6.  Create a weekly lunch menu with your kids.  Keep a notebook for this so you can note which lunch items were a hit!   

Email your favorite summer adventures to us and we will post some in the next couple of issues of WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS.  Email us at growinghealthykidsnow@gmail.com.  

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. 

3 TIPS FOR GREAT LUNCHES

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

Last month I wrote a column about great breakfasts.  Now let�s talk about great lunches.  Since February is American Heart Month, we are going to keep the conversation going about how to keep our ticker ticking.  For a healthy heart, parents need to be aware of the importance of getting to � and staying at � a healthy weight.  What we feed our kids is a matter of great importance, because if they are categorized as obese when they are children, they are much more likely to be obese as adults.  Eating 3 small meals and a couple of small snacks every day is key to a successful plan for staying at a healthy weight. 

LUNCH IS A MEAL WE NEED TO EAT EVERY DAY.  Are you a parent who packs a lunch for your child (or children) every day?  What about your own lunch?  Do you skip lunch?  What are your kids eating for lunch?  Are you eating a lot of junk foods?  Sodas?  Cookies?  Are there Burger King wrappers in the car when you pick up your kids from school?  We are the role models for our kids, so whatever you eat, your kids are watching you, even if they don't say anything now.  

LUNCH IS ONE OF THE MEALS WHEN WE NEED A SERVING OF CALCIUM.  When you are planning lunches, for your kids or you, remember to include the calcium.  Kids need their 3 servings of calcium every day for healthy bones and teeth.  Adults need 3 servings of calcium for our heart health.  We all need calcium to get a good night�s sleep!  Remember that there are dairy sources of calcium (think milk, cheese, and yogurt) and non-dairy sources (think almonds and broccoli). 

GREAT LUNCH TIP #1:  Use dinner leftovers as the basis for a healthy lunch.  At my house, I plan dinners and cook a little extra so I can take leftovers for lunch the next day (and make all my coworkers ask me what smells so good!).   When I make a fresh fruit salad or a chopped green salad, I always make a little extra for lunch the next.  Package up a couple of slices of your child�s favorite cheese.  Place a serving of freshly prepared tuna salad in a beautiful container, add an oat bran pita cut into quarters, and you�ve got a healthy lunch that will have all the kids in the cafeteria (or your coworkers at the office) wanting to trade lunches. 

Use Barilla Whole Grain Rotini for a delicious pasta salad your kids will love!

GREAT LUNCH TIP #2:  Include whole grains in your kids� lunchboxes.  One great suggestion is to make a whole grain pasta salad for dinner.  Just make a little extra for lunches the next day.  After dinner, let the kids pick out their favorite container and pack up some pasta salad for their school lunch, adding the right amount of parmesan cheese on top. 

Creating customized LUNCHABLES can be fun using in-season fruits and veggies!

GREAT LUNCH TIP #3:  Pack either fresh in-season fruit or vegetables as part of a healthy lunch AND as a source of dietary fiber, which is what fills us up.  Right now in Florida, we�re getting the delicious Plant City strawberries in the markets and I can�t get enough of them at my house!  Pears are a fabulous source of dietary fiber.  Cut up a fresh apple into slices (add a little lemon juice to prevent oxidation) and pack a few slices of your child�s favorite cheddar cheese for a great lunch combo.  Or pack celery strips with a 1 ounce container of almond butter. 

All these ideas have received the Growing Healthy Kids Seal of Approval and are recommended for kids everywhere!  

For more healthy lunch box ideas, here are 3 resources parents can use:

http://www.parenting.com/tags/kids-lunch-ideas

http://pinterest.com/tpasholk/kids-lunch-ideas/

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/category/lifestyle/vegetarian

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich,

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.