Parents and children running all over the house in the morning is a common sight for all households with school-going children. However, in this rush, parents can forget or simply not have time to give their children lunch for school. Some parents prefer giving their children lunch money rather than going through the hassle of making lunchboxes. This has become very common but, unfortunately, it is not a very healthy option. The following recipes for homemade lunches are not only convenient to make but also help to ensure that your children eat healthy food even when they are at school. Here are healthy school lunch ideas for your kids.

Tips for Healthy School Lunch Ideas

One tip is to encourage the children to choose the ingredients for their lunches and then prepare their meals by themselves. This will create excitement, spike interest amongst the children in their lunch, and increase the likelihood of the kids eating their lunch at school because they made it themselves. Allowing the children to prepare their lunch at night prevents the hustle and bustle of preparing lunches in the morning. This, of course, does not mean that you should give your children a total free hand to choose whatever they want.

Before allowing children to prepare their lunch, parents should make sure that there are multiple healthy and delicious food items for the kids to choose from. These items can include:

• Peanut butter and almond butter, which can be used on bread
• Tuna fish
• Crackers and whole-grain breads
• A variety of fruits
• A variety of vegetables

Some additional tips to spike an interest in children for their lunch is to:

• Allow kids to select their favorite lunchbox, or even let them decorate it themselves.
• Use larger bags to put the lunch in so that food isn’t squished and stays appealing for children to eat.
• Buy lunchboxes with insulation, such as a small container that can be used to put in foods that should be kept cold, like yogurt and dips.
• Have different sizes of plastic containers that can be used for putting in sliced fruits and vegetables.

7 Healthy School Lunch Ideas

The following are some easy-to-make food items that can be prepared as healthy shool lunch for children.

1. Bread Rolls with Chicken Salad

This food item is very easy to make. It is filled with healthy vegetables and tastes delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked and shredded chicken
• 1/3 cup of vegetables like celery or radish
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• ¼ cup mayonnaise or yogurt
• Salt
• Pepper (according to taste)
• 2 hot dog buns

Preparation:

Step 1: Stir the chicken, vegetables, onion and mayonnaise or yogurt until properly mixed.

Step 2: Use salt and pepper as seasoning.

Step 3: Fill the hot dog buns with the chicken salad and wrap in parchment for lunch.

2. Mini Pizza with Red Pepper and Mushroom Topping

Kids love eating pizza. Creating a mini pizza topped with red peppers, mushrooms and even vegetables like spinach will make this a healthy lunch rich in calcium and vitamin C.

Ingredients:

• Red pepper
• Lemon
• Garlic
• Cooking spray
• Mushroom caps
• Balsamic vinegar
• Fresh basil
• Shallots
• Pizza crust (prepackaged)
• Mozzarella cheese
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation:

Step 1: Take the prepackaged pizza crust and use all the items in the list of ingredients as a topping.

Step 2: Add salt and pepper according to taste and bake it in the oven until the crust turns slightly brown.

3. Vegetable Wraps

This healthy snack includes a variety of vegetables like tomatoes, which are fat free and filled with Vitamin C, and lettuce, which has large quantities of protein and iron.

Ingredients:

• Avocado
• Lemon juice
• Whole wheat wrap
• Crumbled bacon
• Chopped tomatoes
• Chopped romaine lettuce

Preparation:

Step 1: Mash the avocado, add the lemon juice and then put this mix in a whole wheat wrap.

Step 2: Add bacon, chopped tomatoes and sliced lettuce to the wrap and roll it up.

Step 3: Bind it together and wrap it with parchment paper.

4. Health Box

This box includes nutritious items like eggs, which are enriched with multiple protein and calcium. Fruits like kiwi can be added, which also contain vitamins, potassium and other minerals that promote health.

Ingredients:

• Eggs
• Whole-grain waffles
• Kiwifruit
• Berries
• Corn muffins

Preparation:

Step 1: Hard-boil two eggs and slice them.

Step 2: Place two or three whole-grain waffles in the lunchbox along with sliced kiwis and some blackberries.

Step 3: Add corn muffins to the meal as a dessert.

5. Shrimp with Hot Dog Buns

This is very healthy food since shrimps contain large quantities of vitamin D, vitamin B3 and zinc. They are also fat-free and carbohydrate-free foods, which help prevent obesity in children.

Ingredients:

• Shrimp
• Whole wheat hot dog bun
• Mayonnaise
• Lemon juice
• Celery
• Tarragon
• Black pepper
• Salt

Preparation:

Step 1: Cook the shrimp and chop it into small pieces.

Step 2: Add mayonnaise, lemon juice, celery that has been chopped and tarragon to the shrimp and mix it well.

Step 3: Place the mix in a whole wheat hot dog bun.

6. Vegetable Fried Rice

This is a simple and healthy meal for kids since rice provides instant energy, contains large quantities of vitamin B1, and provides an adequate amount of blood sugar.

Ingredients:

• Brown rice
• Scallions
• Vegetable oil
• Carrots
• Peas
• Corns
• Soy sauce
• Peanuts
• Sesame seeds

Preparation:

Step 1: Slice the whites of the scallions and cook in the oil.

Step 2: Add carrots, peas and corns to the scallions along with a little water and soy sauce. Cook these ingredients.

Step 3: Add brown rice with some water and soy sauce until the rice turns soft and is fully heated. Finally, add toasted sesame seeds and peanuts to the rice.

7. Mini Grilled Chicken Burgers

Adding zucchini and cheese as a filling makes the burger both tasty and healthy by increasing vitamin C and calcium content.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup basil leaves
• 1 small zucchini
• ¼ cup of cheese
• 1 clove of garlic
• ¾ pound chicken
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small tomatoes
• ¼ teaspoon of salt and pepper

Preparation:

Step 1: Add the zucchini, basil, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil to the food processor and blend till smooth.

Step 2: Grill the chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper, until it turns golden over a slightly oiled grill.

Step 3: Toast the bun a little and place the chicken patty along with the pesto inside the buns before serving.