The Ultimate Guide to Packing Plant-Based Lunches for Back to School
With back to school upon us, it’s a good time to take inventory of our pantry and refrigerator and create a plan to provide nutritious lunches for our active, growing children. It’s a busy time for families, that’s why I’ve created these easy tips to help you feel less overwhelmed when add packing a lunch to your already over-scheduled calendar. A healthy, well balanced lunch provides energy and fuel for their bodies so they can focus and learn at their best all day. And while you’re at it, you may as well pack yourself a lunch as well!
Top Tips
#1 Balance Out Nutrition
Make sure you have a main course, vegetable, and fruit. Together they should cover the food groups of protein, fruit, veggies, whole grains, and healthy fats.
#2 Balance Flavors and Textures
Crunchy, creamy, chewy, juicy, sweet, and tangy. Also, create balance by pairing heavier filling foods with lighter refreshing ones.
#3 Balanced Effort
While you strive to keep the selection whole foods and homemade, it’s ok to take advantage of pre-packaged items available at the grocery store. Individually packaged baby carrots, sliced apples, broccoli, cauliflower, and unsweetened applesauce servings are definitely time-savers. This isn’t about being perfect, it’s about providing balanced nutrition while helping our kids to thrive while keeping our own stress levels low.
#4 Prep Ahead
Cut fruits and veggies when you bring them home and store in air-tight containers in the fridge. This makes it easier to grab and pack that whole food plant-based lunch!
#5 Be Efficient
Create an assembly line and fill containers with the same items, making small adjustments as needed for those picky veggie eaters. But the main component would all be the same.
#6 Use Up Leftovers
Dinner leftovers make great additions to Buddha Bowls and Veggie Wraps.
#7 Keep It Simple
Don’t overthink school lunch planning. If your kids don’t mind eating PB & J everyday for a week, by all means, make that! Change up the bread slices to a bagel or a wrap such as this Banana Walnut Wrap.
#8 Don’t Make Unnecessary Work
There are no awards going out for mother of the year when it comes to school lunches. Save yourself the trouble of creating cookie cutter dinosaur sandwiches and flower shaped fruit. If you want to do something special, draw a flower or make a note on their napkin.
#9 Pack Age Appropriate Quantities
The amount of food you include will depend on the age of your child and their typical appetite. Be sure to cut food into manageable pieces for those little ones.
#10 Get Your Kids Involved in Planning and Packing
Packing a healthy lunch box is the easy part, getting your kids to actually eat it on the other hand can be a challenge. If you’re up for it, take them grocery shopping with you and have them pick out the fruits and veggies they would like that week. Make it a game to try one new thing from the produce aisle on a certain day each week! For example, implement Fresh Friday. Add a new item every Friday and consider pairing it with something you know they love or even a small treat as a reward.
#11 Let’s Not Forget Food Safety
Be sure to keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. Use reusable ice packs for cold items and a Thermos for hot items.
#12 Clean-Up and Utensils
Don’t forget to pack a napkin and utensils and a leak proof water bottle! Reusable napkins and reusable utensils will be most cost effective in the long run…that is if your kids remember to bring them home and not accidentally throw them away!
Food Ideas
Wraps Veggie Wraps and Banana Wraps are always a big hit.
Hummus Black Bean Hummus with tortilla chips, Rustic Hummus is always a big hit with pita wedges or for dipping fresh vegetables.
Stuffed Sandwiches Tofu Egg Salad or Un-Tuna Salad are always a big hit stuffed in crusty bread, a pita or wrap.
Salads From Buddha Bowls to a Baha Bowl, or a bowl of Crunchy Apple Broccoli Salad, these bowls pack a punch on nutrition and flavor!
Vegetables Bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, celery, corn, cucumber, grape tomatoes, green beans, green peas, sugar snap peas, zucchini
Fruit Apples, apricots, berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries), cantaloupe, cherries (pit them first if you have younger kids), grapes, kiwi, oranges, plums, pineapple, peaches, watermelon
Sweet Treats Cocoa Bliss Balls, Cranberry Oatmeal Scones, Chocolate Chip Cookies, or Fudge Brownies can be satisfying and provide plenty of energy for breakfast, a snack or as a satisfying dessert.
Healthy Snacks Almonds, Walnuts, Granola, nutty Chocolate Bark, gluten-free Seed Crackers, sliced Banana Bread or roasted chickpeas.
