How can I pack school lunches my child will eat?

Get your child involved in packing lunch with you. Kids love to be involved in the decision making process, and younger kids especially, love the responsibility. Offer your child a variety of pre-approved choices, and have them make the final decision about what goes in the bag. Have them help prepare the meal, whether it be making a sandwich or cutting up cheese and meats to serve with crackers. Let them choose which fruits and vegetables they’re interested in and be responsible for packing them themselves. When kids are proud of the meal that they’ve made, they are more likely to eat it and not throw it away.

Provide small servings and many choices -- variety is a key to healthy eating. Providing your child with plenty of variety is not hard or time consuming. Many lunch foods can be prepared, in advance, in large quantities. Each morning, simply fill up small containers with different foods.

Quick lunch box food suggestions include:

- Dried fruit
- Nuts
- Fresh fruit pieces or a piece of whole fruit
- Applesauce (no sugar added)
- Celery sticks filled with cream cheese and raisins, or white bean dip
- Sugar snap peas with Ranch dressing for dipping
- Yogurt or a smoothie
- Lunch meat roll-ups with cream cheese and an asparagus in the middle
- Hard-boiled egg
- Cheese cubes or string cheese logs
- Peanut butter (or sunflower butter) and apple slices or crackers
- White bean dip or hummus with carrots and mini pita breads
- Whole-grain crackers or pretzels
- Trail mix made from cereal, nuts, and dried fruit

Packing school lunches that your child will eat can be very frustrating at times. Try these tips next time your child brings home an uneaten lunch bag:

• Ask your child what he or she wants for lunch
• Be firm and make sure that the majority of it is healthy
• Compromise a smidgen in the supermarket
• On Fridays, all moms should take the day off and pack lunch money

Here are some nutritious meals that your child just may enjoy!

Mexican Monday: Baked whole grain tortilla chips, fresh salsa, cheddar cheese reduced fat wedges, a clementine and low-fat milk

Thanksgiving Tuesday: Home-style turkey breast, cranberry sauce, light mayonnaise, lettuce, whole wheat roll, craisins and low-fat milk.

*Cook a turkey breast for dinner on Sunday. The extra makes for lunches that taste like Thanksgiving leftovers.

Roll-Up Wednesday: Roast beef, light cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, lettuce, whole wheat wrap, carrots sticks (1 cup), light Italian salad dressing (2 tablespoons), grapes and low-fat milk.

*Packing tip: Pour salad dressing in bottom of small container. Stack carrots sticks on top. Cover.

B.O.B. (Big on Bagels) Thursday: Whole grain bagel , light cream cheese, mozzarella sticks, two, red peppers with light ranch dressing, a New England apple and low-fat milk.