This school year many children will be taking a sack lunch for their afternoon lunch. Not only is it a way to help your family stay on budget (i.e. most school hot lunches cost $2.50 or more), but also a way for you to make your son or daughter's lunch special. It will also provide an opportunity to allow you to know what your child is eating.
Sack Lunch Items
One way to make this approach successful is to make sure that you have the necessary items to making the sack lunches quick and easy. Many of these items you may already have at home, others you may need to purchase. Listed below are some of the necessary items:
- Ziploc bags (snack, sandwich, and/or quart sizes)
- Ice Pack
- Commercially made lunch bag or paper lunch sacks
- Plastic silverware
- Napkins
- Boxed drinks (i.e. juice pouches, bottle water, etc.)
- Plastic containers that can be reused (i.e. Ziploc, Gladware,etc.)
- Permanent Marker (to label lunch sack and/or decorate it)
Sack Lunch Recipes
Not only is it important to have the necessary items to make sack lunches for your child, but also be aware of some easy sack lunch recipes. One of the most difficult things about having a child take a sack lunch to school is to make sure that the content of their lunch does not get into a rut. Too often we focus on the basics: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, lunch meat sandwiches, chips, juice boxes, etc. Listed below are some sack lunch recipes that will help you stay out of that rut while providing a healthy lunch that your child may enjoy:
- About.com: Busy Cooks
- School Family.Com
- Parents.com
- Recipe Zaar.com
- eSSORTMENT.com
- The Visual Guide.com
- Amazing Moms.com
Sending a sack lunch to school with your child is not only a way to monitor what he or she eats, but also an opportunity for your child to start learning how to make healthy choices. Try to provide opportunities to have your son or daughter help you make the sack lunch. If they have an active role in making the decisions of what goes into the lunch box and helping with making the food, your child is more likely to eat their sack lunch.
