Give children the energy they need to make it through the day by packing them a healthy lunch. Studies show that if you provide children with healthy choices to eat at school, they will feel more energized, alert and ready to learn. The following recipes are kid-tested and kid-approved, healthy and easy-to-make.

Unlike packaged lunch foods that are loaded with calories, trans and saturated fats and sodium, these meals use fresh fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, sure to keep you kids satiated throughout he school day. Recipes including wraps, dips, chips and cheese are kid-favorites, with enough kid appeal that they won’t trade with their friends!

Tips for a lunchbox makeover:

1. Use sectioned Tupperware or bento boxes – with compartments to separate each set of goodies, these make putting a healthy meal together a snap! Meals like our toasted pita chips with carrots and hummus, fit perfectly, and makes mealtime more fun. Find colorful bento boxes at www.laptoplunches.com.

2. Add in yummy but healthy snacks – Including snacks that kids love will help keep them away from the dreadful stuff in the vending machines. Make your own healthy version of trail-mix with dried fruits, unsalted nuts and a few dark chocolate chips. Apple and orange slices are always a favorite. Make your own “energy” bars for a treat!

3. Slip veggies in unnoticed – there are plenty of sneaky ways to hide them! Tuck them into wraps and blend them into dips. Chop veggies into tuna or chicken salad or roll them up in turkey & swiss pinwheels. Blend fruit into a smoothie or add it to a cup of yogurt. Use celery to carry yummy peanut butter and raisins. Make delicious vegetable soups with fun, alphabet pasta! The Sneaky Chef is the authority on sneaky healthy foods into kid-favorite meals, she even has recipes that sneaks veggies into cookies and brownies! See recipes at www.thesneakychef.com.

4. Think outside the lunchbox – Who says lunch has to be a sandwich with a bag of chips? Leftovers like whole-wheat spaghetti with meatballs and chicken stir-fry makes great meals the next day.

5. Include more whole grains – There are so many options available now that you can easily trade white bread for whole-wheat bread or whole wheat and spelt wraps and whole-wheat pasta for its white counterpart. Salads with quinoa, millet and wheat berries can also be dressed up with kid-favorites, such as apples, dried cranberries and raisins.

Recipes Kids Love:

Rice-Cake Sandwiches:

Rice cakes have gotten a bad-reputation for being full of empty calories, however, the Lundberg brand makes fabulous brown and wild rice organic rice cakes, which are much better than other brands that use additives and flavoring.

Ingredients:

4 rice cakes

2 tablespoons natural peanut butter or almond butter

4 banana slices

Preparation:

Spread 2 rice cakes with peanut butter; top cakes with banana slices and then secure with the remaining two rice cakes.

Tangy Apple Salad:

This tart and tangy fruit salad tosses together tart green apples, dried cranberries, cherries and almonds in a refreshing vanilla yogurt for a delightful taste of fall.

Ingredients:

4 tart green apples, cored and chopped

1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds, toasted

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped dried cherries

1 (8 ounce) container vanilla yogurt

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, stir together the apples, almonds, cranberries, cherries and yogurt until evenly coated.

Nutty Energy Bars:

These energy-packed, fiber-rich bars are a great replacement for the common granola bars found in most lunch packs. With half the sugar and twice the fiber, these bars are sure to keep kids feeling energetic throughout the day. Full of nuts, seeds and oats, they include protein and healthy fats and they pass the toughest of kid’s approval tests!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup roasted, unsalted chopped almonds

1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

2 cups chopped dried fruit

2 cups old fashioned oats

1/4 cup bran flour (or wheat germ)

1/2 cup creamy or crunchy natural peanut butter

3/4 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Combine chopped nuts, seeds, dried fruit, oats and bran flour (or wheat germ) in a bowl. In a small saucepan, combine peanut butter, honey and vanilla and cook until bubbling, about 2 minutes. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until well incorporated. Lightly grease a 9×13 pan and transfer the mixture. Press down firmly, until mixture is compact. Refrigerate for about 1 hour to harden, then cut into bars, approx 4in x 1in each.

Taco Salad:

Who says you kid’s need Taco Bell in school cafeteria’s? This easy-to-make, portable taco salad will make everyone else envious. With separate containers, kids will feel like they are in charge of putting it together.

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce (crunchy varieties work best)

1/4 cup chopped tomato

1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup light sour cream

1 cup tortilla chips (or baked pita chips)

Instructions:

In a plastic container big enough to use as a bowl for the finished salad, toss together lettuce and tomato. In a small plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, stir together beans and salsa. Pack shredded cheese and sour cream in separate plastic containers. Finally, pack tortilla chips in a zip-top plastic bag.

With all the ingredients in place, arm your little guy or girl with some direction for lunchtime. Instruct them to dump the bean and salsa mixture into the lettuce bowl, top with sour cream and cheese, and finally, crumble tortilla chips on top, and voilá, lunch is served!

Pita Pizza:

It’s pretty easy to predict how kids will respond when asked what they’re favorite food is – pizza! Oddly enough, that doesn’t seem to change much as we “grow up,” however, this pita pizza, with whole wheat bread and lots of tomatoes can woo even the most discerning pizza lovers.

Ingredients:

1 whole-wheat pita bread

1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp. pizza or tomato sauce

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine tomatoes, sauce and seasoning and mix well. Cut a slit into the top of the pita bread and spoon in the cheese, tomato mixture and vegetables. Wrap pita in aluminum foil and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until filling is melted.

Sides/Snacks:

Ants on a log:

A snack-time favorite, healthy celery sticks and natural peanut butter make this is a nutritional treat for kids. And they’ll love to pretend they’re eating marching ants!

Ingredients:

2 celery stalks

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/4 cup raisins (or dried berries)

Instructions:

Wash two stalks of celery and cut them in half, so you have four pieces of celery. Fill the grooves of celery with peanut butter. On top of the peanut butter, drop a raisin every 3 centimeters, so you have a trail of raisins.

Apple Slices with Dip:

Apples are healthy and kids love them! Dress them up with a fun dip made from strawberry yogurt.

Ingredients:

1 medium apple

1 cup organic strawberry yogurt

Instructions:

Core, peel and slice the apple, then sprinkle apple slices with lemon juice to keep them from browning. In a separate container, drop one 1/2 cup dollop of fruit-flavored yogurt to dip the slices into.

Toasted Pita Chips:

Kids love chips, so make some healthy ones for an occasional lunchtime treat!

Ingredients:

2 rounds whole-wheat pita bread

2 tbsp olive oil

Cooking spray bottle, such as the Mister

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut each pita into 4-6 triangles, separating each top and bottom half so you have 8-12 triangles per pita. Arrange, porous side up, on a baking sheet and spray lightly with olive oil, until each piece is coated. Bake until pita triangles are crisp and dark brown, about 8 - 10 minutes. Serve with hummus or salsa.

Fruit Cups

Make your own fruity, fun cups with small, plastic containers.

Exotic Fruit: Cut up pineapple, kiwi, mango, peaches and lychee, for an exotic treat!

Melon Mania: Cut up cantaloupe, watermelon and honeydew for a melon mixture!

Banana Bonanza: Cut up bananas, strawberries and walnuts for a nutty twist!

Berry Blast: Raspberries, blueberries and cherries* make this fruit cup a berry good treat!

*Organic, frozen fruits are a cheap alternative to fresh fruit when it’s unavailable, and by using the quick-freeze method, fruits retain most of their nutrients.

Popcorn Delight

Create your own yummy popcorn snacks for school. When you make popcorn yourself, using natural popcorn kernels and olive oil, you can create an excellent, healthy snack without all the added oils, flavorings and salt.

To make: Heat a few teaspoons of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, once the oil starts to sizzle, add the amount of kernels you desire. Lightly spray popcorn with olive oil so added spices stick.

Caliente: Sprinkle popcorn with cayenne pepper powder and cumin, put it into a snack bag and shake it up for some Mexican flair!

Savory: Sprinkle popcorn with garlic, onion powder and a pinch of black pepper and shake it up for a savory snack.

Cheesy: Sprinkle popcorn with Parmesan cheese and shake it up for a cheesy treat.

Sweet: Drizzle popcorn with melted dark chocolate and honey, then sprinkle with chopped almonds for a sweet treat.

Trail mix: Add popcorn to trail mix for some extra crunch.