Supplement to The Organic Kitchen Menus Cookbook

Throughout our Whole Food Family Series , we have been teaching you how to transform the health of your family ONE whole food at a time. Instead, start at home and start small! This provides valuable feedback for you and also a teaching opportunity it also provides a no-brainer after school snack.

BACK TO SCHOOL LUNCH IDEAS for KIDS COLLAB - Week 2 & 3 - WHAT THEY ATE - HEALTHY & QUICK

They go in the garbage each time when I find them warm in his lunch box after school. When I pack his lunch I make sure to include lots of nutritious snack options alongside his sweet sandwich. Knowing what your kids will and will not eat once the lunch bell rings is a crucial step towards successful brown bag lunches. Our willingness to grow and change as mothers based on the feedback we get from our children is so crucial. I think that packing the proper portion size for their appetite and eating habits is a crucial step in this process.

It helps to take the guesswork out of a few of the items I pack for them each day.

About Sammi Ricke

It also speeds up the process for me and makes packing healthy school lunches each day a whole lot less stressful. Check out this video blog. My kids do not get a different super exciting lunch each day of the week. They often eat the same lunch and snack options several times during the week. As you will see in our free guide, we encourage you to stuff as many unadulterated foods in your kids school lunch as possible. My kids lived through it and yours will too. When you open up this document, just look for one small change you can make today.

What is ONE thing you learned in this article or the free download that you are ready to apply to your kids brown bag routine today? This article has been shared at many of our favorite linkups. Sammi Ricke is a talented cook with a knack for coming up with creative new ways to healthify recipes without sacrificing any of the flavor.

Sammi has built a beautiful life with her high school sweetheart and enjoys her primary role as a stay-at-home mom to their two children. If Sammi's not in her kitchen, she's probably exploring a new hiking trail, enjoying coffee with a friend, or binge-watching the latest "Food Network" show on Netflix. View all posts by Sammi Ricke.

Catch of the Day

Great post with some helpful tips! That's the idea behind Bentology , the company that sells these cute plastic sets. Healthy school lunches have never been easier! Want more kids school lunch ideas? Check out our tips for simple ways to upgrade your child's sandwiches. Avoid brown-bagging your little one's lunch. Find the perfect lunchbox, whether your kid is just starting preschool or is a school veteran. With so many lunch boxes on the market it can be hard to know what to buy.

Healthy School Lunches & Snacks

In this video we provide the pros and cons of many popular options, making it easy to package your healthy school lunch ideas. Snacks are not only fun treats, they're also essential for a healthy lifestyle. Find out why your kids need to snack. Buying prepared hummus, coleslaw, fruit treats or veggie dips is fine, just check for questionable ingredients.

Train your children early to eat their veggies. The earlier you introduce vegetables and the more consistent you are, the more likely the littles are to like them.

Lunch Box Bonanza!

Change it up…and if you need ideas, well I have them! All this is packed in a Planet Box which keeps the food separated and comes with a cold pack to keep everything cool. If you follow rule number one did you already forget? Notice the two round little containers that fit into the compartments, those come with your Planet Box to keep wet items from leaking onto other food items. Left over chicken dinners make the perfect next day lunch!

My roasted chicken recipes that would work well for lunches can be found here , here , and here or use my Easy Chicken Tender Recipe! For dessert, little all fruit gummies. Mac and cheese , cole slaw , rolled organic turkey, cherries, and for dessert, chocolate chips and raw almonds. If you make a chicken salad use it for lunches all week!

Healthy School Lunches: A Real Mom's Guide to Brown Bagging it

This one has walnuts, grapes and avocado, but I would leave the avocado out because it will turn brown. Melons make a tasty treat especially when served with string cheese wrapped in prosciutto takes 3 seconds! I love this one!

In fact I had it for lunch right after I took the picture. Hummus is high in protein and healthy fats my recipe here so it makes a perfect meat substitute! Your child can dip the pita and sweet bell peppers in it instead of having the traditional sandwich. Olives are filling and also high healthy fats, and for dessert, dried cranberries! When it comes to packing lunches you are only limited by your imagination. There are literally hundreds of possible combinations.

In fact I will be featuring more ideas next month!