My kids are starting school this week and I am starting to gear up for lunch packing. I know fruits and veggies are always good options, but in the past I have packed chips, crackers, PB&J’s And lunch meat sandwiches. Any suggestions for making these better? I know the sandwiches meat is processed and peanut butter and jelly has a lot of sugar. My son loves lunch meat sandwiches and my daughter loves PB&J’s.
Remember that you don’t have to give up these kid-friendly favorites. The key is to make everything better by upgrading the quality. Reading the ingredients will be the number one indicator of quality. When it comes to the ingredient list, less is best and make sure you can recognize/pronounce most words.
Instead of processed bread choose sprouted bread or Rudy’s Organic or sprouted bread. Choose peanut butter with one ingredient (peanuts) or upgrade to almond butter. Apple butter or organic jelly makes a great substitution to processed and sweetened jelly. Choose potato chips that are made with healthy oils like coconut oil or avocado oil and sea salt. Always stick with nitrate- free or organic lunch meats. And when buying cheese or animal products in general, always try to choose organic.
You can also use the Target To table Cookbook for some easy and simple back to school recipes. The Honey Flax Energy bites, Slow Cooker Chicken Nachos, Bison Burgers, & Mexican Kale Salads are the most popular kid-friendly recipes. You can also use the food substitutions list in the front of the book for more ways to upgrade!
Good luck with back to school! Keep packing your kids lunches and setting them up for a healthy future!
