Time to Pack Lunch: Make it Colorful and Fresh

Back-to-school time and it's all about getting the routine underway. Daily homework starts again and probably an earlier bedtime is in order too. Add to that the task of planning the midday meal for school. For kids who bring lunch from home on most days, toting the same sandwich as last year can be downright boring.

There are some fresh ways to think about what goes into that lunchbox.

Jocelyn Kester, a holistic health counselor and a Katonah mother, emphasizes the need for variety-both in the types of fruits and vegetables that are included-as well as in the kinds of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats.

"Encourage your kids to eat the rainbow each day," she says. "You will be increasing their intake of fiber, vital anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals." Raw veggies like peppers, avocado and carrots in addition to seasonal fruit are visually and texturally appealing choices.

If sandwiches are your lunch staple, Kester suggests that the bread you choose should contain lots of fiber or bran to help slow the digestion of glucose into the body. "The more easily you can squish the bread into a super-ball sized lump, the more unhealthy and highly-processed it is," she explains.

And as the "brown bag" has been gradually replaced by the thermal lunchbox, another novel way to carry a complete lunch is becoming increasingly popular, according to California-based company, Laptop Lunches.

Marketed as an alternative to packing the typical sandwich, these compartmentalized containers (that are BPA and lead-free) allow lunch-makers to pack leftovers, dips, and creative meals.

Co-founder Tammy Pelstring says both livening up the process of lunch-making as well as reducing waste is important to parents.

"What is interesting is that teachers have become the biggest fans of Laptop Lunches," she says. "They see the waste from plastic containers and pre-packaged wrappings firsthand. And they also see how kids behave after less-than-healthy lunches."

Locally, Lewisboro Elementary School is on board with the effort to reduce waste. According to Michelle Colman, chair of the school's wellness and sustainability committee, LES alone generates 30,000 pounds of garbage each year from the lunchroom. The head custodian Danny Sloss, along with teachers, encourage students to pack their lunches in reusable containers, recycle waste when possible and use less napkins and plastic utensils.

So, what to pack? Based on an informal survey of some area parents, the following suggestions were made (all packed with water to drink):

• Turkey with avocado on Ezekiel bread, carrot sticks and hummus, two fig cookies.
• Almond butter with real fruit jam on whole-grain bread, string cheese, red grapes.
• Thermos of lentil soup, cucumber slices, real fruit roll-up, yogurt.
• Canned wild salmon with mayonnaise on whole grain bread, an apple, slice of banana bread.
• Whole-wheat pasta with tomato sauce, a hard-boiled egg, cut-up peppers, cup of pineapple or seasonal fruit.

Many full-day school kids are also asked to bring a morning or afternoon snack. Topaz LeTourneau, a Golden's Bridge mother of three has some suggestions for make-your-own. "I make my own Chex Mix by mixing cereals that my kids like with pretzels," she says. "Other days, I might pack homemade mini-muffins, carrot sticks, rice cakes, or a baked version of a cheese cracker."

With all this in mind, there will be many trips to the supermarket to keep ingredients on hand. A task certainly worthwhile for growing kids.