Think Outside of the “Bag”
When shopping for suitable lunch bags
and containers, think outside of the
“bag.” Try out these two alternatives:
Thermos. A wide-mouth thermos will
enable you to pack pasta, casserole
leftovers or soups. Caren Garayta, a
Montgomery County Public School
teacher and mom of six says of her
oldest, “A thermos that could keep
food warm was his best friend. He
loved having dinner for lunch! With
his Cuban-American roots, he loved
having rice, of course. But anytime
I made a soup or his favorite Asian
noodles, it was so easy to heat up in
the morning and pop in the thermos.

I also didn’t have to pack as much
because the food was so fi lling.”
Bento Box-Style Containers
usako123/ iStock / Getty Images Plus
Marina Bakush/ iStock / Getty Images Plus
But a thermos isn’t just for hot foods.

You can also pre-chill the thermos
by fi lling it with ice water while
you blend up a smoothie to pack.

Frederick teacher and mom of two
Maria Shumaker knows that smoothies
are the way to more sneak in greens.

“One thing I’ve done to get them to eat
more greens is by throwing spinach
or kale into the blender when making
smoothies. They don’t taste the greens
at all.” Pack a few deli meat and cheese
roll-ups along with the smoothie for
added protein. Use the pre-chilled
thermos to pack a cold pasta salad
tossed with leftover diced chicken and
fresh veggies.

This type of container allows for
packing smaller portions of a variety of
items, sure to please even the pickiest
of eaters. Cut-up deli meats and cheese,
veggies ready for dipping, fresh fruit
and crackers or pita wedges all in their
separate compartments will be more
appetizing — and fun — to dive into.

Some of these containers also come with
a section that can be sealed for packing
hummus, ranch dip or salad dressing.

Annapolis teacher and mother of three
Heather Sowells admits, “Use dips as
a means to encourage healthy foods.

Pack some light ranch if it will get them
to eat carrots.” For creative packing
containers, Grace Lovelace recommends
Kelly Lester’s website and products,
Easy Lunchboxes, easylunchboxes.com.

Sign up for a free newslett er for lunch
ideas or watch her videos. Grace also
recommends Laura Fuentes’s website
MOMables for more ideas.

Purchase Healthy Snacks
in Bulk
For healthy snacks that everyone agrees
on, purchase in bulk, if possible. Once
home, sort and store them in small bins
or baskets in the pantry or, if possible,
a cabinet or drawer dedicated to
school lunches. For a more economical
method of buying snacks, purchase a
large “party-size” bag of mini-pretz els
or popcorn and re-package in single-
serving sized baggies or reusable
containers. Having grab and go
containers with approved snacks makes
it easy for even younger children to
help pack their own lunches.

an apple … so my kids looked forward
to seeing what was in their lunch every
day. Some were hits and some were
fails, but they defi nitely let me know
that when they came home.” Maria
continued, “I also always tried to have
a ‘meal’ with protein, always a piece of
fruit, and then a small treat. If they got
a bag of chips, then they didn’t get a
sweet dessert-type treat or vice versa.”
Packing healthy and nutritious school
lunches can be manageable even for the
busiest of parents. To make unpacking
an appetizing and appealing lunch at
school really special, slip in a litt le note
to brighten your child’s day!
Michelle Blanchard Ardillo is a freelance
writer and middle school language arts
teacher who tries most days to pack herself
a healthy lunch to take to school. Follow her
@michardillo on Twitt er or Goodreads, or
on her website at www.michelleardillo.com.

Variety is Key
The saying that variety is
the spice of life is key here.

Kensington mom of four
Maria Welsh said, “I
will tell you that my
thoughts on lunch is
variety. I never packed
the same thing two
days in a row for the
kids. I remember Rob
[her husband] saying
how he hated his lunch
because his mother
always made a bologna
sandwich: two pieces
of bread, one slice of
bologna, and then maybe
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