Things You'll Need:
- Healthy food items (low fat meats, cheeses, breads, vegetables, fruits, etc.)
- Cookie cutters
- A sense of fun and creativity
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Step 1
Switch things up a bit. Use bagels, English muffins, or rice cakes for sandwiches, or use a wrap or flat bread. Instead of peanut butter and jam, try cream cheese and jam. Use hummus instead of mayonnaise and sprouts instead of lettuce.
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Step 2
For a twist on traditional sandwich fare, try these as sandwich fillings, with crackers, or by themselves:
• Cheese, avocado and sprouts
• Grilled cheese with cucumber and sprouts
• Cheddar or mozzarella cheese with apple slices
• Turkey with cranberry sauce and lettuce or sprouts
• Cream cheese and smoked salmon -
Step 3
Don’t be afraid to make it fun. With a few creative touches, you can entice your kids to eat good-for-them foods:
• Spread cream cheese or peanut butter on a bagel, English muffin or rice cake. Make a face with raisin or dried fruit eyes, a cashew or almond nose and an apple or fruit slice smile.
• Use cookie cutters to cut regular sandwiches into fun shapes.
• Or, cut cubes of meats and cheeses and pack with crackers. -
Step 4
Round out the lunch with these healthy brown bag alternatives to chips:
• Vegetable sticks with salad dressing or honey mustard for dipping
• Pretzels
• Celery sticks filled with peanut butter or cream cheese
• Crackers
• Nuts
• Tortilla chips with salsa
• Popcorn -
Step 5
And, don’t forget dessert. For healthy, low sugar desert ideas, try:
• Fresh fruit
• Pudding cups
• Graham crackers and peanut butter
• Fruit yogurt
• Dried fruit
• Fortune cookies
• Vanilla wafer cookies (with yogurt or pudding for dipping, if you like)
