The Art of the School (Work) Lunch

Packing lunch to go doesn’t have to be pre-packaged, plain, or boring. Here’s some tips for great lunches-to-go for the whole family.

by Shoshana Isaacson
UNORTHOBOXED Magazine Food Editor

Ah, the quintessential brown paper bag lunch; peanut butter and jelly sandwich, piece of fruit, some kind of snack or treat and a juice or water bottle. BORING. Whether for yourself or for your children, lunch from home can be tasty and exciting. The best part is you don’t need to buy a ton of individually wrapped ready-to-go items, you can make your own individual sized portions and treats.

Many parents of young children complain that their little ones don’t eat the lunches that are sent with them to school or that their older children gripe that their lunches are boring and not as good as their classmates’. When it comes to ourselves or our spouses sometimes it seems easier to just get take-away. With a few simple tricks from the lunch box genie, creating healthier, more nourishing and more inviting lunches is just a few steps away.

Let’s tackle food first. For young children the best option is more. Not volume but assortment. Give your toddler or preschooler more options in smaller amounts. In place of a sandwich, a fruit, a snack and a beverage give them multiple finger food options in one or two ounce portions. Include a water bottle and a juice or milk. For example, a perfect assortment would be something like this: 1 oz. of cubed cheese/cheese stick, 2 oz. hummus, a few cut-up baby carrots or other veggie to dip into the hummus, 1 or 2 oz. of berries or cut-up fruit or ½ peeled and divided orange, a few crackers or pretzels, 1 oz. of black beans (kids love to pick up beans and eat them), 2 oz. plain or vanilla yogurt and one or two small cookies. Having multiple foods to choose from gives little children the feeling of autonomy that they crave at this age and you may be surprised as to how much more is eaten. You can also involve your child in picking out the foods to include in their lunch while you are grocery shopping. Simply ask them what they want for their lunch. If they respond with all junk-type foods, tell them that you can pack one treat with their lunch but they need to pick some healthy choices as well.

For example you might say something like, “If you want the bamba you need to pick a fruit and a vegetable too”. Even if it takes more time, part of the afternoon/evening time should be spent packing the next day’s lunch together. Children, especially young children, are more inclined to eat the foods that they help to prepare.

For older children and tweens it is all about fitting in and being ‘cool’. Definitely ask them what they prefer in their lunches and do the best that is possible to pack what they request. At this point they need larger portions and most likely less variety. Again, for every treat there should be one or two healthy choices. A good elementary or tween- aged lunch might look like this: an avocado toast sandwich, hummus with veggies to dip, a few cheese sticks, a yogurt with granola to mix in and a piece of fresh fruit with the addition of a power bar or healthy muffin to give them a burst of energy later in the day.

When it comes to high-school-age children and the adults in your home that lunch is being packed for, the best strategy is to pack lunches that are full of protein (for clear thinking and energy) as well as things that are tasty and visually appealing. Asking the person you are packing the lunch for is a must. The popularity of one bowl meals makes packing an appealing lunch a snap. Start with a simple leafy green salad as a base and top that with a scoop of black beans, sliced avocado, a scoop of sour cream (or non-dairy alternative), ¼ cup of shredded cheddar cheese and a 2 oz. cup of salsa or pico de gallo with a few plain tortilla chips to crumble on top and you have a great taco salad bowl to go. The varieties are endless and limited only by your tastes and creativity.

Packaging these awesome lunches is also a breeze in today’s world. For more information on all of the options out there, check out this month’s “What’s Hot in Food and Cooking” article.