Does your child shy away from healthy foods? Do the carrots and celery sticks you pack for lunch end up in the trash bin?
Life is busy and kids can be finicky, but healthy eats for your child’s lunchbox don’t need to cost much or take hours to prepare. A little creativity can go a long way and help make both the lunch packer and the lunch eater happy.
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Erica Lutz, is a busy mom with a full schedule in Accord. Because her schedule is full, she has learned to keep a strong hold on how to pack her 7-year-old son, Zachary’s, lunch. Her motto is “kid-friendly, healthy, well balanced, and simple.”
Lutz begins by chopping up an array of colorful, flavorful fruit – like mixed berries, pineapple, apples, and cantaloupe before adding them together to make fruit bowl combos in 4oz. containers which can quickly be grabbed from the fridge and added to her son’s lunchbox.
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She also includes:
- A low-sodium turkey or ham sandwich with spinach on top
- Two 6.75 oz. juice boxes along with a bottle of water (or a bottle that can be refilled throughout the day)
- One dairy product (like a YoKids Squeezers or Go-Gurt – which can also be used to help keep the lunchbox contents cold if they are frozen the night before)
- A veggie such as broccoli florets and ranch dipping dressing or baby carrots
- Two snacks (Erica is partial to goldfish, cheese crackers, organic chewy granola bars, squeezable apple sauce, and Annie’s Friends Bunny Grahams.)
Stacey Lutz is a new mom, freelance writer, and huge animal lover who resides in Wurtsboro. She enjoys taking her son on hikes and geocache adventures around the Hudson Valley.