4 Fresh Tips for a Great School Lunch

Essential to any successful school year is a tasty, nutritious lunch. In addition to keeping your kiddo fueled to take on the day, lunch also helps your star student stay focused, feel energized, and ace his or her exams. Looking for a few ways to boost the flavor and nutrition in your kid’s meals? Try some of our simple tips!

Know What the School has to Offer

First thing’s first: Knowing what’s available for lunch is valuable! Download the cafeteria food menu from the school’s website or ask your child to bring home a copy to keep. Together with your kid, look at the weekly lunches and decide which days are good lunch buying days and which may be better suited for packing.

Sneak in Veggies

Sometimes a salad just doesn’t make the lunchbox cut. “If they won’t eat it, I say, hide it — hide it under cheese or put it in a tortilla wrap,” suggests Rachael. Why not try adding some broccoli or spinach to an otherwise simple dish like mac and cheese, or sneak some cauliflower rice into a veggie stir fry? It’s an easy way for your kiddo to still enjoy the flavors he or she loves with some added nutritional value from the otherwise forgotten (or unwanted!) veggies.

Get the Kids Involved

Learning the ropes in the kitchen from her own mom, Rachael is a great example of what teaching kids to cook at a young age can encourage. “Once they become invested in the meal and see that it is going to please the whole family, there is a real sense of pride and they will want to eat what they cooked,” says Rach. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

Pack a Water Bottle

It’s easy to forget to stay hydrated throughout the day, especially when you’re busy learning. Supply your little one with a refillable water bottle filled to the brim with H2O every morning. Bonus points for style: Give your kiddo some stickers or other ways to decorate their bottle, so it’s easily identified as theirs and they feel cool taking it to class.

P.S. Need some great breakfast ideas? We’re here to help!

Have a few healthy tips we didn’t include? Snap a pic and share it on Instagram with the tag #yumomoment for a chance to be featured on our homepage!