Cook Fast, Live Young: Tips for Back to School Lunches

It's almost the end of summer, and that means it's time to head back to school, where your children have access to vending machines, soda, and school food, which is sometimes not that healthy. But don't give up on your children's nutrition! It's easy to pack their lunches at home.

Plan ahead. Over the weekend, make a menu, check to see if you have enough food storage items, such as plastic containers and thermoses, and then head to the store. When you get home, prepare as much of each lunch as you can. Wash the fruits and vegetables. Set aside individual serving sizes of any snacks.

Freeze juice boxes. It will help keep everything in the lunch box cold, and by the time it's midday, it will be melted and ready to drink! If you want to avoid condensation, put the juice box in a plastic bag.

Don't try out new items. Save expanding your children's palates for meals at home. You want to make sure they will eat what you give them at school or they could end up heading to the vending machines.

Ask your kids to help. You'll find out what they do and don't like eating, and if they've had a hand in putting their lunch together, they'll be more likely to actually eat it.

Avoid soggy sandwiches. Don't add ketchup, mayo, or mustard at home. Instead, save those extra pouches you get when you go to restaurants, and let your kids put the condiments on themselves.

Bring on the dips! If you have trouble getting your children to eat their veggies, include their favorite dressing. Baby carrots and broccoli are great with ranch, and peanut butter will make those celery sticks more interesting.

Does your child love Lunchables? Here's one healthy alternative to get you started:

Make-Your-Own Cracker Sandwiches

10 Whole Wheat Crackers
3 - 4 Slices of Deli Meat
3 - 4 Slices of Cheese


Cut up the deli meat and cheese into pieces that will easily fit on the cracker. Make sure there are 10 pieces of each. Include different types of cheese and meat to make it interesting. If you have a food storage container with multiple compartments, this will work best to keep the ingredients separate. But if you don't have one yet, you can use plastic bags. Throw in a piece of fruit for dessert!

Juliana Weiss-Roessler has ten years of professional writing and editing experience. For four years, she managed the web content for the star of an Emmy-nominated reality series. Currently, she is an editor for the geek girl e-zine PinkRaygun.com, a contributor to the career blog at Resumark.com, and owner of the food blog CookFastLiveYoung.blogspot.com. Follow her @cookfast on Twitter and learn more about her work at WeissRoessler.com.