Back to School Healthy Lunch Ideas

Even though my son is now 31, I remember making his lunch every day. I wanted to make sure he got healthy food to eat for lunch. There were plenty of easy pre-packaged foods to choose from in the grocery store, but there was no way my quest for simple would include pre-packaged items—full of artificial ingredients and sugar.

Here are some ideas for sending your child off to school with nutritious ingredients in their lunch box.

• Include some bite-size veggies like cherry tomatoes.

• A hard-boiled egg provides some good brain food.
  
• Add a helping of the veggie salad you made this week.

• Almond butter on whole-grain bread with bananas will satisfy any munchkin.

• Make up celery sticks with goat cheese spread and dot with blueberries. Yum with a crunch. 

• Add hummus for dipping to a recycled container and drop in some veggie sticks (carrots, broccoli, jicama, etc).

• Send them off with cucumbers that have most of the vitamins needed in a day, plus the skin contains lots of vitamin C.

• And don't forget the healthy trail mix.

Add your own ideas and come up with a list of foods you can rotate through your kids' lunch boxes. Also remember to surprise your child with an occasional sweet note.

What are some healthy food items you pack for your kids' lunch?