Make a smarter sandwich

While some kids prefer the same thing every day, others may be fine with a slight switch to their sandwich.

• Use different breads, such as 100% whole-wheat tortilla wraps (choose wraps low in saturated fat and made with no hydrogenated oils) or 100% whole-wheat pita pockets.
• In addition to lettuce and tomato, try shredded carrot or zucchini and sliced apple or pear with a turkey sandwich.
• Try avocado or hummus as a swap for cheese or mayo.
• Try leftover grilled chicken in your sandwich as a switch for lunch meat.

Love those leftovers

Think about using the leftovers from a family favorite dinner for lunch the next day. Use a thermos to keep food hot or cold until the lunch bell rings. Some ideas include:

• Soups such as tomato, vegetable, or bean
• Chili — vegetarian or made with lean or extra lean ground chicken
• Spaghetti — whole wheat with tomato, pesto, or marinara sauce
• Bean casserole or beans and rice

These foods sometimes have a lot of sodium, so make them homemade with little or no salt, or compare the nutrition facts of similar products and choose the ones with less sodium.

Let them dunk

Sometimes it’s OK to let your kids play with their food, especially when getting extra nutrition. Try packing one of these fun dunks with dippers:

• Apple and pear slices to dip into low-fat, plain yogurt or peanut butter
• Carrot, celery, and sweet pepper strips to dip into hummus, fresh salsa, or homemade bean dip
• Dunk whole-grain crackers or slices of grilled tofu (a soybean product) into soup. Choose crackers low in sodium and saturated fat and made without hydrogenated oils.

Get them involved

When kids help pack their lunch, they’re more likely to eat it! On nights you have more time, maybe a Sunday night, have them choose which fruit or type of whole-grain bread they want and let them assemble their lunch. Make this a weekly routine. It’s another great way to spend family time together.

Source: American Heart Association