Lunchtime Resolutions for Return to School
Have you been procrastinating on your New Year’s Resolutions? That’s okay! Here’s a mom and dad approved idea: improve your kids’ school lunches in 2023!
We know that packing lunches can be extremely time consuming and overwhelming. Between grocery shopping, making sure you’re providing a well-balanced diet and physically getting the lunches packed, it’s a lot. Here are our best ideas for how you can kick off the New Year with a healthier start for the kiddos and stick to your resolution:
- Save your grocery lists. Save precious minutes by not starting from scratch each week. Make one grocery list and build on it as you think of healthy sides your kids love. Even if you’re not planning on buying everything on the list each week, this will give you one big list to work from so you can make healthy choices and switch up the types of snacks and produce you feed the kids. This way they’ll stay interested in lunchtime and not get bored with the same old stuff.
- Utilize grocery pickup or delivery. If you think your time is better spent preparing nutritious meals, don’t waste that time at the grocery store. Convenience is key! Use your big grocery list to choose what you want to fill the fridge and pantry with this week. Add those items to your online shopping cart and opt for someone else to get those groceries for you – make sure they always choose organic, too!
- Pick out bento boxes. Make lunchtime fun for the littles with sectioned boxes for each food group! Plus, these boxes are reusable, so you’ll be saving on lunch waste when these are used each day. Bento boxes come in variety of colors, sizes and with any number of compartments. Let the kids pick out which one they like best!
- Focus on color and variety. Use the sections in the bento boxes as inspiration for what to pack! Try to incorporate different colors in each section. Fill the larger compartments with nutrient-dense, filling options like a whole wheat sandwich or hummus and pretzels. Fill the smaller sections with fruits and veggies that fit well like berries, carrot sticks and citrus slices.
- Don’t forget the juice box! Lunch isn’t complete without a drink on the side. Instead of providing something with artificial flavors and loads of added sugar, we have a much healthier alternative! Uncle Matt’s No Sugar Added Lemonade and Strawberry Lemonade Juice Boxes are the perfect addition to your kids’ new, healthier approach to lunchtime. With no added sugar and boosted with vitamins C, D and zinc, these juice boxes are the finishing touch on your littles’ new healthy lunch lifestyle.