How To Pack A Wholesome Lunch (With Infographic)

HOW TO PACK A WHOLESOME LUNCH

I absolutely love Back-to-School shopping. The smell of the sharpened pencils, the crisp notebooks, and the excitement of the new year, puts a huge smile on my face. I get giddy for the new box of crayons and organizing pencil boxes. I guess it is the teacher in me 🙂

As kids head back to school, parents are looking for a tasty snack that they feel good about and their kids will love. SkinnyPop^® Popcorn is just that – delicious, and made with just three simple ingredients – popcorn, sunflower oil, (and just the right amount of) salt. While my kids may not love the thought of thought of trading in their pool toys for homework, they can get excited about picking up some SkinnyPop^®Popcorn to throw into their lunch boxes and I feel good about this choice as well.

And even while having great choices on hand, sometimes I dread packing lunches as much as my kids dread homework. But I have learned how to make it easier for myself through the years.

First of all, I enlist the kids’ help as we clean up from dinner the night before. This is key for several reasons.

• We eliminate the morning rush.
• We can utilize leftovers.
• Allowing the kids to help pack their lunches ensures that will actually eat their lunch!

Secondly, I have the kids refer to this infographic I have hanging in my pantry by their lunch boxes.

This helps my children learn that all meals, including lunches must be balanced with protein, carbs, fruits and vegetables. They know they must have at least one source of protein, one whole grain carbohydrate, a fruit, and a vegetable for mom to give it a go. And of course this list is limited on choice, but it give the kids great guidance to start packing a balanced lunch.

Some examples of their favorite lunches are:

Homemade Meatballs and mozzarella cheese (both sources of protein) are skewered on toothpicks ready to dip into spaghetti sauce. They are served with carrots, cucumbers, grapes (fruits and veggies) and a bag of SkinnyPop Popcorn (carbohydrate). Cheese Quesadilla with fresh salsa, fruit cocktail in 100% fruit juice, and SkinnyPop Popcorn.

Leftover spinach tortellini and fruit cocktail with SkinnyPop Popcorn.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burrito with cucumbers and grapes and SkinnyPop Popcorn.

Having SkinnyPop Popcorn definitely helps making lunches less stressful for me. It is filled with whole grains that I know my kids will love. And clearly, it is something they will pick over and over again to have included in their lunch.

And don’t forget SkinnyPop Popcorn makes a great afterschool snack as well. 

This Mom and SkinnyPop believe the best lunchtime snacks are the ones that contain the fewest, simplest ingredients. So they are putting lunchtime staples to a test – if your kid can’t spell what’s inside, they probably shouldn’t be eating it. Check out the 45-second video clip here and the 30-second video clip here. Don’t you just love that?!! I always tell my kids if they can’t pronounce an ingredient or if the list of ingredients is long, put the food down and pick something else. It is a great lesson for our children to learn at a young age!

For more information about SkinnyPop, you can visit SkinnyPop.com

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

This post has been featured on Meal Plan Monday.

 

 

 

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