How to Pack the Perfect School Lunch

— -- intro: Concerned that the sludge they’re slopping at the cafeteria is ruining your kid’s appetite, and maybe even his waistline? Then it’s time to take control of the midday meal by packing a heroic lunch for your loved ones each morning.

A good lunch is a balanced one, formed around a dependable main course and punctuated with a solid supporting cast of nutrient- packed sides, a low- or no-calorie drink, and even a little treat. For Eat This, Not That!, we’ve developed an easy menu.

Mix and match and your kid will be the envy of every mystery meat-eating student in the second grade. Here are the four elements to a perfectly packed lunch.

quicklist: 1category: Pack the Perfect School Lunchtitle: STURDY ANCHORurl:text:Avoid a lunch built on refined carbohydrates, as the intake of quick-burning carbs will leave your kid with an energy and attention deficit for the rest of the day. Focus instead on protein, fiber, and healthy fats that will help keep your kid satisfied, keep his metabolism running high, and provide some meaningful nutrition along the way.

• Turkey or roast beef and Swiss sandwich on wheat bread (sans mayo, but loaded with produce, if you can get away with it)
• Sliced ham, cheese, and Triscuits®
• PB&J (made on whole wheat bread with a pure-fruit jelly like Smucker’s® Simply Fruit®)
• Thermos of hot soup
• Grilled chicken breast Hard-boiled eggs
• Tuna or cubed chicken tossed with light mayo, mustard, celery, and carrot
• And for sandwiches: Meats should be lean (no salami or bologna), breads should be whole wheat, and condiments should be used sparingly.

quicklist: 2category: Pack the Perfect School Lunchtitle: SIDES WITH SUBSTANCE?url:text:Only one in four kids consumes the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, so pack a lunch sans produce and you’re missing a golden opportunity to slip some much-needed nutrients back into their diets. As long as you have at least one piece of fruit or a serving of vegetables, adding a second crunchy snack is fine.

• Carrot sticks
• Celery sticks
• Apple slices with peanut butter
• Fruit salad
• Banana, pear, peach, or any other whole fruit
• Grapes
• Olives
• Almonds and raisins (mixed 50-50)
• Triscuits®
• Small bag of pretzel sticks or Goldfish® pretzels
• Baked! Lay’s®

quicklist: 3category: Pack the Perfect School Lunchtitle: LOW-IMPACT TREAT?url:text:You’ve gotta give them something they can brag to their friends about, right? Some general rules of the lunchtime reward: A treat should have no trace of trans fats (many cookies and pastries do), less than 12 grams of sugar, and no more than 100 calories. If you can eke some extra nutrition out of it, all the better.

• Fruit leather
• Squeezable yogurt
• Low-fat, low-sugar chocolate pudding
• Sugar-free Jell-O®
• Rice Krispies Treats®
• A square of chocolate (the darker the better)

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