March is National Nutrition Month

 
 
 
 
                       
 
 
Break the Brown Bag Blues
 
In honor of National Nutrition Month, give your child's lunch a brown bag makeover. It is important to pack your child a healthy lunch to provide them with the nutrients they need for learning, growing and play, it's also important to make sure they eat it . To ensure your child's lunch doesn't go to waste, I have included some simple tips to help break the brown bag boredom.
 
Sit down once a week or before grocery shopping to plan lunches together. 
  • Encourage them to pack or help you pack their lunch. If they have a role in putting it together, they are more likely to eat it. 
Celebrate special days.
  • Plan lunches menus around special days. For example, pack all green veggies or fruit sides, or make a rainbow fruit salad for St. Patrick's Day.
Try new foods.
  • Bring your child to the grocery store to pick out some new fruits or vegetables. This will encourage an interest in trying new foods and may be helpful for picky eaters.
Incorporate the rainbow in each lunch.
  • Pack a salad with lots of veggies and see how many different colors that you can add- fruit is a tasty addition to salads. 
  • Fruit salad with the colors of the rainbow and add a few mini marshmallows for fun.
  • Add peas, broccoli, or carrots to mac and cheese
  • Minestrone soup/Vegetable Soup
Switch up the same old sandwich routine.
  • Use mini whole grain pitas, tortillas, crackers, English Muffins instead of bread. 
  • whole grain cereal
  • soup
  • mac and cheese
  • cheese and crackers
  • whole grain English Muffin pizza
  • pasta
Invest in fun containers.
  •  A quality insulated lunch bag in a fun print and insulated food container will enable your child to take a wider variety of food options. Also, remember to use an ice pack to keep cold foods cold if your child's lunch box/bag is not insulated to prevent food poisoning. 
  • Bento boxes Best Bento Boxes 2022
More fun ideas and recipes to help boost that brown bag!