It’s the bane of parents of school-aged children everywhere. Ask any mom her biggest challenges with raising school aged children, and somewhere among them, almost cringingly whispered, come those two dreaded words: making lunch. The daily grind of making sure you have enough variety in stock is challenging.

It’s hard to find healthy foods your kids will eat. Yet with popular faves like Turkey + Cheddar Lunchables packing in at least half a days’ worth of saturated fat, most ready-made snacks are no good solution. Good, healthy food really requires thinking outside of the box. So when time and budget are top of mind, try easy, nutrient-rich whole foods to keep everyone happy and healthy and toxin-free.

1. Homemade Granola
2. Super Fruit Smoothies
3. Whole grain crackers topped with (100%) almond or peanut butter, served sandwich style
4. Frozen organic edamame, packed the night before and stored in the fridge to thaw for next days lunch.
5. Hummus and veggies
6. Ants on a log: celery-stalk filled with natural (high fructose corn syrup-free) peanut butter, topped with raisins.
7. Trail mix: nuts, seeds and dried fruit medley
8. Apple and almond butter sandwich on whole grain bread
9. Cheese Quesadilla
10. Whole grain tortillas cut into chip sized wedges and oven baked, with mild salsa for dipping

Of course whole carrots, a piece of whole grain toast, an apple or some water with lemon and a touch of honey are all good choices too, but I’ll save that for another day…

Happy snacking!

Author's Bio: 

I’m Elizabeth Borelli, author, speaker, and whole foods lifestyle consultant. As a busy parent, I’ve faced the challenges associated with keeping my family healthy on a time and dollar budget. And what I learned was that without a workable strategy, it can make you crazy! I’m passionate about sharing the benefits of fast and delicious meals made with natural, organic and sustainable ingredients. Filled with shopping tips, menu ideas and kids healthy recipes, my web site, ElizabethBorelli.com contains the tools you need for success.