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Brown Bag Ideas
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It's a struggle as old as time itself: you want your
children to eat nutritious lunches, they want lunches full of little
store-bought packages of sweet and salty things. Aiming for a compromise?
Remember that small is fun. A sandwich cut into pieces (especially if you take
a cookie cutter to them) is more likely to get eaten than a whole sandwich.
Chunks of melon, orange wedges or grapes go over better than a whole apple.
Two or three teeny-tiny cookies or brownies are more satisfying than one big
one. For a refreshing break from sandwiches,
whip up a pasta salad with fun pasta shapes and a few cubes of meat, cheese
and veggies.
Take a trip to the party supply store before school starts
and surprise your kids by slipping fun napkins into their lunches, and every
once in awhile, some small party favor toys.
Good ideas for your child's lunch:
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1) Save your yogurt containers! After eating the yogurt, wash them thoroughly
and fill with liquid Jell-O or pudding mixture (before it sets), cap, and
refrigerate. This gives you individual snack-sized Jell-O or pudding at a
fraction of the cost.
2) Take leftover cooked chicken and make chicken strips. Pack dippers such as
salsa, ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, ketchup, honey mustard, or pizza sauce.
3) Use a variety of breads. Try Italian varieties, sourdough, different
grains, Hawaiian bread, and different rolls.
4) Pack string cheese or cheese cubes. Send along bread sticks or crackers to
eat with them. Or pack a prepared cheese spread with breadsticks for dipping.
5) Cut fresh fruit into bite-sized pieces and use fruit-flavored yogurt or
pudding as a dip. Or mix the fruit with your prepared Jell-O (see Jell-O tip).
6) Each day include a short note to your child. Anything that shows them you
love them and you are thinking of them will show your child you care.
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7) Layer creamy peanut butter on a flour tortilla with jelly or fruit spread
and roll up "wrap" or "jellyroll" style. Slice crosswise into pieces. Select
the size tortilla depending on your child's appetite.
8) Heat frozen waffles and make a sandwich with them, using peanut butter and
jelly. Or cut them into bite-sized pieces or sticks and send syrup for
dipping.
9) Add fun to your child's lunch by using colored plastic wraps. Or during the
holiday's, use special prints that are usually for plastic wrap, zipper-type
bags, and napkins.
10) Cut open a bagel and spread each side with cream cheese. Lay several
slices of lunch meat on top of cream cheese and make into a sandwich.
11) Kids love to dip! Send baby carrots, celery sticks, or broccoli trees with
their favorite dip or dressing. Or send peanut butter as a dip, and include
some sliced apples.
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12) Create your own "Lunchables"...cut meat slices and cheese into pieces that
will fit on crackers. Pack the meat, cheese, and crackers together. Have extra
mustard or mayo packets from your take-out? Pack those along for condiments.
13) If your child loves sandwiches and won't let you try anything new, have
fun with the sandwiches - cut the sandwich into interesting shapes or cut with
cookie cutters.
14) It doesn't have to be jelly everyday! Some other ideas for sandwiches
using with traditional peanut butter are: sliced bananas, honey, butter/margarine,
raisins, and thinly sliced apples.
15) Did you know you can create "wraps" with bread? Simply take a slice of
your favorite bread (softer breads work better), and lay a slice or two of
your favorite lunch meat and cheese on it. Roll up the bread tightly, making
sure to press the edges of the bread together to seal.
Take Shape. Cut sandwiches into fun shapes using cookie cutters. Seal with
Press'n Seal™ wrap to ensure they stay intact. o Lunch Kits Mania. Create
homemade versions of popular store bought lunch kits:
seal sandwiches, baby carrots, and cookies in individual packets using Press'n
Seal™ wrap. (1 piece of press and seal)
o Kids Love to Dip! Pack vegetable sticks and salad dressing, or soft
breadsticks and pizza sauce. Put the dip in a mini GladWare® Container.
o Left-Overs for Lunch. Make a little extra of your child's favorite pasta
dinner and surprise them with left-overs, packed in GladWare® Container for
lunch. It's great re-heated or cold. o Pack Snacks. Kids will perk up for a
bag of dried fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips, or
apple slices with peanut butter for dipping. For an added treat, place
stickers of their favorite characters on food bags and containers.
o Say Olé! Make "lunch nachos" by layering refried beans,
grated cheese, shredded lettuce, olives, and salsa in a GladWare® Container,
accompanied by a bag of tortilla chips.
My Little Cupcake. For a fun lunchbox treat, bake your favorite quick bread or
cake recipe in mini muffin tins. Freeze the tiny cupcakes in an airtight
container and pop a few in your child's lunch bag in the morning; they'll be
thawed by lunchtime and just as fresh as the day you baked them.
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