Brown Bag Lunches Kids Will Love
August 23, 2012
•Le Cordon Bleu
•Las Vegas
• 0 Comments
Brown Bag Lunches Kids Will Love
Whether your kids don’t like what the school has to offer or you just aren’t confident in the nutritional value of what they are serving, brown bag lunches are the way to go. But what should you give them? The rise of peanut allergies has all but put an end to the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and most lunch meats are made with cast off cuts and enough sodium to preserve the meat well into the next decade.
Most of us aren’t students at cooking schools in Las Vegas so inventive culinary creations for school lunches are a difficult task.
7 Tips for Brown Bag Lunches Kids will Love
If you are struggling to find healthy, delicious, and enjoyable ideas for lunches, use the following tips as a guide.
- Buy Quality Ingredients – School lunches aren’t cheap anymore. Even if you buy premium meats and organic produce from Whole Foods, chances are that your weekly food bill be less than purchasing lunch at school. Take the difference and buy quality food. That means organic produce, whole grains, and grass-fed meat and dairy. One of the things that separates graduates of culinary arts schools are the ingredients they use. Step up your game and lunch with top quality ingredients.
- Nix the Chips – Stop buying potato and corn chips. They are full of trans fats and hydrogenated oils. Go deeper into the snack aisle and find bean chips, vegetable chips, or bagel chips. Most groceries will have these and many other healthy choices.
- Keep It Cool – There may only be a few hours between when you make a sandwich and the time your child eats it for lunch, but that is plenty of time to grow some nasty bacteria. Use ice packs or other reusable cooling tools to keep your kids safe from food-borne illnesses. And, of course, you should use a thermos to keep hot soups and liquids hot.
- Go Nuts – Nuts and seeds are delicious, little nutritional powerhouses. They are loaded with protein, fiber, and other valuable nutrients. Walnuts, almonds, and pecans are great nut choices. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds are also a great choice.
- Lose the Bag – What good is it to pack a fun and interesting lunch and then pack it in a boring, old paper bag. Shop for cool lunchboxes with the kids. Try a bento box with separate containers for food items, or hit the local flea market or eBay for a totally cool retro lunchbox.
- Personalize It – Write a note and put it in with the food. Your kids will look forward to funny jokes or a simple “Hello”.
- Leftovers – They aren’t just for dinner anymore. Leftovers are an easy and economical way to pack lunches for kids. And by using the leftovers of what you’ve cooked, you’ll know exactly what your kids are eating.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Las Vegas. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Las Vegas offers culinary arts and pâtisserie and baking training programs in Las Vegas, Nevada. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/Las-Vegas for more information.
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