It caught my eye that this week is National School Breakfast Week. Sadly my first thought was,Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Your School Age Child Articles “Really? Yuck.” Maybe that was yours just now too. We all remember school lunch from back in the day. Mine was soggy pizza and limp fries, or maybe an iceberg salad with ranch and a few mystery meat nuggets. I’m not joking. This is exactly what I ate. I typically chose a carton of lowfat milk as my beverage, but others choices were juice boxes or chocolate milk.
I was thinking, hoping, that possibly school lunches had changed since my time in the elementary cafeteria. While there is movement towards healthier choices, unfortunately many things remain the same. Pizza? Check. Corndogs? Check. Chicken nuggets? Check. Apparently the ingredients have improved, as per the Seattle Public School’s menu the corndogs are now chicken and the pizza uses chicken pepperoni, however the blandness and overall feeling of processed food remains. A friend recently sent me a picture of a child’s lunch choice and it was appalling. Corndog, fries, and chocolate milk. That makes me sad.
The commonality in these less-than-idea meals is the basic lack of color and variety. When you think of a school lunch, what color pops into mind? Brown, right? Where do our antioxidants and phytochemicals come from? Colorful foods, of course. That is one important area where school lunch is falling short.
But that is where they honestly have been trying, as well. There are now salad bars in most schools offering a wide variety of fruits and veggies. Some schools (including my son’s), are kicking out the flavored milks. Sounds encouraging.
The problem is that kids are not consistently choosing these healthier options. If you give an 8 year old a choice between pizza or salad and fruit, coupled with less than 15 minutes to eat, what do you think they will choose? Shoot, it would definitely take me at least 15 minutes to eat a salad and an apple, and likely even longer if that salad tasted like it came out of a box. Sounds like pizza for the win.
While schools definitely need to up their game, it’s really up to us parents to do the right thing by our kids. The best option? Send your kids to school with a healthy lunch every day. Unfortunately I know this not going to happen for many low income kids who rely on school lunches in order to eat every day. I am extremely grateful and thankful that we have a school lunch program in the first place to support those kids, and it is for them that we need to keep fighting to get rid of the unhealthful choices in our schools. But for those of us not on the free lunch program, the best and most economical option is to pack your kiddo a lunch each and every day.
What to pack? I’m glad you asked. There are a lot of great options to keep your busy child going strong throughout the school day. As you read through these, envision the vibrant colors that would be packed into that little lunch box. Brown and bland, your days are numbered.
Nut Butter and Jelly on Whole wheat bread
I know it sounds boring, but you can’t go wrong with nut butter and a little jelly on whole grain bread. Throw in some apple slices and maybe a cheese stick and you have a nice box of things for your child to choose from. While peanut butter is the most popular choice, consider other options like almond butter or cashew butter. Better yet, try sunflower seed butter, especially if there are nut-allergic children at school.
Random Mix: Cheese, Fruit, Nuts, Crackers, Hard Boiled Egg
Choose a few of the above and pack into little lunchtime result containers. I like that my son can pick and choose from these options and get a wider variety of nutrients. Normally he can finish just about everything but what he doesn’t he saves for after school snack. A win-win. Also a great way to save the day when you run out of bread and lack any sort of leftovers on a Monday morning. Just saying.
Small Whole Wheat Bagel w/ Cream Cheese and Carrot Sticks
You might be thinking bagels are unhealthy, and often they are, but smaller size, whole wheat ones are a great choice for a growing kiddo along with a nice thick layer of cream cheese. Couple that with some veggies and you can’t go wrong.
Chips, Dip and Avocado
This is an idea I have seen from other parents. Pack a baggy with tortilla chips or crackers of your choice. Include a Tupperware with salsa, avocado slices, and sour cream or greek yogurt. Maybe even add some shredded cheese. Your child can dip or load up the chips as they desire.
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