|
Last Updated: Jul 2nd, 2008 - 21:15:22 |
(ARA) - Ask any time-strapped parent the easiest bag lunch to toss together, and chances are it’ll include a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, bag of chips, juice box or soda and -- hopefully -- a piece of fruit or chopped up vegetables.
While there’s nothing wrong with the perennial favorite -- after all, a PB&J on whole wheat bread is a balanced choice for kids -- there are other options that are just as nutritious and simple to prepare, plus offer more visual appeal.
“Packing a healthy lunch is an excellent way for parents to teach their children positive eating behaviors,” says Cary Neff, spa chef and author of the New York Times bestselling cookbook, Conscious Cuisine. “The key is to make the meals as fun and tasty as possible, so that kids enjoy them and are less tempted to swap with their lunch mates for less-nutritious fare.”
Deli pinwheels, one of Neff’s personal favorites, are easy to make and can be prepared the night before. Roll sliced roast turkey, roast beef or baked ham; sliced reduced-fat cheese; and a dab of fat-free ranch or honey mustard dressing into a long log. Slice the log into one-inch pieces, skewered with carrot or celery sticks instead of toothpicks. Pack them flat in a plastic container, adding apple or pear slices rubbed with lemon juice (to prevent browning) before the kids leave for school in the morning.
Other suggestions by Neff include spreading a three-to-four-ounce container of almond butter or peanut butter on whole grain crackers, along with sliced fruit and sliced vegetables, or letting kids build their own sandwiches with chicken or turkey salad (made with fat-free mayonnaise), red grapes, walnuts and pita bread.
Cathy Garvey, RD –--Corporate Dietitian and Menu Development Manager for Jenny Craig, Inc. -- has more healthy alternatives to recommend. As a busy working mother of a four-year-old, and a nutritionist for more than 11 years, well-balanced meals are a personal and professional priority.
“Instead of a turkey sandwich, build a burrito in a colored tortilla with lean meats, Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese, lettuce leaves, and thinly sliced tomatoes and cucumbers,” Garvey suggests. “Or make your own lunch kit by cutting reduced-fat cheese into fun shapes, and alternating them with sliced turkey or chicken between whole wheat crackers.
“In place of the ever-popular potato chips, consider their baked counterparts, pretzels or fat-free popcorn,” adds Garvey. “Other fun side dishes include yogurt in a tube, dried fruit (blueberries, cranberries or raisins), seedless grapes or a fruit or applesauce cup. For crunchy munching try pepper strips, sliced celery or baby carrots with reduced-fat Ranch dip or fat-free cottage cheese. Add in four-ounce 100 percent juice boxes or 10-calorie juice pouches (frozen, to keep the rest of the lunch cold), 1 or 2 percent milk cartons, or small bottles of calorie-free flavored water, and you’ve got a healthy, well-balanced lunch that your kids will love (and you’ll feel pleased giving them).”
For more healthy lunch recipes, as well as nutritious suggestions for breakfast, dinner and dessert, visit www.jennycraig.com. Courtesy of ARA Content
|
© Copyright by Eveningsnews.com
Top of Page
|
