As fun as it is to overindulge over the holiday season, as our little one’s head back to school it is a great time to explore some new healthy lunch box ideas. As the new year kicks off, you can experiment with new flavors and exciting recipes that pack in the vegetables and good nutrition for a balanced diet.
Alert and Ambitious
It is important for us to focus on our lunch box preparations and choose quick and easy healthy lunch box ideas that give kids all the right food types. According to the CDC, there are a few key elements to consider when it comes to healthy eating:
- Provide plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain products
- Include low-fat or non-fat milk or dairy products, including cheese and yogurt
- Choose lean meats, poultry, fish, lentils, and beans for protein
- Encourage your family to drink lots of water
- Limit sugary drinks
- Limit consumption of sugar and saturated fat
Healthy Lunch Box Recipe – Spinach Gnocchi
One of the best ways to ensure your kids are getting enough vegetables in their diets is to choose lunchbox ideas that include vegetables in a way that even the fussiest of eaters will enjoy. This delicious Spinach Gnocchi recipe is super healthy and packed with vegetables that they will love.
Ingredients:
- Spinach
- Cream cheese (or non-dairy alternative)
- Grated cheese (or non-dairy alternative)
- Milk (or non-dairy alternative)
- Salt and pepper
- Gnocchi or pasta
Directions:
- Blend spinach with cream cheese
- Heat the mixture in a pan
- Add milk, grated cheese, salt, and pepper
- Add cooked gnocchi (or pasta)
- Pre heat your food jar by adding boiling water for five minutes
Complete the lunch box:
- Chill your food jar for five minutes with cold water and ice
- Fill it with yogurt and blueberries (or fruit of choice)
- Fill additional compartments with snacks like sliced fruit (banana and kiwi are delicious) and cherry tomatoes (which should be cut into smaller pieces for kids under 3)
Go for our popular Grand Lunch box for packing the right proportioned meals for them. It has four large compartments to fit in perfect amount of nutritionally rich portions of their meals. Comes with an insulated food jar to pack healthy dishes and keep them warm/cold for up to 6h.
Have a great next term!