Brown Bag
When planning meals and snacks, teach young children about making healthy choices by explaining how "grow-and-go" foods will help them feel good and have fun at school. Grow-and-go foods are foods high in complex carbohydrates, good sources of protein, include vitamins and minerals and a moderate amount of fat.
Here are some quick and easy ideas courtesy of the Defense Commissary Agency for lunch and snacks that are grow-and-go foods:
B-n-B wrap (Banana and nut butter wrap).
Mash a banana and mix with any nut butter. Here is an opportunity to try a different butter - like almond butter, which is high in vitamin E and protein. If your child prefers, sprinkle with dried fruit or coconut for a different flavor. Spread it on a whole-wheat wrap or flat bread, roll it up, cut it up and bag it.
Turkey, ham or chicken with hummus or Greek yogurt wrap.
Spread some plain hummus or Greek yogurt on a wrap, add meat slices, any cheese (optional), lettuce or spinach and cucumber slices. Roll it up and bag it. Hummus or Greek yogurt adds a unique flavor, so if your children do not like it, use mustard or a little mayonnaise.
M-n-C roll up (Meat and cheese roll ups).
Take any thinly sliced luncheon meat and your children's favorite cheese, roll it up and bag it. Also pack some whole grain crackers or pita chips for energy-packed carbohydrates.
Pita pocket with curry chicken salad.
Take chopped chicken and mix it with a little curry, Greek yogurt, chopped celery and chopped carrots. Put it in a whole wheat pita pocket with spinach or romaine lettuce.
Flat bread or bagel pizza.
Toast a flat bread or 1/2 bagel pizza with spaghetti sauce, shredded cheese and your choice of vegetables such as spinach, tomato slices, squash or broccoli.
Baby carrots, cucumbers chunks, grape tomatoes, hummus, whole-grain crackers and pita chips.
Put some hummus in a small container to use as a dip. Bag the carrots, cucumber chunks and grape tomatoes. Also pack some whole grain crackers or pita chips for energy-packed carbohydrates.
Low-fat yogurt, cheese, sandwiches.
Keep low-fat yogurt, cheese and sandwiches cold by using an ice pack, frozen juice box or frozen milk box.
Tortilla chips, plain yogurt and salsa.
Cut up tortillas in quarters, sprinkle a little salt on them and heat them in the microwave for a minute or two. Mix the yogurt, for protein and calcium, with salsa or just put plain salsa in a small container for a dip.
Trail mix.
Mix almonds, peanuts, dried fruit and whole-grain cereal for a nutrient dense, energy-packed food and bag it. This is a great "take it anywhere" kind of food.
Great snacks.
Cheese sticks, nuts, frozen yogurt, 100-percent juice in boxes, dried fruit, fresh fruit and canned fruit all make great snacks and additions to lunches.
