Involve your child in the lunch-making process
We’ve had a post-it note on our kitchen wall for a couple years now that helps my son remember the kinds of foods he needs to pack: “Fruit, veggie, protein, snack.”  We’ve had lots of talks about why these foods are important every day and how they help keep his “army” (my word for his immune system) strong, especially when pesticide-free.  It’s also helpful when your children accompany you to the store and/or farmers market so they participate in picking out healthy foods they will look forward to eating.  Often times our grocer or the farmers at the outdoor market will cut up their produce and offer free samples.  My son loves trying new things and making recommendations for what we should buy.

Reduce morning stress by packing and preparing ahead of time
Mornings are pretty rushed at our house, so we try to make lunch the night before.  As part of our evening ritual, my son packs his lunch while I’m cleaning up after dinner.  On Sundays, I try to organize the fridge and pantry to create easy to grab, healthy options like: cut carrots kept crispy in a sealed plastic container with water, precut bite-size melon pieces, pre-mixed green salad or pasta salad with veggies, tuna or egg salad mixed and ready to go, or a jar of raw almonds mixed with the dried fruit pick of the week (cherries, apricots, blueberries).  We’ve recently started picking out healthy muffin recipes and baking a batch over the weekend, creating easy to grab, healthy snacks for everyone.

Use packaging that facilitates the process
There are lots of great lunch-sized plastic containers out there that come in sets at low prices (I recently saw IKEA offering some very affordable set options). They’re reusable and easy to open and close, keeping food fresh and more likely to be eaten.  Reusable and washable cloth sandwich wraps are also great because they fold easily around a sandwich and the Velcro can be tightened to adjust to size.  We also have a small thermos we use for things like soups and pastas that help warm the belly on a cool day.  It fits great in the lunchbox and is dishwasher safe.  We’ve been reusing our lunch things for years and really like that we’re not adding to the landfill every day.  For items that need to stay cool, don’t forget the ice packs. (This study says to place one ice pack on either side of the foods that would normally be refrigerated to avoid tummy ache-causing bacteria.  They also suggest putting your insulated lunch box in the freezer overnight to help keep food as chilled as possible the next day.)

Healthy snack and lunch ideas: