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Back to school: School lunch ideas your kids will actually want to eat

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By Holly Lasha

Back to School: School Lunches Your Kids Will Actually Eat. Need some mom advice for quick and easy back to school lunches for your kids? Do you have a picky eater or need some non-sandwich options? We have rounded up the best lunch ideas and healthy recipes to share today! Be sure to check out all our lunch box ideas!  Also spend some time with our back to school hacks and back to school teacher gifts.

Before my daughter starting going to school, I had no idea how big of a deal “lunch” was. I mean, I guess I remember from way back in the day when I was in school the social hierarchy of lunch time.  And then I left school and grew up and forgot everything.  Typical mom, right?

As so many things in my life, my oldest daughter is here tell me everything I am missing!

Both of my girls are pretty good little eaters.  They love fruits and veggies.  They don’t turn up their noses to healthy recipes…at least not when mom is sitting there watching.  Then little Aubrey goes back to school and I find  un-eaten, un-opened food in her backpack at the end of the day. Things like PB&J…she LOVES PB&J!

Why uneaten?  “It didn’t look cool.”  Really?  She’s 4!

So the solution, I have found to the uneaten food…make it look cool.  If it’s “cool”..it’s eaten.  (Even when it has spinach on it!)  So some mom advice to  help all us uncool moms with our lame lunches…I have some amazing back to school lunch ideas and healthy recipes that will get your kids excited about eating their lunch!

BENTO BOX IDEAS

1000 SCHOOL LUNCHES FROM WHAT LISA COOKS

This site has over 1000 school lunches that are full of kid friendly foods and creative ideas. These school lunches use a bento style reusable container.

101 SCHOOL LUNCHES FROM THE DATING DIVAS

Here are some more awesome bento school lunches.  I love the variety of options and the healthy food choices.  I especially love the silicone baking cups as dividers.

A YEAR OF HEALTHY LUNCHES FROM EASY LUNCH BOXES

You never need to think to hard about healthy recipes for lunch with this list of a whole year’s worth of healthy school lunches.

30 SCHOOL LUNCHES FROM BENTO LUNCH

Meatballs, wraps and more.  Here are more amazing school lunch ideas.  I love the idea of adding cute little things into their lunches too.  Why not make them look cute, right?

125 HEALTHY SCHOOL LUNCHES FROM HOLLEY GRAINGER

I love these awesome ideas….almost as much as I love this Bentgo box.  This is great for packing things like yogurt or dips without spilling all over the place!

HOT LUNCHES

THERMOS SCHOOL LUNCHES FROM KEELEY MCGUIRE

This post has 26 meal ideas for a thermos.  This is so great for cold days when your kids need something with a little warmth.

THINGS TO PUT IN A THERMOS FROM MY MOMMY STYLE

There are so many ways to use a thermos.  Here are some clever, less obvious uses for a thermos in your kids’ lunches.  What a great way to send healthy recipes in your kids lunch box!!

ALTERNATIVES TO SANDWICHES

DIY FRUIT KABOBS FROM CREATIVE LIVE

Get them excited about their food by jazzing it up!!!  Use these fun little letter cookies cutters to make fruit kabobs!!!  Anytime we can make healthy food look this cute…golden!

KID FRIENDLY WRAPS FROM SUPER HEALTHY KIDS

This post has some awesome healthy wrap ideas your kids will go bananas over!   I love the idea of wrapping different foods and giving them fun and healthy foods in their lunch box.

SANDWICH KABOBS FROM EAT DRINK LOVE

Another amazing kabob idea.  Why have a boring sandwich when you can make your sandwich into a cute kabob??  Mom Advice: These cookies cutters are perfect for little kabobs.

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SUSHI ROLLS BY BON APPETITE

Way to make simple PB&J fun and interesting.  This is a winner!  You can make it bite-sized, which cuts down on the mess and they are a hit with the kiddos.

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MUFFINS AND MORE!

HAM AND MAC & CHEESE MUFFINS FROM I SHOULD BE MOPPING THE FLOOR

Hooray for muffins you kids will love for lunch!!  This is an especially great way to use some left overs too!

CORNDOG NUGGETS FROM LIL LUNA

This recipe for corndog nuggets is easy and would be great for lunch time!  My kids will go crazy for these this year!

PIZZA BUNS FROM SIMPLE AS THAT

Pizza that looks like a cinnamon roll?  Yes Please!!!  This is a fun and easy way to send pizza in their lunch.

CRESCENT HOT DOG POCKET FROM CRAZY ADVENTURES IN PARENTING

Let’s keep the hot dog ideas coming…your kids will love these pockets.  They are functional and fun!

PIZZA MUFFINS BY LICK THE BOWL GOOD

Ummm, yes please may I have another??  These are bited sized and yummy!  And soooo much less messy than regular pizza.  Winner,winner, chick dinner!

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs 033

I hope you loved these back to school lunches and healthy recipes for kids!!  Be sure to check out all our lunch box ideas!  Also spend some time with our back to school hacks and back to school teacher gifts.

 

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Empower yourself with nutrition know-how

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(Family Features) Eating a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy and proteins is a crucial first step toward a healthy life.

Even with hectic schedules and convenience foods readily available, it’s important to incorporate habits like regular family meals and meal planning so you have a variety of better-for-you snacks and recipes on hand. Also important is leading by example and modeling healthy eating habits to help improve overall nutrition for you and your family members, especially children.

If you are looking for ways to make nutrition fun, the experts at Healthy Family Project, along with its fruit and vegetable partners, are offering an online nutrition resource center as part of Mission for Nutrition 2024.

Geared toward dietitians, nutrition professionals and anyone involved in nutrition education, the resource center is a one-stop shop to make nutrition education fun and inspiring, featuring more than 600 dietitian-approved recipes; tips to pick, prepare and store more than 50 fruits and vegetables during every season; a podcast, e-cookbook and monthly newsletter; and free downloadables, infographics, activities for kids and more.

Dietitians and nutrition professionals can sign up to receive this year’s Mission for Nutrition kit, which is full of resources to use in classrooms, in-store with customers or wherever they’re supporting nutrition education. Available by request only, the kit includes a roll of “I’m a Healthy Eater” stickers, seasonal counter cards, mini magazines, demo ideas, a Healthy Family Project spatula and additional resources and information from produce partners.

As part of the mission, the partner brands are making a donation to improve access to fresh produce in schools through the Foundation for Fresh Produce.

To find more resources, tips and recipes to encourage proper nutrition, visit HealthyFamilyProject.com.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock


SOURCE:
Healthy Family Project

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EDIBLES

Get creative with Easter sweets

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Kid-friendly crafts that bring loved ones together

(Family Features) Holiday hams and deviled eggs may take center stage at Easter gatherings, but edible crafts offer a reminder of the magic of the season that’s found in moments spent together. Simple recipes that call for a dose of creativity are perfect ways to bring the kids to the kitchen, made even easier when all that work leads to sweet treats.

While plastic eggs may have led to a decline in good, old-fashioned egg-dyeing, there are still fun ways to bring crafts back to Easter celebrations. Consider these Kids Krafty Easter Cake Pops, which call for little ones to help dip seasonal shapes in chocolate, use cake molds and more.

Children of virtually any age can relish in the joys of using cookie cutters and decorating Easter Sugar Cookies, all with a little supervision and short list of instructions. This version shows how to make the cookies and homemade icing so you can create any color you desire for maximum creativity.

Remember, these delicious crafts don’t have to be perfect – having fun and making memories that last a lifetime are what make Easter truly special.

Visit Culinary.net to find more Easter inspiration and recipes from “Cookin’ Savvy.”

Kids Krafty Easter Cake Pops

Recipe courtesy of “Cookin’ Savvy”

  • 1 box cake mix
  • 1 can frosting
  • 1 bunny chocolate mold
  • 1 cakesicle mold
  • ice pop sticks
  • 1 bag white chocolate chips or melting chips
  • cake pop sticks
  • 1 bag orange melting chips
  • 2 tablespoons canola or coconut oil, divided
  • 1 bag green melting chips
  • pastel sprinkles
  • 1 piece hard foam (optional)
  • edible markers
  1. Bake cake according to package instructions and let cool completely.
  2. Crumble cake and mix with 1/2 can frosting until dough forms. Add more frosting, if needed. Using small cookie scoop, form dough into balls and set aside. Place dough in bunny molds then pop out and set aside with balls. Place dough in cakesicle mold, insert ice pop stick in each slot and freeze 5-10 minutes.
  3. Melt handful of white melting chips. Stick tip of each cake pop stick in chocolate then insert into every cake ball and bunny until each has one stick. Set aside to dry.
  4. Remove cakesicles from freezer and pop out of molds. In bowl, melt orange melts then mix in 1 tablespoon oil and transfer to cup. Dip cakesicles and scrape off excess using rim of cup. Place on parchment paper to dry.
  5. In bowl, melt green melts then place in zip-top or piping bag. Cut tip off bag, pipe carrot leaves onto piece of parchment paper and let dry.
  6. Melt remaining white melts and mix in remaining oil. Transfer to cup and dip ball-shaped cake pops and bunnies then tap stick on edge of cup to remove excess.
  7. Over separate bowl, sprinkle ball-shaped pops with pastel sprinkles. To keep ball shape, let dry by sticking in piece of hard foam. Bunnies can dry face side up on parchment paper. After bunnies are dry, use edible markers to make face and color in ears.
  8. When carrots and leaves are dry, remelt orange melts and place in piping or zip-top bag. Cut off tip and drizzle orange over carrots. Add small line of orange on each ice pop stick and place leaves on each stick. Let dry.

Easter Sugar Cookies

Recipe courtesy of “Cookin’ Savvy”

Icing:

  • 1/3 cup meringue powder
  • 1/2 cup warm water, plus additional for thinning (optional), divided
  • 3 tablespoons vanilla
  • 1 bag (2 pounds) powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons corn syrup
  • assorted food coloring

Cookies:

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 dash salt
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  1. To make icing: Mix meringue powder, 1/2 cup warm water, vanilla, powdered sugar and corn syrup. Separate into bowls and add food coloring; mix with water, as needed, to thin for piping.
  2. To make cookies: Heat oven to 350 F.
  3. Cream butter and sugar. Mix in egg, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time to form dough. Roll dough out to 1/4-1/2-inch thickness.
  4. Cut into shapes, place on baking sheet and freeze 10 minutes. Bake 8-12 minutes. Cool completely before icing.
  5. Place icing in zip-top or piping bags and cut off tips. Put cookies on parchment paper. Trace outline first then fill in middle. Use toothpicks to smooth out.
  6. Let dry 6 hours and finish decorating with different icing colors or edible markers.


SOURCE:
Culinary.net

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EDIBLES

Go big with a yummy bread bowl

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(Culinary.net) Perfect for afternoon snacking or as an appetizer, this Spinach-Ham Dip is warmed inside a bread bowl and can be served with bread cubes, crackers or tortilla chips.

Find more snack ideas at Culinary.net.

Watch video to see how to make this recipe!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=GaExt5fBAQs%3Fmodestbranding%3D1%26rel%3D0%26showinfo%3D0

Spinach-Ham Dip

  • 2          cups ricotta cheese
  • 1          cup sour cream
  • 1          package (10 ounces) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1/4       pound ham, cubed
  • 3/4       cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 2          green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1          round bread loaf (16 ounces), unsliced
  1. Heat oven to 350° F.
  2. In medium bowl, blend ricotta cheese and sour cream until smooth. Add spinach, ham, Parmesan cheese and green onions; mix until blended.
  3. Cut 1-2-inch diameter circle out of top of bread loaf. Reserve top. Remove bread inside loaf, leaving about 1 inch along sides. Pour cheese mixture into bread bowl. Replace top. Cover bread loaf in aluminum foil and bake 60 minutes, or until warmed through.
  4. Take bread removed from inside bread bowl and cut into dipping sized chunks.
  5. Remove bread from aluminum foil and place on platter. Scatter bread chunks around bread bowl to use for dunking in cheese sauce.


SOURCE:
Culinary.net

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