This article is part of the following topics: Back to School Healthy Habits Home & Activities Featured Nutrition & Diet
5 Sack Lunches Kids Love
Distract finicky eaters by putting together a meal that’s so much fun to eat, they won’t be thinking about whether it’s on their short list of “likes.”
Fun foods don’t have to be deep-fried or full of preservatives. Just think bite-size, dippable, and varied. Natural foods aisles in many grocery stores have a lot of healthier products, such as snacks sweetened only with fruit juice or packaged with fewer trans-fats and preservatives.
Here are five ideas for health-conscious meals that are easy to prepare and fun for kids. Whether your child is a try-anything eater or has the pickiest appetite ever seen, these lunches are sure to please.
MONDAY: Deconstructed Sandwiches
Instead of buying prepacked sets of crackers, cheese, and deli meats, put together a homemade version. Your child can even help out the night before, picking out the crackers, meat, cheese, and a small dessert. Another fun idea is to use mini cookie cutters (about the same size as the crackers) to cut the lunch meat slices into fun shapes. (The leftovers make a good mid-morning nibble for you!)
Some options:
- veggie or water cracker rounds
- chicken or turkey deli meat, cut into roughly cracker-size pieces
- part-skim mozzarella or cheddar slices, cut into roughly cracker-size squares
- fruit cup (packed in juice) or unsweetened applesauce
TUESDAY: Grilled Cheese Pockets
As a variation on the standard pan-browned cheese sandwich, try using a sandwich maker; some machines even make the crispy triangles sealed around the edges. Use whole-grain bread and low-fat or part-skim cheeses, which are healthier than their whole-milk counterparts and melt better than completely fat-free versions. Include a couple of fruit leathers and a handful of baked pita or potato chips in the lunch bag, too.
WEDNESDAY: Turkey-Cran Tortilla Bites
Instead of packing a bulky wrap or burrito, slice up a tightly rolled tortilla and fillings. The trick is to spread all the ingredients evenly, rather than pile them into the middle like in a traditional wrap sandwich.
Lay the tortilla flat, then spread a thin layer of cranberry sauce over the whole surface. Top with one layer of lettuce leaves, then with pulled turkey (in smallish pieces) or deli meat slices. Roll tightly, then cut into one- or two-bite pieces, holding each piece closed with kid-safe toothpicks. (For vegetarian kids, try it with a thicker spread of hummus, thin slices of peppers and cucumber, and lettuce.) Toss in a box of raisins and a few animal-shaped crackers on the side.
THURSDAY: Dipping Day
Everything in this lunch is bite-size and gets dunked. Pack them loosely in separate containers for younger children, or in rows on “skewers” for older ones.
- Chicken nibblers with honey mustard
- Baked tortilla chips and tomato salsa
- Baby carrots and cut-up celery sticks with light ranch dressing
- Sliced apple, banana, and peach with fruit yogurt (or plain yogurt stirred with all-fruit jam)
FRIDAY: Layered Lunch
Turn the traditional sandwich on its head—literally—by piling the halves onto one another. It even works without the crusts! (Just cut them off before building.) This is a great way to liven up old standards like peanut butter and jelly, or try a club sandwich variation.
Cut two whole-grain bread slices diagonally in half, then line up the four resulting triangles. Spread a little bit of mustard on the first triangle and top with one piece of deli meat and cheese. On the next triangle, use mayo and a different kind of deli meat. The third triangle gets sliced veggies, such as tomato and cucumber, and lettuce. Stack these three, covering them with the last triangle. Spear the tower with two kid-safe toothpicks and cut in half. Include some pretzel sticks and chopped dried fruit.
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Posted by - Mountain Mom on Aug. 23, 2009
No, you don't necessarily MAKE kids picky or not picky. Pickiness is an evolutionary advantage in that if you are picky you are less likely to be poisoned. (Of course, if you are less picky you are less likely to starve. LOL) I've seen families where all the kids are treated the same and some are picky and some are not. So don't be so "holier than thou" when somebody else has a picky kid.Posted by - Andrea on May. 28, 2009
Very interesting tips that I am surely adding and passing on to my parents/students. Thanks.Posted by - mrpol on Apr. 15, 2009
I'm so glad that I don't have to deal with any of you complainers in real life. Really, every suggestion needs to be vegetarian, lactose-free, and sushi? What a bunch of whiners!Posted by - timwag on Mar. 07, 2009
omg you guys! if you need to let off some steam, go play a pvp game instead of slamming the person who posted these ideas. this site was designed to help each other out, not verbally beat people up.all this talk about food is making my tummy grumble... think i'll go microwave me a hot pocket....
Posted by - Jenny on Mar. 01, 2009
Wow, so completely ungrateful under the auspices of anonymity.If an acquaintance gave you a recipe, you would say thank you. There are plenty of creative, fun ideas here. Not every one of them will fit everyone's complete standards, but for crying out loud.
The proper reponse, people, is THANK YOU. So....Thank you for these fun ideas! We will use the ones that seemed great to us, and we will not complain about the ones that, for whatever picky and personalized reason, do not seem like they're so very "us." I thought this was full of fun ideas----a launching pad, not a final statement----for our family.
Posted by - lady on Feb. 27, 2009
This was a good article. Everyone should use their imagingation if there is some things your child might not eat. This is just some ideas to help people out. We are more on the lines of vegetarians but I just used my imagingation and changed some things around. The negativity is not needed, when someone went out of there way to help the children.Most of the negative commeting people wouldn't even have the nerve to say what they said to the person that wrote the article to there face....hiding behind the keyboard. American children are obese this article is trying to help get something healthier than what most families are feeding their children. Thank you for the ideas.Posted by - Hand me Downs. on Feb. 25, 2009
Kids need healthy food. Often it happens we give preference only to taste. The nutrition is neglected. Thanks for providing good list of snacks which are good for kids.Jane
Posted by - Karen on Feb. 25, 2009
I don't consider snack crackers nutritious as there really are no nutrients in them and try to skip deli meats because of the nitrates.My daughter can't take peanut butter or nuts to school because some of the kids have severe allergies so they aren't allowed. I tried packing sandwiches made from whole grains but by the end of her first semester she wouldn't eat them because the other kids all carried white bread and thought her bread looked strange. The same for fresh vegetables. She is happy to eat them at home but the kids refuse to eat them at school so she doesn't eat them there either.
She will eat fresh fruits but the kids wouldn't be impressed with them in a kabob. She does take mini cheese pizzas, grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese in a thermos, perogies in a thermos and she also likes bagels with cream cheese.
I have tried veggie corn dogs and chicken nuggets but since none of the kids carry corn dogs or chicken nuggets in their lunches she didn't want to eat them.
Partly it just depends on how loudly the kids around your child comment on foods that look different from what they are used to and the atmosphere in your cafeteria.
Posted by - C on Feb. 23, 2009
Wow. I thought these ideas were good. You can take the idea and change it to how it would work for your family. Unfortunately the way that a bunch of people are reacting is turning this article into a negative forum for people to put down others. That's too bad that as adults you can't withhold the rude and mean comments.C
Posted by - Susan on Feb. 18, 2009
I have 5 kiddos all with very different appetites and very different tastes. Add to that the fact that most are picky eaters. I'm a very healthful-minded eater, so there's always dilema. I love the idea of changing things up a little and no conforming to the same ol' boring sack lunch, or the unhealthful, premade, freeze-dried, deep-fried junk the school cafeterias serve.I tried this out and most of the kids loved it. I tried different variations to appeal to each child's appetite and taste. Only one of my 5 didn't care one way or the other, but he did say it was fun and his classmates wanted his lunch instead of theirs.....Oh well...we can't win 'em all.
Thanks for the helpful info.
Susan
Posted by - Carrie on Feb. 14, 2009
It helps to know when your child eats his lunch. My son's lunch is only 2 1/2 hours after his breakfast! For later lunchers, it's great to freeze a juice box or drink pouch & pack it beside the foods that are better cold. They take about 3 hours to thaw at room temp, help keep things fresh, and are still nice & cold to drink. I send the kid with leftover fried chicken or cold pasta in a baggie, & he's envied for his picnic food. Cold pancakes or waffles are a goodie, too, and are easy to pack with a tiny packet of sugar.Posted by - mom of 4 on Feb. 13, 2009
You all are so funny! Someone took the time to help your kids develope healthy habits and all you can do is complain. "My child is picky" (your fault!!) "My child is vegan", so figure it out!! We have 4 children , if your child is hungry, they WILL eat!!!! So sorry to be in your shoes, again, your fault.Posted by - Jojo on Feb. 13, 2009
Thank you for the ideas. The concept is great (to dip, to cut up things in bit size or fun shapes, etc) and I believe they can be modified too. You can add (for vegan kids, for example) a mini egg-substitute omellet, or make non-egg salad as the filling for one of the small sandwiches. ** I also wanted to say that I agree with some other person who wrote about picky eaters. Please don't label your kid a picky eater, you're limiting your mind and his/her choice. Unless the kid has allergies or some clinically diagnosed developmental disorder (i.e., having texture issues and wanting very "predictable" foods as some kids with autistic spectrum disorder have) consider that your child may have his/her preferences but can also "learn" to appreciate a broader variety of foods. ***Good luck!Posted by - Mom2five on Feb. 12, 2009
While I personally didn't get alot out of the article, it was good to get a few new ideas- as most of my kids are older (9yrs +) they pack their own lunches. On my blog I have a list of cheap healthy kid's lunch ideas-- if anyone is interested. http://laurablog72.blogspot.com/ My idea of healthy is generally closer to the whole foods, not as concerned about low fat as I am good fats, and not refined and highly proccessed foods. Some folks were concerned about food safety and storage and for warm things I go to thrift stores and buy small thermos's and the kids heat up the food the morning of and put it in a thermos to keep it warm. My kids generally have earlier lunch times so packing things in an insulated lunch box or packing frozen items seems to solve any of those issues.Posted by - Bonnie on Feb. 07, 2009
I appreciate anyone who comes with any idea about anythingPosted by - Normal Mom on Feb. 07, 2009
These are great ideas! For those of you who have oicky eaters or vegetarians. . .you made them that way! Stop crying and man up!Posted by - sue on Feb. 06, 2009
I don't think this is realistic. It seems like the entree can take too long to make. AIn this manic world, it is just easier to buy the hot lunches, that would gross out someone without smell or sight!PORTION SIZE WAS NOT CONSIDERED AND CHILDHOOD OBESITY IS AN EPIDEMIC. TOO MUCH OF A HEALTHY FOOD CAN BE VERY DECEIVING....PACKAGE PORTION SIZES ARE QUITE OFF WHEN REALITY IS CONCERNED IN WHAT A REASONABLE PERSON WOULD EAT...
ALSO...ask the child what foods they like and make the list together. Its not only a great way to spend some time with your child but doing this on a daily basis will help you get to know the person they are becomming.
It is difficult to speak with your child sometimes and this could be a real help in keeping your child emotionally healthy...listen to them daily. We socialize around food, take the opportunity.
Take your child on am special 1 on 1 grocery shopping run...look at lables together ...ask thek what they like and find a reasonable healthy replacement...also we all splurge from time to time...maybe some social habits and personal behavioral habits can be reinforced or even inroduced...cant exp[ect results and assume they will act, decide well if they don't have guidance.
Lot more than making lunch...
s
Having a child plan meals reinforces what they are learning if you let it. Math, geometry, grammer, spelling, health, science.
A few ideas....
my daughter is now 10. She is a very healthy eater I am fortunate!
s
Posted by - Linda on Feb. 05, 2009
I'm willing to try these ideas, i know my 7 year old will want to help, she is always wanting to take her lunch to school, but i never think i have anything in the house for her to take or that would be safe for a few hours, now i have some ideas and neat ways to keep things cold.Thanks Linda
Posted by - janet p. on Jan. 04, 2009
I love all of these. They are so cool. I have seven year old twin girls and these make another our time together. Not only that, the girls can do these by themselves with very little assistant, but of course who can resist doing these with their children. Thanks so very much!!!!!!! JPPosted by - Alex's Mom on Oct. 17, 2008
Great Ideas! For the concern about keeping items cold - try freezing the juice boxes or the "pouch" drinks in the freezer overnight - then put in the same compartment with items you want to keep cold. Even during those hot summer months - the food stays cold for a good 8 hours - and sometimes the drinks will still have some ice in them - making a "slushy" treat for the kids!Posted by - angel on Sep. 30, 2008
i loooooooooove these ideas and it makes a great mother dauter activityPosted by - Christi on Sep. 25, 2008
I absolutely love these ideas! I'm a college student w/o kids so I have not had the opportunity to pack lots of lunches. Unwisely I've usually gone out to lunch. Being a student I really need to cut corners...thanks for everyone's input!Posted by - Never a mom, Only a kid at heart on Sep. 14, 2008
Actually, these look like acceptable options for adults too. I brown bag my lunch and sometime stole my expensive Subway sandwich from the community fridge this week. Homemade stuff is not touched so I'll try a couple of these suggestions. Growing up, my Mom was the very picky eater in our family. No condiments in our house, few fresh veggies either. I didn't even know that you could eat spinach and cabbage raw. I still have trouble getting acquainted with mustard and most sauces but I've lived in Europe, Asia, the MIddle East, and the Carribean and encourage parents to "get out of the lunchbox" at least once a month and make something different for their kids to try. My high school best friend's mom was an ethnic cook and she encouraged me to try everything she made at least once and did not have hurt feelings if something didn't appeal to me. My college best friend's dad was a amateur culinary cook and he also had us try different ways of preparing food. As they say, "Variety is the spice of life".Posted by - Mark on Sep. 11, 2008
Why so many animal and grain based foods? These are not only acidic, but one of the reasons why kids get sick so easily today, they clog them up. I send a combination of whole fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds and they rarely come back home not eaten. If I do chose bread, I use sprouted grain bread since it's better than even whole wheat. My daughter loves it since it has more texture than regular bread. A lot of times it's not having alternatives around the house (don't buy them) that makes it easier for children to start enjoying fresh fruits and veggies. It reminds me of a birthday party I threw for my daughter a few years ago and was asked (ok, my daughter pleaded) for a vegan chocolate cake. I made it and just before it was time for the cake I asked if anyone wanted cantaloupe and honeydew. Needless to say I went through three whole melons, and the cake was barely touched.Posted by - Amanda on Sep. 06, 2008
Thank you so much for the new ideas! I am always looking for new things to put into my lunchbox!!Posted by - MAA on Sep. 06, 2008
In reference to the comments of the 7th grader. Not every child has guava and sushi in their lunch at such a young age. There are plenty of children out there at are bored with their lunches everyday and any kind of tip is worth sharing. There are other sites that cater to children that have special needs , this was just something to help parents find a way to help out with the same ol'e thing.Posted by - 7th grader on Sep. 06, 2008
As a child who gets packed lunches everyday, I find these ideas bland and unimaginative. I was the kid who had guava and sushi in my lunch in preschool, so maybe I am biased, but I still find these very particular to the situation (i.e., microwaves, insulated lunchboxes, time, etc...) and disrespectful of people with food-related special needs. Try again.Posted by - vkn on Sep. 05, 2008
Some of the ideas work for my family some didn't go over wellPosted by - bonniejean on Sep. 02, 2008
My 2nd grade son has access to a microwave at lunch! A frozen burrito in his lunch box keeps his fruit cold. I write a quick note with instructions on it for heating as well as a "love note". It works so well for a special change!Posted by - Billy on Sep. 02, 2008
Some good ideas but ladies can we also include the single dad's out there. It gets a bit annoying to always see these things catered to "moms".Posted by - Suzanne on Aug. 31, 2008
You know what? I WAS really excited about these ideas because they LOOKED like fun and easy luch foods. My kids are NOT picky eaters and they HATED each one of these ideas, sorryPosted by - Amy on Aug. 29, 2008
My daughter and I looked over these ideas today and planned lunches for the first week of school. She is excited because she can help me shop for the ingredients and help make the lunches. We do have an insulated lunch box to keep things cool. We will post back how the week went.Amy
Posted by - agnes on Aug. 28, 2008
looks like a great idea, except for one thing. if your kids are taking it brown bag, keep in mind that it will be sitting there in the bag for quite some time! So I am not sure how those meals would hold up, especially the grilled cheese one. Have you ever had a grilled cheese when it's been sitting there for more than an hour? I can tell you it's not good!My kids are picky, so picky , that i know that whatever I pack them, they wont eat it. So, we have to skip the BYOB at luch time!
Posted by - Elizabeth on Aug. 26, 2008
What you call "Deconstructed Sandwiches", I call "Homemade Lunchables". It's one of my most popular blog posts!Posted by - TRACEY on Aug. 26, 2008
I THINK THE MAJORITY OF THESE IDEAS ARE DEFINATELY WORTH TRYING OUT IN MY SON'S LUNCH BAG. WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO BROADEN HIS HORIZONS WHEN IT COMES TO TRYING DIFFERENT THINGS.WE'LL GIVE IT A GO AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
Posted by - Jean on Aug. 24, 2008
Awesome ideas! Now that I have two kids in school all day, buying lunch at school is just way to expensive. Thank you so much for giving me something to make their lunches fun.Posted by - S. Ross on Aug. 23, 2008
I found this VERY helpful. My daughter is a vegetarian and my son is not, he is however, lactose intolerant. I got some great new ideas and with just a couple of tweeks on some of them my daughter can eat them too! Thanks!Posted by - Laurie M on Aug. 23, 2008
I think the concept is great..but agree that time is often an issue for the kids. we use the mini cookie cutters to cut sandwiches that we make into cool shapes. they turn into finger foods with the ingredients that we both agree on. we do waste some of the bread, but she is able to get 90 % of the sandwich in. this also works great on several fruits, too. we have a very slow eater and this way she actually eats much more in their short lunch time. have a great school year!!!Posted by - Amanda on Aug. 22, 2008
Great Ideas! I agree with some others here, with the fact that they will not travel to school that great and most children don't have the luxury of being able to heat their lunches. However, I have found with my 11yr old that things that most people require heating, he likes to eat cold. Just pack a freezer coolie in their lunch box and everything should be fine.As for the pessimists, no need to be rude.....no comment would make you look better. Also, any of these recipes could be easily converted to enable people of all varieties to eat them. Use some creativity.
Posted by - r on Aug. 18, 2008
While these are good ideas, they won't work for all of us. For those concerned about keeping foods cool, there are plenty of freezable 'thingies' easily available at WalMart, Target, etc. They stay frozen for several hours. Having picky eaters doesn't necessarily mean kids are being catered to; some children have trouble eating certain kinds of foods - texture issues, a legitimate problem w/some who have learning problems, and others who don't.Posted by - Joan and Claire on Aug. 17, 2008
Joan(the mom)Well i think theses are pretty great ways to make the boring old samwhich look and taste better. However, i think transporting almost all of theses would be hard.
Claire(the daughter)
Well, i guess these ideas are okay. But since i dont really eat cheese and meat cold, then i dont thinkk im gonna like them. But i love the fruit dipping idea!
Posted by - Adria on Aug. 16, 2008
These are great ideas..thank you so much to whoever put them together. I was wondering if anyone had good ideas for sweet treats. We have a bad habit of eating something sweet after school and need healthly ideas to blend with the ideas above.For those who have special needs go to special needs sites, that is what they are there for. Can you imagine when putting an article together you had to consider all the special needs of an entire population, be reasonable!
Posted by - Mandie Kalsek on Aug. 15, 2008
I agree that there is no need to be rude!Although, with out being rude, I was also hoping for some ideas for packing a lunch to send to school w/my son. These are good ideas- but may not travel so well and need to be kept cold. Maybe for future there could be ideas for things to be kept in a lunch box?! Also, my son will not eat lettuce and alot of other veggies cold... and ideas??
Thank you! - Mandie
Posted by - GMA on Aug. 14, 2008
I think this was a great article. I am glad to see parents trying to pack fun and healthy lunches for kids (school lunches are neither). For those who it is not helpful because of food intolerances or be vegetarians, there is no need to be rude. When you don't like something that is offered to you, the polite thing to do is say "no thank you" and move on. I hope you are not teaching your children such rude practices.Posted by - brandy on Aug. 11, 2008
I like these ideas. They will be great for the summer, but I thought when I was coming into this article I would get more different ideas for school lunches. Considering my son does not have a refigerator like probably a lot of schools I wouldn't consider some of these ideas such as chicken nibblers. These can't be heated up at school and I would be scared to not have them in the refigerator until his lunch time.Posted by - joe on Aug. 07, 2008
I dont think Emma should force vegetarinaism on her poor kids. They make pills for lactose intolerence too, as I use them occassionally when I want a milky treat. Lighten up already, at least this website is trying to offer a solution.Posted by - vicky on Aug. 05, 2008
i think these will be good. i'll try some.Posted by - Heidi on Jul. 31, 2008
Remember Moms of picky eaters. Its important not to cater to what your child will ask for. If you do this, their world of food choices will become very small. Kids wont starve and often make up for a poorly eaten meal at another meal or snack. Serving Kids trying new things, opens the door to healthy eating. Dont give up and labeling your child as a "picky eater". How will they ever try new things if you dont offer them?Posted by - lisa on Jul. 28, 2008
these are not good ideasPosted by - Elizabeth on Jul. 24, 2008
My kids have Celiac Disease and eat gluten-free, and these ideas can be pretty easily modified for them. Thanks so much!Posted by - chuck on Jul. 22, 2008
Thanks.These were a great hit when the grandchildren were here. They think grandpa is a pretty good cook.
Posted by - Tia on Jul. 21, 2008
Nope, not a winner with our picky eater. He's borderline vegetarian, doesn't like bread/sandwiches and believe it or not, doesn't like dipping ANYTHING. Thanks anyway.Posted by - Jonesy on Jul. 20, 2008
Great Ideas for the average healthy kid!I'll take my kids food shopping so that they can pick the lunch meat and cheese. I printed this article to take with me. Thanks! Love the vegetarian options too.
Posted by - meredith on Jul. 17, 2008
ausome ausome ausomePosted by - mariah on Jun. 25, 2008
These Wher Really Yummy. I did This Plan and it was great!! : )Posted by - AJ on Jun. 16, 2008
WE LOVED THEM!!Posted by - AJ on Jun. 16, 2008
We loved these ideas!! Thanks!Posted by - AJ on Jun. 16, 2008
I tried these with all my children.... great sucess!!Posted by - Emma Starbloomers on Jun. 14, 2008
This did not really help me. My family and I are all vegetarians, so our food is limited. My son and husband are lactose intolerant. Finding food for them is hard and this article was no use.Posted by - Lori on Jun. 02, 2008
I love these ideas! I think I will test drive some of them over the summer.