Clutter Busting: Tips for Preparing Fast, Healthy and Inexpensive School (and Preschool) Lunches

When I was in school our lunches consisted of appetizing school-prepared delicious meals including meat dishes, homemade soups, pasta dishes and more. Now school menus look more like something from the fast food front counter. The food is nearly always prepared and frozen prior to any children arriving at school. Many schools actually have fast food restaurants as their food service. (Clever Parents Editors’ Note: This should come as no surprise to any of you who have seen the documentary Super Size Me.) Another major problem is variety. At my childrens’ school we literally have one type of fried chicken product per week: chicken fingers, nuggets, and patties, and the like. As a shocking side note, did you have any idea that ketchup can be considered a vegetable?Whether you have a child at home, school, or daycare the following tips should aid in easy lunchtime preparation. As you read through my ideas think of ways that you can make lunchtime packing easier for yourself. If you do most of the work on the weekends you can quickly and easily prepare healthy nutritious lunches for your children and save tons of money in the process.

The Good Old PB&J: Many schools (including my daughter’s) are now peanut-free zones. I understand the danger of this wonder legume to some allergic children so if your school has a policy, please stick to it. My son’s preschool does not have a peanut policy so I am all about the PB&J! For the most nutritious sandwich use natural peanut butter with low or no sugar jelly on whole grain bread. These sandwiches can easily be prepared the night before or you can even make a few on the weekends and freeze them for super easy lunchbox packing! For kids who despise crusts, purchase one of those sandwich round makers (available from Clever Parents’ own Pampered Chef, Emily Frye) to make the circle pouch sandwiches.

Veggies and Dip: Most children will eat nearly anything as long as they can dip it! On the weekend clean and cut some vegetables and pack them into individual serving sized bags. Inside the baggie, slip either a folded napkin or paper towel to prevent the veggies from becoming soggy (the moisture will be absorbed into the paper product). Next, make up your favorite low fat dip. Our favorite dip is a packet of dry ranch mix and a container of low fat sour cream; sometimes I add a box of frozen, thawed and drained spinach to the mix, too. Place a serving of dip into small containers. Some favorite veggies in our house are cucumber sticks, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, radishes, cucumber, broccoli and cauliflower.

Muffins and breads: Last week I talked about how many quick bread recipes taste even better after being frozen. Toss a frozen muffin in the lunchbox and by the afternoon your child will have a yummy sweet treat!

Say goodbye to prepared pasta cups: On the weekend prepare some type of pasta (noodles, shells, wheels, etc). Chop up different vegetables including carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, and toss in some cherry tomatoes. Next, add some protein such as cheese and ham chunks. Mix together with low fat Italian dressing and you have a yummy and nutritious pasta salad. Place in small serving sized cups.

Popcorn: Can we even find a cheaper snack food than popcorn? Make up a large amount on the weekend and place in serving sized bags. Popcorn adds a nutritious crunch to the meal!

Make your own cracker snack meals: Place in a bag some small bite sized pieces of meat and cheeses. In another bag place some whole grain crackers. A definite child pleaser!

Fruit: The best way to get my children to eat fruit is by sticking it in gelatin! Simply make your gelatin recipe and add fresh fruit per the box instructions. Pour directly into single serving containers. Just remember to remind your children not to throw these containers away!

Say goodbye to pre-packaged lunch cakes: While these tasty treats are quite popular they tend to be expensive and not at all nutritious. I have not become clever enough to invent a cake without sugar or calories, so this trick is more focused on the economical part and not the nutritional part. Place your cake batter in greased muffin tins without the cupcake papers. Once cooled, slice horizontally and place your icing on the inside and then pop the top back on. This makes it super easy to wrap your cupcake without getting icing all over the plastic wrap. As a side note, you can take your favorite cake recipe and lighten it somewhat by using applesauce instead of oil.

These tips all involve one thing, planning ahead. If you take a little time on the weekend you can save yourself a lot of time and stress on the weekdays. Also, get your children involved in the process. Have them choose a veggie of the week. Ask them to help prepare some of these foods. Have fun and enjoy preparing healthy, nutritious and inexpensive meals for your family!

Betsy