By eDiets StaffBack to school and back to thinking up healthy lunch ideas to brown-bag for the little ones?
If you've exhausted your repertoire of less-than-diet-friendly standards, like creamy tuna salad or bologna and mayo on white, or you find yourself eating the leftovers from some of those calorie-crammed sandwiches, get some better bites in your healthy lunch bag -- or your briefcase! (Always use an ice pack when your lunch won't be refrigerated to prevent food borne illnesses.)
Think Outside the Bag...
Mushroom Pizza Burger -- This one is ideal if you have an office with a microwave -- if the kiddies don't mind, you can cook the mushroom burger at home and they can eat it cold.
Slice open a 6-inch whole-wheat pita and spread 2 tablespoons of fat-free tomato sauce inside; layer in a cooked mushroom veggie burger (check your grocer's freezer section). Heat in the office microwave or toaster oven. Tote raw, crisp string beans and snow peas for a satisfying side. (300 calories, 5 grams fat)
Shrimp Salad Wrap -- Instead of boring tuna salad, try canned shrimp. Like tuna, it's light and lean, but shrimp offer more flavor and texture.
Mix 1/2 cup chopped canned shrimp, 1 finely chopped celery stalk, 1/4 cup chopped onion and 1 tablespoon fat-free mayonnaise and spread on a 6-inch low-fat flour tortilla and roll up. Tote baby carrots and healthy hummus as an appetizing accompaniment. (200 calories, 5 grams fat)
Steak and Couscous Salad -- When you're searching for a hearty, healthy lunch, this is just the ticket. Buy pre-grilled steak in your grocer's refrigerator section or look at leftovers in a new light.
Cook couscous according to package directions. In a resealable plastic container, toss 1/2 cup couscous, 3 ounces pre-grilled steak strips, 1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers, 1/4 cup button mushrooms and 1 1/2 tablespoons fat-free Italian dressing. (280 calories, 7 grams fat)
Pea Soup with Honey Ham Wraps -- Invest in a handy container for carry soups and you'll never run out of lunch ideas. This combo is particularly satisfying.
Spread 1 tablespoon low-fat cream cheese on one side of 4 slices low-fat honey-roasted ham, then wrap around cucumber spears (cream cheese on the inside). Bring pea soup in a stay-hot container or pack a cup of dehydrated pea soup (add hot water) for the perfect partner. (140 calories, 6 grams fat)
"Chicken" Fingers and Tomato Soup -- Kids love these faux chicken fingers, made from soy. But adults are secret fans as well. Experiment with different dippers, like salsa and honey mustard. Boca nuggets are frozen soy-based chunks that taste like fast-food chicken nuggets; pack 4 nuggets (microwave at the office) and 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce or mustard for dipping. A side of tomato soup rounds out the meal right. (290 calories, 9 grams fat)
Looking for more healthy lunch ideas? eDiets has hundreds of simple, easy recipes -- and even fast food choices! Check out the Glycemic Impact Plan for all-day energy, or the Mediterranean Diet (where you can even have wine!).
Continue to these related posts:
-- Feeding Your Child: Where Do You Begin?
-- Discount Shopping: Back to School
-- Healthy Meals for One (recipe included!)
Got any healthy no-fuss healthy lunch ideas for the office or for the kiddos? Let us know by sharing them below.
Comment: Saturday, August 23, 2008 7:48:00 AM - 
Tena said...
Oh yeah, right... lets snack on some raw string beans. Sounds yummy and I bet all the kids at the school will be wanting your mommy to pack their lunch too.
THIS is why diets fail.
Comment: Saturday, August 23, 2008 2:24:00 PM - 
said...
There is no way my kids would take shrimp or pea soup for lunch! I think these ideas are are outlandish and wouldn't work for most kids.... Why don't we just stick to natural foods - meats from the deli without additives, fruits and vegies that they'll truly eat (mine like carrots w/ ranch or celery w/peanut butter)and whole grain bread and teach them that eating healthy doesn't have to be so complicated!
Comment: Saturday, August 23, 2008 5:37:00 PM - said...
Mushroom burger and soy nuggets??? Are your kids from Mars?
Comment: Saturday, August 23, 2008 6:51:00 PM - said...
Pea soup, might be a hard sell on kids, but you can substitute tomato or chicken noodle, and use any organic or deli meat for that matter, we don't eat pork in my household so chicken and turkey is a best seller. Try choosing something single parents can afford, and is time and budget friendly.
Comment: Saturday, August 23, 2008 8:57:00 PM - said...
I haven't seen any pea soup that low in calories. And with 4 slices of meat, it's tough to believe that the lunch described is only 140 calories!
Comment: Saturday, August 23, 2008 9:38:00 PM - doglvrkrissy said...
Easy ladies!! Take their ideas and turn them into food choices that your children will like.
Comment: Saturday, August 23, 2008 11:32:00 PM - said...
I like these ideas... They may not be perfect for kids, but not a bad starting point. Maybe try chicken salad instead of shrimp salad, make apple "fries" instead of carrots. These are just suggestions!
Comment: Sunday, August 24, 2008 1:40:00 AM - said...
Why are we talking about putting our kids on diets?? Kids need healthy food to grow not to diet. And not too many kids I know would be impressed with those choices.
Comment: Sunday, August 24, 2008 8:16:00 AM - said...
Actually, the soy chicken nuggets are really good. They taste just like regular nuggets with a lot less fat. My very picky daughter loves them. My older daughter loves the Bocca chicken patties. All her friends are hooked on them too. Slice them up for a wrap or on a bun, they make a great, healthy meal.
Comment: Sunday, August 24, 2008 9:55:00 AM - said...
I laughed at each one of these suggestions, gee, I thought I was going to get some good ideas, my daughter doesn't like sandwiches!
Comment: Sunday, August 24, 2008 10:10:00 AM - said...
I must say....take it down a notch with the critical comments! This is a spring board for thinking outside the usual lunch box. This isn't about our kids dieting it is about teaching our kids how to eat in a way where they might never need to diet. A lot of the foods mentioned are tasty and affordable....Keep an open mind.
Comment: Sunday, August 24, 2008 5:39:00 PM - said...
I raised both my kids to be "adventurous" eaters -- both are boys. The fifteen year old is now a vegetarian and loves Bocca burgers, tofu, beans and veggies. Yesterday he told us that he had decided to stop drinking colas because they are not healthy. My other son who is now in college just called last night for my receipe for Red Lentil Lemon Soup. If you start them young, they will make healthy choices when they are older.
Comment: Sunday, August 24, 2008 11:27:00 PM - tcjnichols said...
Ya uh huh, kids do not even eat at all let alone anything like this! my kids drink choclate milk and thats about it, they even wont eat pizza or mac and cheese , so this totally would be out, and even I would never eat most of this especially when i was younger!Kids are picky so this is really weak to even write this!
Comment: Monday, August 25, 2008 12:48:00 AM - said...
Sorry. I don't know a single kid who would eat much of anything on this menu. For those of you who say to take this as a staring point and substitute things, I'd have to substitute mostly everything, which means I wouldn't actually be making the lunches listed here, now would I? Maybe someone who actually has children should write the next article on school lunches. Let me start: my son doesn't like "sandwiches" and he won't eat mayonaise or mustard so a couple things we make are in "roll-up" form. (I have to figure out how to keep it moist without using condiments.) His favorite is a turkey roll-up. I spread cream cheese on a whole wheat tortilla, spread some salsa over that, add turkey slices, lettuce, and low-fat shredded cheese. Roll it all up! It's really delicious-- I eat them, too. Or another very simple roll-up I make for him is with ham and cheese in a tortilla, but I roll a pickle wedge in the middle!
Comment: Monday, August 25, 2008 9:10:00 AM - said...
Notice that it also said they would be great lunch ideas for the office. As someone who has been working in an office for many years, I am sick of sandwiches and salads and don't want to go out to lunch every day. I happen to think these are some great ideas for workday lunches!
Comment: Monday, August 25, 2008 10:21:00 AM - said...
I like the wrap recipes suggested by the last "anonymous"...I agree, these Healthy Lunch "choices" are ridiculous for any family living in the "real world" and trying to feed our kids as healthfully as we can, bearing in mind we don't have a money tree in our backyard... it's hard enough to make lunches that your kids will like that are not full of CRAP (hello Lunchables..the BANE of kids lunches!!)
Let's try to make some more realistic suggestions next time...visit the Kraft Foods web site...they have some great "kid-pleasing" recipes that aren't ridiculous and are more balanced nutrition-wise...
I'm so sick of "healthy" choices that taste like rubber and cost a bloody fortune!!
Comment: Monday, August 25, 2008 11:01:00 AM - said...
I have teens who eat most things, including those listed (except pea soup), but they prefer those things hot, which they can't do at school. They just pack a sandwich on whole wheat bread, carrots or some type of vegetable sticks, and apple, grapes, or cherries. I think these are good ideas for quick dinners between school and band or sports practice, when heating is available. I would like some more ideas on sandwich variations.
Comment: Monday, August 25, 2008 11:37:00 AM - key said...
I think it's a really good idea to teach kids how to eat healthy so they might never have to diet. I would NEVER EVER give my children who I love more than anything in the world, the option of eating crap so although these suggestions aren't perhaps what I would have thought of, I'd deff. give one or two a try and I love hearing suggestions about ways to make packed lunches interesting. Big ups to the author! Good job man!
Comment: Monday, August 25, 2008 11:48:00 AM - said...
quit your complaining and go eat your pea soup and soy nuggets!
Comment: Monday, August 25, 2008 3:49:00 PM - said...
I've been a vegetarian for 16 years and even I laughed at these suggestions. We have a microwave at the office, but if I used it to reheat a pre-made mushroom burger pita thing I would be severely depressed for the rest of the day. The consistency of most veggie nuggets/burgers deteriorates in the micro - better leave those options for the oven at home. Or what about veggie meatballs with whole wheat pasta and sauce? Those do hold up in the microwave, taste great and aren't expensive either. Feels like the person who wrote this never tried to eat most of the suggestions - or maybe just doesn't like food (not to mention readers of this newsletter) in general?
Comment: Monday, August 25, 2008 4:22:00 PM - said...
Hey, here's an idea. If it doesn't sound good to you & you don't think your kids would like it--DON'T make it. As for me and mine, most of these things would work out fine. 2 of my 3 kids are adventurous eaters. One is picky, but our rule is, she doesn't have to eat everything I give her, but she is NOT allowed to complain about it.
Comment: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 9:53:00 AM - said...
I have been looking for new ideas to feed my 9 year old son. These ideas would not work very well. The only one he might try would be the ham wraps. An adult might eat this stuff but I don't know of any kids that would. By the way what is "Couscous" anyway?
Comment: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 11:26:00 AM - said...
you guys all sound like a bunch of uneducated red-necks
Comment: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 12:36:00 PM - said...
What is wrong with raw string beans? That is the way I prefer to eat them. Some of you need to introduce your kids and yourselves to more of the good food that are available. Take a stroll down the whole grain isle of your supermarket and you will find couscous, brown rice, lentels, all kinds of beans, bulgur and quinoa. All very tasty and good for you.
Comment: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 3:04:00 AM - Rachel said...
No offense, but did ANY of you people leaving comments even read the introduction? These ideas are NOT for kids. They're ideas for adults to take with them to the office INSTEAD of snacking off the same sorts of thing they send with their kids. Read the first two paragraphs. You've missed the point entirely.
Comment: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 7:11:00 AM - said...
oh get off your high horses and just buy school lunch. with the latest USDA guidelines for the national school lunch program, the meals have to meet stringent calorie and nutrient targets. just talk to your child's school lunch director and find out what they are doing to offer healthier choices in schools.
and join the local wellness committee in your schools.
Comment: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 8:30:00 AM - said...
I really don't understand why everyone is freaking out. So what, these meals are little out of the ordinary but introduce your kids to new "outta-the-box" ideas at a younger age and they will appreciate different foods later down the road. And putting your kids on a "diet" doesnt mean you want them to loose wieght you just want them to eat heathly
Comment: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 8:36:00 AM - said...
if your eating shrimp out of a can you sound like a redneck. i would gladly try these suggestions at home but i'm not preping that for me or my kids.
Comment: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 9:42:00 AM - said...
Umm...Rachel? YOU missed the point...read the very FIRST sentence of the article...it is for kids...not any kids I know but some uber-vegan granola type save the earth wear hemp clothing type kids...
Comment: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 10:06:00 AM - said...
Ok, so this is great for those of us who work and have access to a frig and microwave (maybe). I want to know ways to "mix up" my kids lunch boxes for school. They aren't allowed in the teacher's lounge so what can I pack them to keep lunch interesting when they see the kid next to them eating pizza?
Comment: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 1:26:00 PM - said...
Okay, I just wanted to say that although some of these suggestions would be odd choices for children. However, they are merely suggestions, not mandates. And the Anonymous person that is bold enough to insult people and call them "red-necks" needs to grow up. I am surrounded by red-necks and I have yet to see any of them sitting down to enjoy a nice shrimp salad. Get your stereotypes straight if you're going to go around insulting people.
I cannot say that I know many children who would eat some of those things, however, some children will. Teaching them the fundamentals of eating healthy is the ultimate goal considering the rise in obesity rate among children. If we are a little creative and lead by example I think we can reach this goal.
Comment: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 2:21:00 PM - Rachel said...
And again, I say, read the first TWO paragraphs. I admit it's not terribly clear writing, but do try to read the first two.
If you read the first, it does seem like they're talking about kids' lunches:
"Back to school and back to thinking up healthy lunch ideas to brown-bag for the little ones?"
However, read on (my emphasis in caps):
"If you've exhausted YOUR repertoire of less-than-diet-friendly standards, like creamy tuna salad or bologna and mayo on white, OR YOU FIND YOURSELF EATING THE LEFTOVERS FROM SOME OF THOSE CALORIE-CRAMMED SANDWICHES, get some better bites in YOUR healthy lunch bag -- or YOUR BRIEFCASE..."
The list is mostly for adults, not kids.
Comment: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 3:31:00 PM - said...
I think if you guys actually read the article, you'd notice that it wasn't just intended for kids. Although if you really think about it, by the year 2030, 86% of the entire country will be considered overweight or obese. Might not be a bad idea to introduce some healthy eating habits early!
Comment: Thursday, August 28, 2008 5:14:00 PM - said...
Ok, Some people call me a redneck! A southern gal driving a truck,I go barefoot, and WILL wade in the creek. But I am not uneducated, I love shrimp salad, (Preferable fresh from the coast) but not too good to eat canned shrimp. I will taste and encourage my children to taste new things-don't gotta love it-just try it. Sounds like a lot of people are close minded and maybe a little too lazy to offer new choices to their kids. Check out all new choices-introduce only one at a time. Have fun with it. However, if you verbally and visually show your distaste, you have already lost the battle--your kids ARE NOT going to like it!!!
Comment: Thursday, August 28, 2008 8:06:00 PM - said...
Wow. Way for you all to get defensive over the fact that you raised picky children. Awesome. Go ahead, judge the author of the article for trying to curb the childhood obesity that is quickly sweeping the nation. I'm almost positive this article in no way forced any of you to feed these to your kids these menu items, they were merely suggestions. I know plenty of children who eat most of the items on the list. These aren't "laughable" ideas and as for the person who said "maybe someone with children should write the next article", maybe the author has kids and maybe his kids lead healthier lives than yours. It's not his fault your kids won't eat so why are you judging him? Lay off.
Comment: Friday, August 29, 2008 7:32:00 AM - said...
Who thought of these lunches? Someome with NO KIDS! Most kids wouldn't eat that and Most Moms don't have that much extra time to make such elaborate lunches in the morning. But it did, at least trigger some new and better ideas for me to make with healthy foods I know they'll eat.
Comment: Friday, August 29, 2008 6:14:00 PM - said...
yeah RIGHT, like my kid would EVER eat that. why cant they come up with something kids like not wanna trow away.
Comment: Friday, August 29, 2008 8:53:00 PM - said...
Diets also fail because they're prone to failure. Add this word to your vocabulary to change your way of thinking: LIFESTYLE.
Comment: Sunday, August 31, 2008 1:55:00 PM - said...
Rachel said that these lunch ideas were not intended for kids, so I re-read the begining of the article as she suggested, and it starts with, "Back to school and back to thinking up healthy lunch ideas to brown-bag for the little ones?" So Rachel, how is this not intended for kids lunches?
Comment: Sunday, August 31, 2008 2:35:00 PM - said...
I'm tired of people saying that children who wouln't eat this stuff are picky eaters. My children are NOT picky eaters; they eat salads and all vegetables except mushrooms, peas, peppers and brussel sprouts --so the mushroom burgers are out, so is the pea soup. They eat meat and poultry they don't like the smell of seafood, so they wouldn't eat shrimp. There is alot of controversy over the health benifits and risks of eating soy products, so I wouldn't feed my children soy nuggets. I'm not against trying new food with my children at home, but at school, you can't see what they throw away. I make sure they like what I send with them so I know they are eating their lunches.
Comment: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 3:19:00 PM - said...
Children aren't fat these days because of what they're eating, it's because they sit around on their big, fat butts playing video games and watching TV. They no longer walk to shchool or the mall, parents chauffer their little porkers wherever they want to go. No one has the balls to tell their kids they can either eat what's made for them or starve. Let em miss a few meals and all the sudden healthy food will start looking really good!!
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