Healthy and Affordable School Lunch Ideas

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CLEVELAND - With school back in session, parents have the task of packing lunches again.

And sometimes it can be tricky to know what to make.

“I always tell parents as we gear up for the school year to plan ahead as much as you possibly can,” said Jennifer Hyland, RD, registered dietitian for Cleveland Clinic Children’s. “So prepping things at the beginning of the week if we can, and then when you go to build the lunch, run through the food groups in your head.”

Hyland said parents shouldn’t feel pressured to pack elaborate lunches for their kids. It’s okay to keep them simple.

Some ideas include making a sandwich, wrap, yogurt parfait, or pasta salad.

You could also chop up some fruits and vegetables or give them leftovers from dinner the night before.

Another suggestion is to make a deconstructed lunch with lean deli meat, whole grain crackers and cheese.

You could even divide all the ingredients up using cupcake liners if your child doesn’t like their food to touch.

Hyland also notes that it’s important to remember kids don’t get a lot of time for lunch.

“Anytime we can make things convenient for them, like take granola bars out of the packaging, have fruit already cut up for them, have vegetables bite sized with a dip there for them, any way that we can reduce the time they work to get into the food, the better,” said Hyland.

While it may be convenient, she said it’s best to avoid prepackaged foods since they’re not always the healthiest.

The same goes for pop and juice.

Instead, consider giving your child a reusable water bottle to take to school.