We may still be in the dog days of summer, but we all know what’s creeping up right around the corner: back to school.
Packing healthy lunches, penciling in family time, coordinating all the after school physical activities, and keeping your kids on the right track seems like a whole lot to accomplish over the next week. Doesn’t it?
Parents… now is the perfect time to do your research so you can start to implement healthy solutions for your kids health and well-being. We tell our kids all the time to make healthy choices, but if we are not there they are flying solo! Which is why DASHA® is sharing some helpful tips.
Teaching your kids to eat right, means you must eat right too. Learn the ABCs of saving calories and money when you shop for groceries to pack your kids’ lunches. While our inboxes are flooded with promotions and the only television commercials we see are encouraging back to school shopping, there’s one thing that we’re not always prepped for…. Lunches. Have you ever thought about how many lunches you need to prepare for your kids throughout the school year? Depending on the state you live in, there are roughly 36-40 weeks of school, multiply that by 5 days a week, we’re talking 180 lunches per kid, per school year! And even if you’re not cooking and brown bagging your kid’s lunch every day, we as parents still need to be mindful of what our children are eating!
If your the type the parent who’s doing all the meal prep, and you are looking for some quick healthy solutions for a Monday night dinner start checking out some amazing online recipes. One of DASHA® favorites is the Iron Chef, Cat Cora. She’ s a mom, a world-renowned chef, author, restaurateur, health and fitness expert, and a mother of six.
Parents, you’re bound to cut corners and fall into a bit of a lunchtime rut. We get it. Kids tend to have their “favorites” but too much of anything is no good! So if you’re looking for something new to give your kids this year, try some of these lunch tips that will keep you thinking outside of the (lunch) box:
- Involve your kids in food shopping! – Take them to the supermarket with you and start showing them how to build well-balanced meals. Having them participate in designing their own menus will increase their interest in healthy eating.
- Top Chef! – Let your kids be the chefs and have them assemble the lunch you packed for them. Let them build their own sandwiches, or put toppings in their yogurt. This is great for kids who eat their food super-fast and need ways to slow it down!
- Switch out the bread! – Carbohydrates are everywhere in kids’ diets, so why don’t we have a little fun by making some of those carbs a little more purposeful? Kids need at least 2 servings of fruit a day, which is why we love throwing in apple “sandwiches” into our kids’ lunches and snacks! Core your apple and slice your apple into rounds for your “bread.” Sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar on top for a little extra sweetness. It’s the perfect snack filled with fiber, packed with antioxidants and who knows, may even keep the doctor away!
- Make it look fun! – Make kebabs! We all know everything tastes better on a stick, and fruit and veggies are no different! Kebabs are a super simple way to make food look fun to eat! Using these techniques make food portioning very easy. Remember, too much of anything isn’t a good thing!
- H20! H20! H20! – Kids need water just like us! And sometimes it’s tough to get kids to drink H20 when they’d rather be drinking juice. Keep water exciting by “flavoring” it every day with new fruits – lemon, lime, berries, cucumbers!
What do you do to keep lunch exciting? Share with us some of your healthy tips and secrets!
