Proper nutrition is essential for a child's normal growth and development. In fact, children who eat high-quality meals and snacks--instead of the typical cafeteria food--enjoy lower blood pressure, are less likely to be overweight and perform better on standardized tests, according to Dr. Arthur Agatston, author of "The South Beach Diet." If your child is tired of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or cheese and crackers for lunch, break out of the mold and try something new.
Wraps
Wraps are versatile, fun and, when there is less bread, you can load up on tasty fillings. Good Housekeeping magazine recommends a turkey-melon wrap. Unfold a large lavash, which is soft Armenian flatbread. Evenly spread the lavash with horseradish sauce. Top the flatbread with fresh green lettuce leaves and thin slices of smoked deli turkey meat; overlapping the layers to fit. On a short end of the lavash, arrange thin slices of fresh cantaloupe in a single layer to cover half of the lavash. Starting from the cantaloupe end, roll the wrap tightly, in the fashion of a jelly-roll. Trim the ends and cut diagonally into four pieces.
Another idea is to spread a large, soft tortilla with a layer of vegetarian refried beans and top with shredded cheese, lettuce, chopped tomatoes and/or 2 tbsp. of salsa. Roll and slice diagonally. For a complete lunch, include a piece of fruit leather or fig-type cookies, and have your child buy a container of milk.
Pasta Salads
Salads can be made up of much more than wilted lettuce. Stock up on canned beans, frozen or canned corn and fun-shaped pasta. According to the School Lunch Ideas website, several cold salads will stay fresh until lunch. Try packing your child a tomato, pasta and cheese salad. Cook 8 oz. of your child's favorite pasta; drain and cool. Dice four large Roma tomatoes and 4 oz. cheese. Mix with the pasta in a large bowl, and add 3 to 4 tbsp. Italian dressing. Divide into lunch-sized Tupperware containers, and top each portion with 1 to 2 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese.
Canned, drained black beans, cooked corn and salsa also pair well with pasta for a Southwestern-style pasta salad. For a complete lunch, add a 100 percent fruit juice-box, a piece of fruit and a homemade cookie.
Mix 'n' Match
A school lunch does not have to be traditional. Try mixing and matching several snack items to create a complete lunch. For example, start with fruit and cheese bites. Cube cheese and add to a small container of green and red grapes. Smear a mini-bagel with peanut butter or light cream cheese and jam and add to the lunch. Throw in some homemade trail mix. To make it more enticing, allow your child to help prepare the trail mix by starting with his favorite cereal; add nuts, dried fruit, mini-pretzels and mini M&Ms or mini chocolate chips for a treat. Seal in a sealable bag to keep it fresh. Round out the lunch with a beverage.
Another mix 'n' match lunch idea is red and yellow bell peppers cut into strips, instead of baby carrots, which can dry out. Pair with crackers and a small container of light ranch dressing or hummus for dipping. Don't forget a treat. Bite-sized candy bars are a tasty treat but don't contain as many calories, sugar and fat as their Halloween-sized counterparts.
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