Skip the usual high-sodium deli meat or peanut butter and jelly sandwich in your child's lunch. Changing up the ingredients in her sandwich keeps lunch interesting and varied so she isn't tempted to trade her lunch with a classmate. Get your child involved in the sandwich making and review school rules or restrictions on brown-bag lunches to make your healthy sandwiches a success.
Bread Options
Use a whole-grain bread product as the base of the sandwich. Plain sandwich bread is common, but other options give your child's lunch sandwich variety. Try French bread, rolls, bagels or pitas for something different. Whole-grain tortillas expand the sandwich options further. Fill and roll the tortilla for a sandwich wrap. A quesadilla is another variation on the sandwich. Cook your child a quesadilla in the morning and cut it into wedges.
Fillings
Peanut butter is no longer allowed in many schools due to peanut allergies. Check with your child's school before sending any sandwich with nut butter on it. Basic sandwich filling options include chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad and deli meat. When making any type of salad filling, use Greek yogurt or low-fat mayonnaise to make it healthier. For something different, use spreads such as hummus or cream cheese as the base filling. Most sandwich fillings need cold to keep them safe. Add an ice pack to the lunch bag to avoid food spoilage.
Toppings
Bulk up the sandwiches with vegetables to make them healthy. Add a rainbow of vegetables to make the sandwich colorful and nutritious. Fruit also works with some sandwich combinations. Try cherry jam with deli ham or berries with cream cheese. Cheese is a common topping for sandwiches. Let your child taste different types of cheese to get more variety.
Child Involvement
Get your child into the kitchen to help with the healthy sandwich creation. Kids often come up with new combinations of sandwich ingredients that appeal to them. Let your child assemble her sandwiches herself to make your job easier and give her more ownership in the process. Put out the selected ingredients and provide assistance as needed to create her lunch sandwich. For a special touch, use cookie cutters to cut her creation into different shapes.
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