Back to School Lunches

It's that time of the year - school is here! If you’re a parent or caregiver, you may already feel overwhelmed just thinking about packing school lunches for your kiddos. Lunch planning and packing are actually great activities to involve your kids in. As the parent, your roles are to ensure nourishing food options are available to pack and to provide guidance/assistance to your child. Your child’s jobs are to communicate their food preferences, give feedback on how much food is satisfying for meals and snacks, and to assist or independently pack their own lunch, depending on their comfort or maturity level. This may be a work in progress, but with time, your child will learn how to pack healthful food to fuel them for a day of school. ​
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As you ease into passing along lunch packing duty, assess your child’s readiness level. Children in grades 1 to 3 may not be ready to pack independently, but they can certainly help with making decisions about what they’d like you to pack. This would also be a good time to brainstorm and plan together with this handy chart! Have discussions with your child about what should be included in a healthful lunch. Aim to always have “growing food” (protein and whole grains), fruit, and veggies on hand.

By grade 4 to 6, your child may be ready to pack all or part of their lunch independently. Maybe they could assemble a wrap, sandwich, pasta salad, or leftovers, but they may need more assistance with slicing fresh fruits and veggies and packing food up properly to ensure food safety. And don’t forget to involve your child in grocery shopping so they can take pride in their selections for the week.

Last month, the Sound Dietitians team had a blast talking about planning healthy lunches and doing some hands-on prep with kids and families at Verdant Community Wellness Center.  This was an excellent way to conclude Kids Eat Right Month and prepare for the start of school. Here are some tasty recipes from our class! ​

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Chicken Salad

Leftover chicken breast or rotisserie chicken can easily be chopped or shredded to be used in lunches and additional dinner meals. Toss shredded chicken on salad or pasta, season for tacos or quesadillas, or make a batch of this delicious chicken salad. It is perfect for school lunches or snacks and can be enjoyed as a sandwich, wrap, or with whole grain crackers. Just remember to pack it with some cold packs so it stays chilled until lunch time.
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Makes 2 Cups (4 Servings)
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Ingredients:​

• ¾ cup celery, diced (2 stalks)
• ½ cup seedless grapes, halved (optional)
• 2 cups chicken breast, shredded or chopped
• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt, plain, 2% fat
• 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon red wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds or sunflower seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Wash and chop celery (and grapes, if desired). If kids want to practice dicing, parents can help make the job easier by first cutting the celery stalks into 3-4 inch pieces and then slicing lengthwise into thin sticks. Once this size, kids can practice chopping with supervision. Slicing grapes may be a better task for older children or adults since the grapes might slip/roll away more easily.
2. Combine wet ingredients and spices. Mix with shredded chicken until moistened.
3. Fold in celery, grapes, and nuts or seeds.
4. Enjoy with whole grain bread, an English muffin, crackers, on a tortilla, or in lettuce wraps.
5. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Nutrition per 1/2 cup serving (with almonds and grapes): 240 Calories; 12g Fat; 27g Protein; 7g Carbohydrates; 1.5g Fiber; 300mg Sodium

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Rainbow Power Bowl with Easy Red Wine Vinaigrette

This bowl was a HUGE hit with our class! The kids loved shaking up their own dressing and choosing a variety of colorful veggies for their bowls. One kiddo commented “the cucumbers are so crunchy and refreshing!” After assembling, these grain bowls are too pretty to pass up.
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Makes 2 Cups
Recipe adapted from: https://www.superhealthykids.com/rainbow-buddha-bowls-kids/​​​
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Ingredients:​​​

• ½ cup cooked grains: quinoa, farro, pasta, or other whole grains
• ½ to 1 cup mixed veggies
  • sliced cucumber
  • shelled edamame
  • chopped bell pepper
  • halved cherry tomatoes
  • chopped snap peas
  • diced avocado
  • leftover roasted veggies: sweet potato cubes, broccoli
• 2 Tablespoons nuts, seeds, or beans
  • sunflower seeds, pepitas, slivered almonds, crushed walnuts, seasoned roasted chickpeas
• 1-2 Tablespoons dressing/sauce of choice
  • Vinaigrette dressing, Avocado sauce, Hummus
• Sprinkle of feta or parmesan cheese (optional)

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried chives

Directions:
(Dressing)

1. Shake up all ingredients in glass bottle or jar and store in the refrigerator. Serving size: 1-2 tablespoons.

(Power Bowl)

1. Use an airtight container or mason jar to package up your creation.
2. No need to measure precisely. Build your bowl with a heaping scoop of cooked grains, at least 2-3 colorful veggies, and adjust the amount of dressing based on the size of your salad.
3. Dressing can be packaged separately to add on just before lunch, or it can be added to the bottom of your container first (just shake it up to mix it all together!)
4. Mix together grains and veggies, or assemble in layers.​

Notes:

• Add extra protein to your bowl with shredded chicken or turkey breast, baked tofu, or diced hard-boiled egg.
• For roasted sweet potato cubes: chop a large sweet potato into ½ inch cubes, toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil, transfer to foil lined pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes (stir halfway through roasting).

Nutrition per one example bowl (½ cup quinoa; 1/3 cup each cucumber/peppers/tomatoes, ¼ cup roasted sweet potato, 2 Tablespoons roasted chickpeas; 2 Tablespoons vinaigrette dressing): 355 Calories; 19.5g Fat; 7g Protein; 38g Carbohydrates; 6.7g Fiber; 210mg Sodium

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​Chocolate Cherry Energy Balls

These energy balls are a great alternative to packaged, processed snacks because they are only lightly sweetened and also provide protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. You can have fun mixing them up on the weekend and enjoy throughout the week.
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Makes 24 Energy Balls
Recipe adapted from: https://www.smartnutrition.ca/recipes/mix-n-match-energy-ball-recipe/

Ingredients:

• 1 cup old fashioned oats (whole or ground)
• 1/3 cup sunflower seed butter
• 1/4 cup date paste (8 pitted dates)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 Tablespoons dried cherries, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon dark chocolate (about 10 chocolate chips), chopped
• 2 Tablespoons chia seeds

Directions:

1. Prepare date paste. Soak dates in hot water for at least 10 minutes until softened. If you are in a rush, you can 
microwave the mixture for 1 minute (be careful – water and dates will be hot!). Remove dates and combine with 3 
Tablespoons water. Mash with a fork, or blend mixture in a food processor, Magic Bullet, or similar device.
2. Combine liquid ingredients: nut/seed butter, date paste, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.
3. Gather dry ingredients: oats, dried fruit, chocolate, seeds. Using a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon, mix all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. If mixture is too 
difficult to stir, you can knead the mixture with clean hands until well combined.
4. Scoop balls with a tablespoon or small cookie scoop. Gently roll into balls with your hands. If mixture is too crumbly, add in 1 teaspoon water at a time until mixture sticks together better. Place balls on a parchment lined sheet pan or storage container. Refrigerate until firm. 
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5. Store energy balls in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week
   

Notes:

• Oats can be mixed in whole for a chewier energy ball
  
• For a smoother texture energy ball, process oats in a food processor and pulse until a flour-like consistency
  
• Recommended serving size: 2-3 energy balls
  

Nutrition per energy ball: 55 Calories; 2.5g Fat; 1.5g Protein; 7g Carbohydrates; 1.2g Fiber

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Fun extra: Check out America's Test Kitchen's "Kid Friendly Recipe & Activity Testing" to encourage food, cooking, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics)!

Happy planning, prep, and packing ~ Wishing you all an excellent start to a new school year!

~Holly, RDN