Arla M. Halpin
Contributing Writer

Packing a healthy lunch can be challenging. It’s hard to make the time to pack a lunch or even figure out what to take. In this article you will find ideas and suggestions on packing a healthy lunch for you and your family. Packing a healthy lunch can help save you money, as well as increase the nutrition and health of your family. Here are three good reasons to pack your lunch.

Economics: The National Restaurant Association reports the average American age eight and above eats out four times per week. Young adults age 27 and under eat out even more.

Eating out has become a lifestyle! Roberta Duyff, author of “Complete Food and Nutrition Guide,” notes that…“the food service industry gets about 50 cents of every dollar that US consumers spend on food.” The average cost for a lunch and a drink is about $8. If you brown bag it just two times per week. Your savings add up to $16 per week or $800 per year; if you pack more than that, you can save a $1,000 or more per year. Eat lunch out occasionally or on special occasions.

Nutrition: Americans consume one-third of their calories away from home. When you pack lunch you can have more control over what you and your children eat. Children are more likely to eat healthy foods if they are introduced to them early. “Lunch should provide one-third of the day’s nutritional needs.

Avoid the temptation to skip lunch. The mid-day meal fuels the body throughout the afternoon, just as breakfast gets you through the morning.” (Clemson University Extension publication; “Packing Lunches for School and Work”). Plan lunches to meet the nutritional needs of your family; make calories count by packing nutritious foods.

Weight: Packing a healthy lunch will help children and teens fill up on wholesome food, which will help them cut back on the high calorie fast foods and convenience foods that contribute to being overweight. “More than 23 million U.S. children and teens ages two to 19 are overweight or obese, a four-fold increase in 40 years. Obesity strains children’s bodies making them susceptible to adult ailments including Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.” (reprinted from the eXtension article, “Learn and Take Notice in September, National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month” by Ashley Fondren and Lynette Spicer).

With a little planning you can pack a delicious and nutritious lunch. Let the kids help in picking items and planning their school lunch. The more input they have, the less likely they will be to trade their lunch. Tammy Roberts, a nutrition and health education specialist with the University of Missouri Extension suggests “letting children pick from a list of healthy foods.” When you plan your lunch menu, your food choices aren’t last minute. Plan a variety of foods; mix it up by sticking with some favorites and trying something new. There are several recipes at the end of this article that will help you plan nutritious lunches.

1. Lean protein: Use lean lunch meats like turkey or ham. Make chicken salad with low fat mayonnaise, for older children add grape halves and/or chopped almonds. For a twist, omit the fruit and almonds and add curry powder and raisins for a quick curried chicken salad, use wheat thins to scoop it right out of the container and you won’t even need a spoon. Make tuna salad using canned albacore tuna with low fat mayonnaise for a milder version of the classic tuna salad, put in a pita with shredded lettuce. For older teens and adults add sliced green onions to your tuna for added flavor. For variety send hard boiled eggs plain or on a chef salad or as egg salad.

For those who don’t eat meat try Mexican bean dip or black bean and corn salsa with tortilla chips.  Humus with pita chips is a quick source protein when you’re on the go. Stuff a pita pocket with lettuce, tomato and cheese or with falafel (look for mix in the international foods section) topped with ranch dressing, tomatoes and lettuce. One-half ounce of nuts and one tablespoon of nut butters, like peanut butter or almond butter, count as a serving of protein.

2. Whole grain: Make half of your grains whole grain. Try whole grain bread with smoked turkey, cheese, lettuce and regular mustard for the kids, or spice it up with Swiss cheese and Dijon mustard for adults. Make a wrap using a burrito sized whole wheat tortilla with your favorite meat, shredded cheese and lettuce, sprinkle with Ranch or Italian dressing. For teens or adults, add sliced tomatoes, yellow peppers or onions to your wrap for additional flavor and a nutritional boost. Try a whole wheat bagel as your base for a sandwich or serve alone topped with plain or seasoned cream cheese. Have multi-grain crackers with cheese cubes and lunch meat cut into squares for your own version of a lunchable. Pack a pasta, rice or other grain based salad instead of a sandwich, using kid-friendly pasta shapes. The new whole grain sandwich thins make a great substitute for sliced bread. Make your own snack mix using bear shaped graham crackers as in the recipe below.

3. Fruit: Fruit is a nutritious addition to any lunch, one medium orange provides over 80 mg of vitamin C. You can make it as easy as adding an orange or apple to your lunch each day or preparing a fruit salad with strawberries, grapes and any other of you or your child’s favorite fruit. Try sending chunks of fresh fruit like melon or pineapple. Sliced apples dipped in peanut butter are a hit. Try the “Black-eyed Peanut Butter Dip” recipe below, with apple or celery slices.  Pack dried fruits like raisins, cranberries and apples instead of candy for a treat. If your children are small, send along half an orange sliced or apple to ensure they get their fruit in a serving sized just for them.

4. Vegetable: Most kids and teens like veggies and dip. Pack sliced carrots, celery, broccoli or cucumber slices with ranch dressing. Make a lettuce salad topped with cubes of left over grilled chicken or ham. For adults or older teens make a marinated vegetable salad with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomato and onion with low fat Italian dressing. Top a green salad with pasta salad and Italian dressing for a lunch time salad that will fill you up. The deeper the color the greater nutritional value when it comes to veggies. Try romaine lettuce on your meat and cheese sandwich instead of traditional iceberg lettuce. Add shredded lettuce to wraps and bean and cheese tortillas for a twist on the lunch time sandwich. If you want to try something new add edamame soy beans to a salad or buy them in individual serving sized packages to pack in your lunch. 

5. Calcium: “The human body contains more calcium than any other mineral, of that amount 99 percent of your calcium is in your bones. Forty percent of the body’s bone mass is formed during adolescence and that phase is complete by age twenty or so.” (“Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, pg. 99, Roberta Larson Duff). Bone up on your calcium by striving for three servings of dairy or other calcium sources each day. Pack string cheese by itself or with pepperoni slices and a small container of pizza sauce for dipping. Pack an individual yogurt or try one of the new brands of Greek yogurt. Make a simple yogurt and apple salad with 1/ 2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt, 1 medium diced apple and 1 teaspoon chopped walnuts nuts for a delicious addition to your lunch. Add cheese chunks to a pasta salad or other type of salad. Kids love left over pizza for lunch. Make your own chicken snack wrap by adding prepackaged chicken tenders to a tortilla filled with shredded cheese, lettuce and ranch dressing. Stick with low fat milk and avoid drinking soda with your lunch. If you can do something for 21 days it becomes a habit. If you don’t drink milk, then have calcium fortified orange juice with your lunch.

Turkey Rolls

• 2 flour tortillas
• 2 tsp. mayonnaise
• 2 slices thinly sliced deli turkey
• 1/ 2 cup shredded lettuce
• 2 Tablespoons of shredded cheese, any type

Lay out tortilla. Spread with mayonnaise. Layer turkey slice, lettuce and cheese onto tortilla. Roll up and wrap. Makes 2 servings. (Clemson Cooperative Extension)

Easy Chicken Salad

• 1 ½ cup cooked chicken diced
• ¾ cup light mayonnaise
• 1cup red or green seedless grapes halved
• ½ cup chopped almonds

Mix all ingredients. Serve or refrigerate immediately.
For Curried Chicken Salad omit grapes and almonds and add 1 teaspoon curry powder and ½ cup raisins.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

• 1-16 ounce can black beans drained
• 1-16 ounce can corn drained (this is great for using left over corn on the cob).
• ¾ cup chunky salsa

Mix all ingredients and serve or refrigerate. Serve with scoop or regular tortilla chips.

Marinated Vegetable Salad

• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
• ½ small red onions sliced
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 cup carrots, sliced
• 1 cup low- fat Italian dressing

Mix all ingredients and allow to marinate in refrigerator several hours.

Black-eyed Peanut Butter Dip

• ½ cup peanut butter
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup raisins
• Carrot and celery slices sticks

Put peanut butter in medium bowl. Carefully stir in the applesauce, cinnamon and raisins. Store any remaining dip in the refrigerator (Penn State University Extension).

Beary Good Snack Mix

• 2 cups bear-shaped graham crackers
• 2 cups toasted oat cereal
• 1 cup peanuts
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or resealable plastic bag. Mix well and store in an airtight container, makes 12 servings (University of Missouri Extension).

Written by Arla M. Halpin
Family and Consumer Science Program Associate
Powhatan County Extension Office
Arlah3@vt.edu or 598-5640 ext. 3