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I have found that the best thing about a brown bag lunch is that you create it yourself. You get to have whatever you want on any day. Especially for those who are trying to stay healthy, adding a few extra things to their lunch bag is a necessity.
A piece of fruit has always been a part of brown bag lunches. Moms would drop a shiny red apple or a blemish free orange in the bag. Remember how it used to crush the sandwich in the middle every time? Fruit is now, just as it was then, an essential part of a brown bag lunch. The best part is that now it can be packed without flattening the main course sandwich!
Slicing fruit can be one way to keep from denting your sandwich. True apples and pears do turn brown fast so douse them in some lemon juice after you cut the apple to stop the browning process. Kids may look at those apple pieces with a funny expression if they open the container and see brown spots. The chances of them actually eating them decrease so keep them looking good and you’re kids are more likely to gobble them up. Oranges don’t turn colors but choosing seedless varieties lessens the chance of swallowing a seed and possibly choking.
They now sell single servings of cut apples some with a dipping sauce can be a good alternative if you prefer not cutting the apples yourself. Another option is the single serving veggies they usually come with ranch dressing and most kids love to dip. They are quick and easy to just toss in the lunch bag.
Dried fruit such as, dates, prunes, and apricots are good choices to. Keep in mind that dried fruits are sweeter because the drying process concentrates the natural sugars. Kids will think you added something special and they are getting away with something eating that overly sweet fruit. This will probably get them to eat more of the healthy stuff which is great for you. They don’t have to know you didn’t sweeten their fruit with unnecessary sugar in order to get them to eat it so you’re secret is safe.
Try some Pretzels instead of chips. Hard pretzels aren’t just the dark brown twists with salt on top. Pretzels come in sticks, small twists, little nuggets and other fun shapes. They also come in flavored with yummy flavors like honey mustard, honey, and cheddar. Even Pringles created a thin crispy pretzel stick that makes an easy to munch snack.
Nuts have always been forgotten about because of their fat content. But, keep in mind, all fats are not equal and the fat in nuts is good for you. Almonds are good to eat but many people prefer peanuts or pecans. The fat content is higher in those two types of nut, but you don’t have to eat an entire container. Fill a bag with a serving or two of nuts and eat them as a snack before or after lunch. Keep in mind with nuts in lunches to check with your child’s school to see if they can bring with nut allergies becoming more common.
So who says that healthy additions can’t be fun or tasty? No longer does a healthy brown bag lunch foods tasted like cardboard; they now have flavors that kids and adults both enjoy.
