One of the biggest challenges that one meets when trying to eat or live healthily is making healthy meals on the go. This is most especially so when it involves children. However, with the right plans and with some creativity as well – you can create simple meals that are nutritious and fun to eat as well.
One of the most important parts when it comes to creating brown bag lunches is choosing the right foods that will be placed into those brown bags. This is very important because when you place in foods that your family loves, you can be sure that they will also eat what they bring, instead of trading them in for Twinkies.
When you create a healthy brown bag lunch for your family, try to put in at least three from the following choices:
One serving of canned, fresh or frozen fruit or vegetable. You can also have fruit salad.
One serving of whole grain product like skim milk, nonfat yogurt, cheese or yogurt drink.
A serving of meat, peanut butter, eggs, legumes, hummus and other forms of protein.
When you prepare brown bag lunches for your family, you can also include your whole family in the process. You can gather them around the kitchen and lunch choices on the table – that way, they get to choose what they want to eat. Involving the children in their meals preparation helps them understand the importance of making healthy food choices at an early age.
When you pack your family’s lunch bags, you can throw in some creativity – let them choose their own lunch boxes or bags. Other ideas when it comes to packing brown bag lunches is to set aside a shelf that’s accessible to your family. Place all packaging materials such as plastic bags, paper bags, plastic utensils, straws and table napkins. This way, they can easily prepare healthy take out meals on their own as well.
Of course, one of the problems when it comes to brown bag lunches is the lack of variety. Keep everyone from boredom by following these suggestions:
Use a variety of breads for your sandwiches. You can also use alternatives to bread such as bread sticks, crackers and tortilla wraps.
Pack some bite sized vegetables and yummy low fat dipping sauce.
For easy eating of fruits, pack bite sized ones like berries and orange wedges.
Use 100% fruit juice. Fruit drinks usually contain just about 10% of the real fruit and contain plenty of sugar.
Have a variety of cereals to choose from. Let everyone choose what to bring for the day.
Buy a selection of flavored yogurt for the whole week. Let the kids choose what to bring.
Have some dried fruit choices as well. Half a cup of dried fruits is already equal to one serving of fruits.
Aside from kids, moms and dad can also have fun with brown bag lunches. Not only that, your wallets will be happier as well. Not only are these healthy alternatives to eating out – they’re also cheaper as well!
Here are some popular food choices when it comes to brown bag lunches. You can have last night’s leftovers, cheese and crackers, quick roll up sandwiches and more.
At work, you can also enjoy a wide array of food choices by teaming up with some office mates. Everyone gets to take turns bringing healthy lunch to the office – this way you can all enjoy healthy lunches and gather new recipes as well.
