Back to school season is on and so are mothers’ dilemmas about what goes in the lunch box.
Well, when packing the lunch box, moms should always keep in mind to add wholesome meals that kids will love, healthy, colourful, full of nutrient-dense foods, balanced with protein, fruit, veggies and allergy-friendly because kids love to share.
Some of these foods could be egg muffins mixed with chopped veggies like zucchini or broccoli, dips with crudites like hummus, labneh, yoghurt, with carrot and cucumber sticks. Fruits are always a great idea, and it’s better to chop them to make them easier to eat at school. Wraps are easy to prepare but consider using whole wheat options and fill them with your choice of protein (chicken, beef, tuna…) and vegetables.
Other options kids would love to munch on are spring rolls or chicken nuggets. But we don’t mean the traditional unhealthy nuggets we find in the market – we mean the Kcal-ised ones. They are the healthy version of chicken nuggets made with ground chicken, coated with parmesan and most importantly baked not fried.
Now for the main meal, moms should always consider hiding some veggies in there, specifically for the picky eaters. For example, mix in veggies with the sauce for the pasta; make the lasagna pasta-free by adding zucchini or eggplant instead. Add as many colours as possible to the salad to make it look good and fresh. Replace the pizza dough with a cauliflower based one and sneak in some vegetables in the sauce.
Finally, try to always cook from scratch to reduce the use of preservatives and additives, replace simple carbohydrates with complex ones (i.e., white bread with whole grain, etc..) and saturated fats with healthier options (i.e., olive oil, avocado…). Avoid frying and adopt better ways of cooking like grilling or baking.
Moms can also save themselves all the hustle and choose Kcal where our convenient plans cover all the above with no effort knowing their kids are provided with the healthiest options.
Written by Celine Saad | Nutritionist, Kcal
