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For many parents, the back-to-school season means the return of packing school lunches for their children. This mid-day meal offers an opportunity to develop healthy habits and to make sure your children are getting the nutrients they need to fuel them all day long, but knowing how to balance healthy choices with what your kids will actually eat can be a battle. The Motherhood recently sat down with the Giant Eagle Registered Dietitian Team to get the scoop on packing school lunches that are kid-friendly and kid-healthy.

1. Pick 5 to Pack the Perfect Lunch

Are you worried that you’re not packing enough or that you’re packing the wrong items? For a simple visual representation of an ideal lunch, visit the USDA’s choosemyplate.gov. The MyPlate illustration shows the five food groups that are the building blocks for a healthy diet. A child’s lunch box should include lean protein, fruits, vegetables, grains (preferably whole grains) and dairy. Don’t forget that a serving of low-fat milk counts as serving of dairy as part of a balanced lunch.

2. Fall Back on the Familiar

While you may want to introduce your child to a variety of new and different foods, the team of Giant Eagle Registered Dietitians recommends not experimenting during lunch. They suggest packing foods from those five groups that you know your child likes so lunch doesn’t wind up in the garbage can.

Rather, save the exploration for dinnertime. When kids are hungry, they’re more likely to taste a new food, so try serving the unfamiliar dish first. It takes at least 10 tastes to know if you really like a food, so don’t give up if a dish isn’t a hit the first time around.

3. Ask Picky Eaters to Help Pack

Get children involved in the process. Kids of all ages can help you make a shopping list that contains healthy foods they like. You can work together to create a checklist for each of the five food groups and let kids mark the ones they’d like to have in their lunch each week. Most kids will enjoy deciding what to include in their lunch box, and it’s a great opportunity for parents to guide them in planning a balanced meal.

You can also try a different preparation. While your child may not love carrots, sometimes roasting the carrots or pairing them with a dip or seasoning will make kids change their tune. We think these Carrot Meets Ranch Bolthouse Farms Kids Veggie Snackers can liven up any lunchbox and have kids crunching their way to a healthier day.

4. Be Chill

Packing school lunches the night before is one of moms’ favorite morning time-savers, but the team of Giant Eagle Registered Dietitians urges us to leave an insulated lunch box open in the refrigerator and not zip it closed. Just as these lunch boxes are insulated to keep cold in, they could also keep necessary cold air out, which could leave the contents susceptible to food-borne illness.

Another easy way to pack with food safety in mind is to put an ice pack in a sealed bag in your child’s lunch box. You could even freeze a mini bottle of water or a portable snack like the Bolthouse Farms Kids™ Fruit Tubes to keep everything chilled until lunchtime.

5. Remember that Practice Makes Perfect 

Particularly for younger children, eating lunch at school may be a new and intimidating event. It’s a good idea to do a “dry run” in the week or two leading up to the start of school. Pack your child’s lunch as you plan to do during the year, and let him or her make sure they can open the packaging, help them learn to pace themselves for the time they have allotted and see if the quantities satisfy them. Make sure they know that they don’t have to eat it all—they can save the non-perishable items for after school if they’re full.

These tips on packing school lunches are brought to you in partnership with Bolthouse Farms Kids™. All opinions are our own. 

Featured image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons user Michael Stern.