Let's do lunch

Lunch boxes for little ones
By Judy Scott Welden

So what's the state of today's lunches at school? After visiting schools in Ontario's North Simcoe area, here's what I learned. From veggies with dip to noodles in a cup, the foods kids want to eat can range from really good to very poor choices. Even worse, older kids may skip lunch altogether to save cash, calories and time. These are not wise decisions since studies show that to learn well kids need to eat well.

Creating the delicious and balanced lunches that growing kids need is easy. Include at least three selections from the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating: grain products, vegetables and fruit, milk products, and meat and alternatives. To help inspire you, we've asked students what their favourites are and here are the thumbs-up choices and easy ways to make them healthy. So get ready to make your grocery list while you read on.

Mixed Caesar Salad
Garlic breath is no problem for Jessica Lajner, who loves Caesar-style salad in her lunch once a week, along with a tortilla wrap stuffed with luncheon meat. Mom stays happy when Jessica rounds out her lunch with seedless grapes or a pear. To keep the tasty and nutritious salad fresh, pack the dressing on the side for kids to pour on at school. A portion of this salad is great to boost the day's vegetable intake.

Baked Macaroni, Tomatoes and Cheese
Before Codi Miles skateboards with the other boys at lunchtime, the Grade 5 student loves to open his lunch box and find fruit and leftover macaroni and cheese. Steaming hot pasta has the energy from complex carbohydrates that Codi, an active 11-year-old, needs — plus the cheese is a good source of calcium, an essential mineral crucial for growing children. Double the cheese, if you like. This recipe is simple to serve for supper, and leftovers make a great packed lunch the next day.

Salsa Wrap
Eleven-year-old Daniel Iurincic loves the special lunch wrap his dad invented. "My dad rips the top of the paper towel that holds my wrap so I'll know how to eat it," explains the soccer star. Roll the wrap as directed or just roll up as shown in the photo. Add yogurt and fruit salad to complete the lunch.

Mini Carrot Cranberry Muffins
Katie Zeitel, a Grade 1 student, works up quite an appetite skipping with her friends at lunchtime. One of her favourite treats is a store-bought chocolate chip muffin. During the past few years, many commercial muffins have become very large in size and are often high in fat. For children, a mini-size is more appropriate. Adding carrots to the batter is another way to eat vegetables that are a rich source of vitamins and minerals. You can sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top before baking.

Easy Homemade Pasta and Vegetable Soup
"I don't like sandwiches because they get stuck in my retainer and are hard to eat," says nine-year-old Tyler Grainger, who brings a vacuum flask filled with hot soup or pasta every day. Round out lunch with fruit and milk.