Are your kids bored to death with PB & J lunches? Try some of the simple ideas below to spice things up:

• Red Peppered Chicken: sliced grilled chicken, red pepper spread, baby spinach on choice of whole grain bread
• Thanksgiving Sandwich: sliced turkey, cranberry sauce, lettuce, cucumber slices on choice of whole grain bread OR honey roasted turkey rolled with grated carrots or sliced cucumber and thin spread of cranberry sauce, served with rice cakes or crackers
• Roast Beef: roast beef, grated carrots, lettuce, tomato slices with horseradish mayo, Dijon mustard, Boursin cheese or hot pepper jelly on choice of whole grain bread OR rolled up and served with rice cakes or whole grain crackers
• Fruity Ham: lean ham, sliced apples, honey mustard or apricot jelly on choice of whole grain bread OR rolled up and served with rice cakes whole grain crackers
• Fresh Cheese: sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced tomato, and avocado spread on choice of whole grain bread drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• Sweet and Nutty: nut butter, all-fruit jelly, honey, banana or apple sliced thin on whole grain bread or crackers of choice
• Veggie Delight: hummus, avocado, tomato slices, sprouts and shredded jack cheese with optional honey or Dijon mustard in a whole grain pita pocket or wrap
• Mexican Salad: Lettuce, tomatoes, sliced avocado, chopped olives, salsa, shredded jack cheese, re-fried beans (such as Amy’s vegetarian re-fried beans) rolled into a sprouted corn tortilla (this one’s messy, but worth it!)
• Real Food Lunchable: Hummus, carrot and celery sticks, whole grain pita strips or organic corn chips, organic cheese stick, sliced seasonal fruit
• Yogurt Fruit Cup: 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt (or half yogurt, half cottage cheese), mixed with ½-3/4 cup fruit (blueberries, sliced strawberries, bananas), ¼ cup granola and 1 tablespoon agave nectar (can also season with ½ teaspoon vanilla and/or sweet spices like cinnamon, ginger or cardamom
• Yogurt Veggie Cup: 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or half yogurt, half cottage cheese), mixed with 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ¼ cup diced tomatoes, cucumber and red pepper

A sandwich, veggie and fruit make a satisfying and nutritionally rich staple lunch for kids. You can add a high quality “snack food” like Pirate’s Booty or whole grain pretzels for a salty treat, but try to include at least one fruit and one veggie to help them get enough produce servings into their daily diet.

Remember, they don’t have much time, so the portions should be reasonable and foods shouldn’t be complicated to make or unwrap. Making their sandwich neat and easy to eat will make it more appealing. Cut them in half and don’t use wet or runny fillings ~ soggy bread: yuck! Cutting veggies down to bite size and slicing full-sized fruit like oranges and apples will help them get eaten. A special tip from my (Jeannette’s ) middle school son: never send in anything large and cylindrical, like whole mini-cucumbers, full-sized pickles, or full-sized hotdogs J  Apparently bananas get a pass for some reason, but that’s it! (more…)

Using leftovers is key to making the bag lunch work during the school year. It saves time, money and energy, and kids love them! When organizing your dinner, think about what you can make that would work for lunch the next day. Make extra servings to use for lunch, set them aside, and when they are cool put them in your containers and refrigerate for the next day.

If you’re making a salad for dinner, add extra vegetables like cucumber, peppers, carrots, celery or tomatoes and put them in your container with the dressing in a separate compartment.

Prepare hard boiled eggs for sliced egg sandwiches, deviled eggs, egg salad or sliced into salad. Just cover any number of eggs with cold water in a saucepan. Turn the burner to high, set the timer for 15 minutes and remove them from the heat when the timer goes off. When they’re cool enough to handle, pop them in the fridge to grab anytime. We keep ours in the fridge door to tell them apart from the raw eggs. They make a great grab-and-go breakfast protein, too.

Try grilling extra vegetables and add those to sandwiches.

If you’re preparing chicken or turkey breast, steak or pork loin, prepare an extra serving and slice it for sandwiches the next day. This is a much healthier alternative to deli meats.

If you’re making meatloaf, make extra and slice it thin for sandwiches.

Make extra brown rice, couscous, pasta or beans. These can beef up canned soups or salads.

Make extra chili or homemade soup ~ excellent the next day. Try combining it with a salad.

If you don’t think they’ll eat something the day after they had it for dinner, just wait a day and try it then.