Packing the kids’ lunches for school means you know which nutritious foods they are eating. Here are some budget-friendly, creative ideas to keep kids happy and healthy at lunchtime.

Make a “Smarter” Sandwich:

While some kids prefer the same thing every day, others may be okay with a slight switch to their sandwich.

• Use different breads like 100% whole wheat tortilla wraps (choose wraps low in saturated and made with no hydrogenated oils) or 100% whole wheat pita pockets.
• Besides lettuce, try shredded carrots or avocado slices with a turkey sandwich.
• Buy blocks of low fat, low-sodium cheeses. You save money when you slice it yourself. Or use a cookie cutter to cut into fun shapes.
• Instead of lunchmeat, try a leftover grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato.

Love Those Leftovers:

Try using the leftovers from the family dinner for the next day’s lunch. Invest in a thermos to keep foods hot or cold until lunchtime.

• Low-sodium tomato, vegetable or bean soups
• Chili made with lean or extra lean ground turkey
• Whole wheat spaghetti with low sodium tomato sauce
• Low-sodium baked beans, bean casserole or beans & rice

Let Them Dunk:

Sometimes it is okay to let your kids play with their food, especially when they are getting extra nutrition.

• Apple and pear slices to dip into low-fat plain yogurt mixed with peanut butter.
• Carrot, celery and sweet pepper strips to dip into hummus, fresh salsa or homemade bean dip.
• Whole grain crackers (choose crackers low in sodium and saturated fat and made without hydrogenated oils) to dunk into low-sodium vegetable or tomato soup.
• Unsalted sunflower seeds, crushed whole wheat cereal and sliced banana to mix into low fat vanilla yogurt (no added sugars) to eat with a spoon like a sundae.

Get Them Involved:

While letting kids in the kitchen might mean a bigger mess, if they help pack their own lunch, they are more likely to eat it! On nights you have a bit more time, like a Sunday night, have them choose which piece of fruit or what type of whole grain bread they want and let them assemble their lunch. Make this a weekly routine – it’s another great way to spend family time together.

For more heart healthy lunch tips visit: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/

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