10 lunchbox extras that go beyond yogurt tubes and fishy crackers

My two toddlers would LOVE the fruit skewers, the crackers, the Sweet Potato chips, and the yogurt. They've tried hummus, but weren't fond of it (It's my favorite snack dip with pretzels or veggies). My oldest daughter used to love hummus, but as she grows her tastes have changed, and she will only occassionally eat it, if she has kiba (Lebanese meat pie) to eat with it. I'm gonna try some of these ideas for her summer camp lunches...I'm sure sh'e dlove to get a fruit kebab, or chips and hummus :-)

Another vote for hummus here

ya, most of that food didnt look like something a child would want to eat. I actually liked hummus, but I was the kind of kid that also liked liver and onions so maybe im weird?? side note, my mom never fed me these thingsm I used to see them @ my grandmothers and sneak them. Muahahaaa

As for hiding fruit/veggies into baked goods, that usually made me very cautious and disliking of mixtures. I like fruits and veggies. I dont like mixing the flavor of squash with chocolate muffins YUCKY

Hummus is delicious. It's also a staple of Mediterranean food, which is some of the healthiest cuisine you can eat. So what, Patricia, do you put in your kid's lunch boxes? Doritos?

These are great ideas. I use several of them & my kids love them - we sprinkle a lil' cinnamon sugar on our sweet potato chips. Contrary to another post, my kids tell me that they have to protect their carrot & other veggie sticks from their classmates, not their cookies. I work at a nursery school & the kids are always trying to steal my lunch instead of their bags of chips & other junk.

When my son was a baby, I made homemade baby food with my food processor. I always kept peeled carrot sticks and other reach-and-go healthy snacks (apple chunks, peeled, seedless citrus segments of oranges or tangerines, etc.), and cheese sticks in the fridge. When he took the time to sit down and eat his snacks, yogurt was always available. He grew up believing these were all treats and he has raised his own children the same way. Candy and potato chips were never in the house. It's all about the food that you give them from the beginning. They don't miss the junk food if you start them out right.
He and his children are in great shape (me, too). My brother and sister, nieces, nephews, and grandnieces and grandnephews are all either obese or overweight. Some are morbidly obese. Some have had to have gastric bypass surgeries. My sis and brother always had chips, candy and marshmallows in the house. And, they wonder why they're diabetic & have high cholesterol.
New moms and dads, START your kids off with good habits and it will pay off for the rest of their lives.

Very good ideas. Love the picture of the orange, apple, milk & sandwich. Now i Need to know where to find that pastel colored lunch box.

Thanks! New ideas always welcomed to brighten up a rut in the kitchen.

I really enjoyed many of these ideas!! Thanks so much!

I was reading the comments and just wanted to add, for the nay sayers, that you dont have to force a child to like fruits and vegis. My 2 and a half year old LOVES all fruit and most vegis ( he can't figure out why we are eating little trees - broccoli). For us, we include at least a fruit and vegi at both lunch and supper (breakfast varies) and if it's something new or not a favorite we put one piece on his plate and usually he will try it. Just offer it up consistently and it will become something they enjoy.

To everyone out there who has a child who likes hummas... High -Fives!!!

Good job, Jessica. Attractive combinations (because my daughter worries about how her food looks) and healthy combinations (because I worry about her nutrition).

My 7 yo helped pack her lunch this morning. She wanted spinach salad with rasberry dressing, carrots/celery, along with her egg salad (from our chickens eggs.) Naan bread with plain yogurt, and chutney for snack time. She was asking what day it was, because Saturday is Farmers Market, and she wants to try Hot and Spicy Mango Chutney and get Samosas, that are offered at one of the booths.

I make my own hummus, so I can add whatever herbs I want. She loves it, particularly with fresh basil.

One of her favorite lunches is pasta with pesto. In fact, if I can't get her to eat anything much, she'll eat pesto. Can't wait until the basil is big enough to harvest.

Her absolute FAVORITE food is.....brocolli.

Then again, she thinks Mc Donalds, is a smoothie place, because she has never had anything else from there. And she thinks soda is kambucha, or soda water with a splash of juice.

how to you make the sweet potato chips? they look really good!

It made no difference what was in the Lunch Bag,,when I was in school,,some one elses bag that is,,BACK WHEN THERE WERE NO SCHOOL CAFETERIAS,,BUSSED KIDS
brought their lunch,,walking kids went home at noon,,,I walked to and from school,,(Bare Feeted,,Bib Overalls,,)but never went home at noon,, THERE HAD BEEN NO BREAKFAST,,SO,, there would be no LUNCH,,
11 hungry mouths to feed,,in the midst of the Great Depression,,HOWEVER,,if I WAS LUCKY,, I WOULD FIND A DISCARDED BROWN BAG,WITH SOME LEFT OVERS,,a half eaten Apple,,a half Cookie,,AND AFTER SCHOOL, MAKE IT TO THE DUMPSTER before it was Torched,,some more scraps of food...THOSE WERE NOT THE GOOD OLD DAZS.
TO DAY,I JUST FINISHED,A MEDIUM RARE BEEF FELET, BAKED POTATO("e")Asparagus,,SOME PINOT NOIR,,,

It made no difference what was in the Lunch Bag,,when I was in school,,some one elses bag that is,,BACK WHEN THERE WERE NO SCHOOL CAFETERIAS,,BUSSED KIDS
brought their lunch,,walking kids went home at noon,,,I walked to and from school,,(Bare Feeted,,Bib Overalls,,)but never went home at noon,, THERE HAD BEEN NO BREAKFAST,,SO,, there would be no LUNCH,,
11 hungry mouths to feed,,in the midst of the Great Depression,,HOWEVER,,if I WAS LUCKY,, I WOULD FIND A DISCARDED BROWN BAG,WITH SOME LEFT OVERS,,a half eaten Apple,,a half Cookie,,AND AFTER SCHOOL, MAKE IT TO THE DUMPSTER before it was Torched,,some more scraps of food...THOSE WERE NOT THE GOOD OLD DAZS.
TO DAY,I JUST FINISHED,A MEDIUM RARE BEEF FELET, BAKED POTATO("e")Asparagus,,SOME PINOT NOIR,,,

In the good old days, all we had was healthy! There were no goldfish, peeled baby carrots, yogurt, pizza on a stick. Dips of every nationality? We had sour cream and ketchup. No salsa. No chips, but Lays potato and Frito corn chips. Too many choices. Is that living? It is confusing to kids. Simplify and let them learn to cook. Only way to be happy is be part of the process in the kitchen! Power to the Chef!

I grew up with a family that mainly tried to feed the family with foods such as hot dogs, ramen, taco salads, mac-n-cheese, mcdonnalds, taco bell, etc. Pretty much all of it was junk food and many nights I would have preferred to go to bed on an empty stomach because of the pain those types of foods caused me. Even though I still love chocolate (my mother always had an ample supply) I choose dark chocolate because it tastes better to me not solely based on the fact that it is healthier. On a side note: The kids I watch love yogurt with dark chocolate chips. They have to eat goat yogurt because of food allergies but I'd much prefer regular. Kids get a ton of exercise in school and if the parents aren't lazy they get plenty when they aren't as well. So while I understand that some people just won't get off their rears to go for a walk around the park or even to the mail box, I think you have to acknowledge that most of us who eat organic foods prefer it for the superior quality (it is just a bonus that is is better on our bodies). Oh and for the record any one that I know that is overweight does not eat hummus or the majority of what is listed above even when they change their diet to lose weight.

i love food.

Regarding Patricia's comment, what kids "like" is pretty dictated by the "cool" commercials they see on tv like the go-gurts, high fructose corn syrup laden and sugary fruit snacks that are pre-packaged and spell out early onest diabetes. YES it does have an affect on their grades...post lunchtime sugar high crashes make them sleepy and not want to pay attention in class!

It appears that your mentality is just that, lazy, and to give kids what they like and not care about their health. It's not a miracle diet to prepare a healthy lunch, it's living a healthy lifestyle. Not just for celebrities.

sorry ladies but im gonna have to say that hummus is gross lol, but if my kid loved it or even my bf i would buy it . either way i love all the other ideas, i dont have children but i do pack a lunch for myself everyday and these ideas are just what ive been looking for. I too would love the bran mini muffin recipe :)

Ha Ha!! This cracks me up because my 5 year old constantly comes home from school telling me that the kids "take her cookies"... she says they come to school with carrot sticks and grapes and always want her snacks. The carrot sticks go in the garbage!!! I like to give my child a healthy sandwich and a yummy snack like chocolate chip cookies or a twinkie. My children are both fit and slim and healthy.