When I was a kid my mom did a really great job of making healthy lunch ideas look easy and fun! Our lunches, snacks and dinners were not only fun but nutritionally balanced. I am always telling my friends about how my mom used to make celery with cream cheese and she put raisins on top and called it “ants on a log” or she would cut our sandwiches into fun little shapes to make it more entertaining for us to eat.
She always served a salad in these cute wooden salad bowls. We always had a protein and some kind of a vegetable and to make it even more special she always made us dessert. Typically it was instant pudding, chocolate or vanilla, or fruit salad (you know the yummy kind that came from the can and all of that good syrupy sweetness). My brother and I used to fight over the cherries. But the fun thing about it though was that she served it in these really wide champagne glasses. We felt very fancy eating our dessert. But it was sweet and as you could see it was something I’ve never forgotten.
Fun Lunches Engage Kids
Making food fun and desirable for your kids is definitely going to help you win at the nutrition game! This site is totally what I am talking about. Check out how cute and fun they are! A little extra time on your part and your kids will be devouring these attractive and healthy snacks!
I mean who can resist a lunch idea that has a snowman made of pepperoni with cheese? How cute would it be to have teddy bear toast covered in peanut butter for lunch? The protein from the PB and the bananas for ears and feet with a few raisins for eyes and a nose are totally adorable!
Need a little pre-made lunch idea help? Check out the Lunchables website!
They have pictures of cool artwork your kids can make with their lunchables. I could totally see myself sticking a picture or two from their website into my kids lunchable next week and see what he makes with his lunch! (okay, my kid is a freshman in college, but maybe I can send him a few of these) lol Making a fire hydrant or a scooter from your Lunchables looks like so much fun! The site actually allows you to upload your creations to inspire others to “play with your food” ha ha ha.
Bento Boxes are Healthy Lunch Ideas
Lots of people have jumped on the Bento Box concept of lunch boxes and I’ll be honest these guys really allow you to express some fun lunch ideas for your child. How cute is this picture of rice that’s been formed into the shapes of little animals. This is adorable and nutritious and there’s no way I could not eat these. Looks like I would probably have to play with them a little bit first but I digress. LOL
My son LOVED using the juicer. He got to pick three ingredients and I got to pick three. We laid out the options on the kitchen table and he would grab three and I would grab three and drop them in. We made it a race. This way he didn’t have time to focus on the spinach and kale I was sneaking into the machine. At the end we would add some beets and the juice would turn blood red! He would squeal in delight and call it vampire juice and drink it down!!! He loved the game and I loved the secret health benefits.
How about turning a regular old sandwich into a dolphin shaped tuna sandwich? Or maybe PB and J with strawberry jelly shaped like a heart? You can keep the “plain old sandwich” but step it up a notch.
Healthy lunch ideas are easier to swallow when you have your kids buy in. Let them be the chefs and take part in the planning and preparation of the cute, fun meals. Kids LOVE being in charge and will give you very little sass when you sneak in something “healthy” into their concoctions.
How can you get creative about food? Preparation? Presentation? A history teacher at our school challenges students to select a country, research the foods native to that country and then make a meal that is using their native foods AND is presented in the shape of that country’s flag! This is brilliant and creative and the kids don’t complain for one second about it. They are trying new foods and stepping out of their comfort zone and aren’t even realizing it.
Try these cute snack ideas:
Try painting toast with milk dyed with food coloring. Paint a rainbow across your toast for a colorful sandwich!
Dirt cups- chocolate pudding with crushed oreo cookies (no cream) as the dirt, throw in a few gummy worms and you’ve got a dirty fun snack!
Edible bird nests! Yes, thats right. Check this guy out!
Ingredients:
- 1- 1/3 Cup flaked coconut
- 1/3 Cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 egg whites
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
In mixing bowl, combine coconut, sugar, flour and salt. Stir in egg whites and vanilla; mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Press thumb into each cookie to make an indention. Bake at 325 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Let cool add a drop of frosting and add jelly beans or chocolate mini eggs in center.
Have you ever made “popeye eggs?” that’s what my Uncle Curtis called them. We would get out the griddle, a loaf of sliced bread, eggs and butter and a tall drinking glass.
He would cut out the center of each slice of bread with the drinking glass. Butter the bread and throw them on the griddle. He would crack an egg into the center of the bread and let it cook. Flipping over as needed. They were fun and creative and we ate them all morning long!
Try letting them build a graham cracker ”gingerbread” house with peanut butter and graham crackers. PB is good protein and is fun and messy to work with!
However you attack healthy lunch ideas I am sure you will find a few things here in the blog to fit any young chefs taste. Try one or try them all. Get their buy in and have fun as a family with your snacking/meal needs.