ML Interest Tag: lunchbox-ideas

The 5 Golden Rules of a Healthy School Lunch

By Alexandra Gabalda

#NationalNutritionMonth is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate all the mums and dads who pack lunches every day for their kids despite their busy schedules! Because we want to help you make lunch packing a better experience, we asked Cecile Cottus, a Registered Dietitian in France, to share some of her tips to make things easier for you on a daily basis. Cecile is bringing us her expertise after years of validating menus for schools in Paris.

Why Lunch Is So Important for School-Aged Kids
Did you know that lunch is actually the real most important meal of the day for a school-aged kid? Breakfast sets us up with energy for the day ahead, after the body has had time to recover during the night. But when it comes to filling up the body and power our kids through their intense school day, lunch definitely holds the place of the most important meal of the day.

In other words, if you are packing lunch for your kid, make time to pack a healthy lunch and take this as an opportunity to provide your kids with all the resources they need to stay active, grow healthfully, and learn successfully throughout the day.

How to Make It Easy, Tasty… but Healthy?
Lunch packing doesn’t have to be complicated. There are small food choices that you can make to simplify lunch packing while covering your kids’ nutritional needs and helping them to develop healthy eating habits.

Here are simple food habits that will help you cover your kids’ nutritional needs while making your lunch packing routine simple:

1.  Fuel their body: Mix grains and veggies

2.  Help them grow: Choose 1 low sugar dairy

3.  Make them chew: Choose 1 raw fruit or veggie

4.  Build them: Choose 1 protein a day is enough

5.  Pleasure: Treats are ok, but not every day

More Tips:

  • Grains: Choose whole grain if possible.
  • Dairy: Less than 10 grams of sugars per serving is ideal.
  • Proteins: Fish fingers and “charcuterie” (deli meat) are not recommended: Choose non-fat proteins like poultry, 5% fat proteins.
  • Treats: Don’t mix bad fat treat with a sweet treat.
  • Check out more of Cecile’s Lunchbox Ideas on Teuko.com

Free Resources to Get Started with Healthy Lunch Packing
1. Check out this free printable: 5 Basics you need to know before you get started with lunch packing. GET IT NOW
2. Get inspired: Visit Teuko.com and see what other kids actually eat. VISIT TEUKO

This post originally appeared on Teuko Blog.

Teuko is the first platform that empowers families to simplify lunch packing. Using Teuko, they can find and share kid-approved lunchbox ideas, recipes, and tips, all in one place. Teuko is transforming the lunch packing experience by boosting inspiration and motivation week after week. 

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7 Kid-Friendly Vegetables & Herbs to Grow at Home

By Alexandra Gabalda

How can we encourage our children to be more adventurous with vegetables while celebrating the Earth? How about growing our own salads and veggies?

But do kids like greens and salads? Yes, they do! Find out how much they like by exploring all the kid-approved lunchbox ideas on teuko.com that include greens and salads.

If you are ready to introduce more home-grown produce into your child’s meal plan, here are 7 kid-friendly vegetables and herbs to grow!

1. Lettuce
Because it is far superior, in taste and also in vitamins, to the store-bought alternative, we love planting lettuce. It is one of our favorite garden greens! You can plant lettuce in the spring, starting two weeks before frost. If you plant lettuce in the fall, you should start sowing again eight weeks before the fall frost. Then, you can harvest lettuce when full size, but just before maturity. The leaves, indeed, taste better when they’re still young and tender – and the kids will love it!

2. Spinach
Spinach can replace lettuce in salads. We love it because it brings more iron, calcium, and vitamins than most cultivated greens, and one of the best sources of vitamins A, B, and C. Though it cannot grow in midsummer, spinach can be planted in very early spring, as well as in fall and even winter in some areas!

3. Cucumbers
With their refreshing crunchiness, cucumbers are easy-care vegetables as they grow quickly as long as they receive consistent watering and warmth! Did you know that you can get cucumbers year-round? Yes, indeed, by making successive plantings (every two weeks for continued harvests, as long as you have warm soil), cucumbers will grow quickly and ripen in about six weeks!

Oh! And don’t let cucumbers get too large before you pick them, or they will taste bitter and that would not be a big win for the kiddos’ lunch!

4. Cherry Tomatoes
Now let’s ditch the greens and have touches of red in the garden and in the lunchbox! Cherry tomatoes can be planted outdoors in late spring and in early summer. The exact days to harvest has an average of 60 days, and as long as they’re not stolen by wildlife (raccoons stole all the cherry tomatoes planted by the Teuko Kids last summer!), you will enjoy the savor immensely!

5. Radishes  
Other plants very easy to grow are radishes. These root vegetables are crunchy and fresh and bring a lovely pink color to the salad! Radishes can be planted several times in spring and in fall, and they can be harvested as soon as three weeks after planting!

6. Cilantro
What about adding additional flavor to the salad? Aromatic herbs like cilantro will definitely help. Though the leaves and seeds are used most often, did you know that cilantro is entirely edible? Cilantro is a fast-growing plant that grows best in the cooler weather of spring and fall. Try it in salads and in soups.

7. Basil
The other aromatic herb we want to highlight and that is easy to grow is basil. Like cilantro, basil brings an extra delightful touch in salads and in soups. Pair basil with tomatoes, olive oil, and sea salt (fleur de sel is the ultimate gourmet touch), and voilà! a delicious salad the whole family will enjoy. Basil needs a warm-weather environment, with sunlight, but it can perform well in partial sun too!

Wait! What if I don’t have any outdoor space?

Don’t worry! Solutions exist to grow veggies easily at home! Here are our top 3 picks:

1. The least expensive solution is a portable mini greenhouse.

2. An hydroponic system‘s indoor garden germination kit is designed with a water circulation system, increasing the oxygen in the water. Plants are growing in the nutrient water faster than soil.

3. Named the best invention by TIME Magazine, Gardyn is like a farmers market for your home! You can enjoy up to 30 fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs all growing at once!

Where can I get seeds to start growing my own veggies and herbs?

Our friends at Bank On Seeds, a small employee-owned and operated company that wants to help people grow their own food regardless of experience or available space, offer a Salad Pack Mini—a seed selection packed with popular salad bases and toppings. It is curated for indoor and small space growers. These plants are just as happy in a window box as they are filling out an outdoor garden bed.

 

This post originally appeared on Teuko Blog.

Teuko is the first platform that empowers families to simplify lunch packing. Using Teuko, they can find and share kid-approved lunchbox ideas, recipes, and tips, all in one place. Teuko is transforming the lunch packing experience by boosting inspiration and motivation week after week. 

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Give Your Kid’s Immunity a Boost with These Easy-to-Eat Foods

By Alexandra Gabalda

Since a child’s gut and immune system is always adapting we can help our children to develop a healthy response to viruses and other infections that they encounter. We asked the expert, Glaudia Galate, Functional Nutritionist, and busy mom who believes healthy eating should be simple and enjoyable. See what sources of food she recommends to support our kids’ immune systems. Enjoy also lunchbox ideas we curated from the community to help you get started!

Sources of Food to Support the Immune System

Most micronutrients including vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, and fatty acids, have a role to play in building a healthy immune response and this is why a varied diet bursting with lots of fresh fruits, veggies, salads, herbs, spices, pulses, nuts, seeds, poultry, meat, and fish really do count.

Whatever the food you get, you want to make sure that they are loaded with Vitamin D, C and Zinc, and Selenium this season.

Vitamin D: Because your kids may have spent more time inside than normal, even during the summer. Vitamine D is modulating immune cells in the body, bone health, cell growth, and more.

The best sources of vitamin D: 5-30 minutes of sun exposure at least twice per week (over 100 percent of daily value), Cod Liver Oil, fish like wild-caught salmon, Mackerel, tuna, sardine, beef liver, egg. Pro Tip: Go for a daily walk and play outside for at least 20 minutes to maximize your vitamin D intake.

Vitamin C: Helps both with wound healing and fights infections effectively.

The best sources of vitamin C: Black currants, kiwi, bell peppers, leafy greens like kale, spinach, broccoli, parsley. Berries (all types, including strawberries, camu, acai, etc.). Pro Tip: Squeezing lemon or lime juice onto foods will also give you a bit of vitamin C.

Zinc: Helps the kids’ learning, growth, and immunity. Interestingly zinc is also important for a healthy sense of smell and taste and we often find that the “fussy eaters” are low in zinc and when you boost this up they are more interested in trying a wider variety of foods, and their appetite improves. Most zinc comes from animal products.

The best sources of zinc: Beef, fish, oysters, crab, beans, lentils, pumpkins seeds, cashews, egg. Pro Tip: You can maximize your kid’s zinc intake (around 5 mg per day) via a whole beef burger or through a few meatballs. A half a can of baked beans is around 3 mg.

Selenium: Benefits immunity because it is needed for the proper functioning of the immune system and can also be a key nutrient in counteracting the development of viruses. It’s also a powerful antioxidant.

The best sources of selenium: Brazil nuts, eggs, liver, tuna, cod, and sunflower seeds. Pro Tip: A single Brazil nut will provide more than enough selenium for kids per day.

If you want more ideas and tips to boost your immune system don’t hesitate in contacting Glaudia. Also, always ask a physician or health care provider before giving any supplements.

How to Boost Your Kid’s Immune System through Food

Start with simple food ideas that kids will respond to like pomegranate seeds, plums, nectarines, yellow or orange peppers, or purple carrots, and sweet potatoes. Try to introduce your child to one new food ingredient every week at home – pop something a bit novel and exciting in your shopping trolley and they might surprise you and like it. If they don’t like a food straight away, then don’t fret as you can try again another day or serve it in another way.

You can also visit Teuko.com and discover daily lunchbox ideas from other parents, who, like you, want to add new foods and new textures to their kid’s lunches. You can explore various food combinations by searching for the ingredients you like on Teuko.com.

Photo: Tetiana Bykovets on Unsplash

This post originally appeared on Teuko Blog.

Teuko is the first platform that empowers families to simplify lunch packing. Using Teuko, they can find and share kid-approved lunchbox ideas, recipes, and tips, all in one place. Teuko is transforming the lunch packing experience by boosting inspiration and motivation week after week. 

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Are Your Kids Getting Enough Nutrients?

By Alexandra Gabalda

As we all focus every day on what food our kids will be likely to eat, do we really know what they actually need in their lunches to grow healthy and happy? We gathered for you some valuable tips with the help of Claire Bladier, a professional in nutrition research who collaborated with experts from the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES). Whether you’re a beginner or an expert in packing nutritious lunches, here are some ideas to take your lunchbox to the next nutritious level.

Why do we need to watch our kid’s nutritional intake?
Filling our kids and teenagers with the nutrients they need helps them grow and prevents health issues when adults. It is also during childhood that certain behaviors and habits are acquired, which will be maintained throughout the individual’s life.

ANSES’s experts identified inadequate nutrient intakes for children regarding certain nutrients such as calcium and iron.

Around 57% of boys 13-15 years old and 80% of girls 16-17 years old are at risk of calcium deficiency
Around 25% of girls 13-17 years old are at risk of iron deficiency.

(Source: ANSES, June 2019)

These two nutrients are essential to help our kids grow healthy. Below are growth-supporting foods to favor in the lunchbox starting today!

How to Get More Calcium
Calcium is important for strong bones, as well as for the healthy functioning of nerves, muscles, and heart. Growing children need about 3 servings of calcium every day.

Where to find calcium? Milk and dairy products like yogurts and cheeses are first in line to provide your kids with their daily intake. Think of other dietary sources of calcium for children who consume few dairy products: leafy vegetables (spinach, cabbage, lettuce…), pulses (beans, peas, lentils…), seeds (fennel, sesame, chia…), and certain mineral waters.

(visual on calcium deficiency numbers)

Food Tip: Foods rich in vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium, such as fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, and herring), liver, eggs, vegetable fat like margarine).

How to Get More Iron
Iron helps move oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body and helps muscles store and use oxygen. To keep your child’s growth and development on track, offer iron-rich foods at meals and snacks.

Where to find iron? Favor meat, fish, or eggs to provide daily intakes. Other sources of iron are wholegrain bread, pulses, nuts, and dried fruits.

(visual on iron deficiency numbers)

Food Tip: Foods rich in vitamin C such as blackcurrant, strawberries, oranges, pineapples, grapefruits, pepper, can help absorb more iron.

Keep an Eye on Sugar Consumption
ANSES warns about excess sugar intakes, in particular for younger children. The experts identified two priority levers to reduce these excess sugar intakes: sugar-sweetened beverages (cold non-alcoholic beverages and fruit juice) and pastries/biscuits/cakes. Frequently offered as afternoon snacks, these items can be replaced with foods lower in sugar such as plain dairy products, fresh fruits, nuts, and water.

Ready to take your lunchbox to the next level? Find lunchbox ideas that will help you maximize your kids’ intakes in growth-supporting foods by searching Teuko today!

Photo: Hal Gatewood via Unsplash

This post originally appeared on Teuko Blog.

Teuko is the first platform that empowers families to simplify lunch packing. Using Teuko, they can find and share kid-approved lunchbox ideas, recipes, and tips, all in one place. Teuko is transforming the lunch packing experience by boosting inspiration and motivation week after week. 

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How to Use & Send Avocado in Your Child’s Lunchbox

By Alexandra Gabalda

Even if most kids love avocado, they often leave it untouched in the lunchbox because they didn’t like the first signs of browning. Just like with apples, bananas, and potatoes, avocados turn brown when it’s exposed to oxygen in the air. It’s still safe to eat, but the less browning there is, the better visually, especially if you want to get your child to eat it. Check out easy ways to incorporate avocados into your lunches and how to prevent them from browning below!

Healthy, Easy-to-Pack Lunchbox Ideas with Avocados That Your Kids Will Love
Besides being delicious, avocados are a rich source of vitamins and minerals. Welcome vitamin E, potassium, fibers, healthy fats, anti-inflammatory components. The cherry on the cake, they are popular among young kids, including toddlers, if we judge by the frequency we see them in the kid-approved lunch ideas on Teuko.com. Check out these popular and delicious ways to pack avocado in the kids’ lunch.

1. Half Avocado with or without the Pit
Just add a spoon in the lunchbox, and your avocado is ready to eat, even for little hands. Find lunch ideas with half avocados on Teuko.com.

2. Guacamole or Simply Smashed Avocado
With guacamole in the lunchbox, you send party food for lunch. Use it as a dip with veggies or crackers, and you’ll have here one of the fastest lunch ideas to assemble. Avocado toasts are also a perfect alternative either for lunch, breakfast, or even snack time. Just spread it on the bread of your choice. Find lunch ideas with guacamole on Teuko.com.

3. Avocado Sandwich
Avocado is a great alternative to mayonnaise for every sandwich idea. Don’t have a favorite yet? Start with the simple but delicious avocado/cream cheese sandwich. you can also easily use it in a wrap and make beautiful pinwheels your kid won’t resist. Find lunch ideas with avocado sandwiches on Teuko.com.

4. Cut Avocado Diced or Sliced
Not sure if your child would eat avocado for lunch? Start with dice or slices on top of their favorite salad or main meal. Find lunch ideas with avocado dice or slices on Teuko.com.

5 Popular and Kid-Approved Tricks from Experienced Lunchbox Moms & Dads
How to stop the browning before it even starts? The goal is to protect the flesh of the avocado from oxygen exposure as much as possible.

1. Use Avocado Oil
Rub or spray avocado oil on the exposed flesh, then store the avocado in an airtight container in your refrigerator. You can also use coconut oil or squeeze lemon juice if the taste doesn’t bother your child.

2. Use Frozen Pre-cut Avocado
Many recommend the frozen products found at Costco or Whole Foods.

3. Try Wrapping It Up
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, foil, or any disposable wrapping paper you have at home. You can find disposable or eco-friendly alternatives to regular plastic like the Beeswax Food Wrap Rolls or Compostable Cling Wrap to keep your food fresh naturally and reduce waste!

4. Use an Avocado Saver
Amazon has plenty of options. Here are 3 products that we liked: Evriholder Avo Saver, Avocado Keeper by Vantige, Joie Fresh Stretch Pod.

5. Use a Food Preserver
As an example, Ball Fruit-Fresh Product Protector prevents browning and protects the flavor of fresh-cut produce. Parents say that it works like a charm on avocados—it’s worth a try!

We love these tricks because they are easy and they don’t alter much the flavor nor the aspect of the avocado in the lunchbox, which always helps in getting a child to eat his lunch!

If you are not 100% confident in the preparation you made, you can always use one last trick when packing the lunchbox in the morning. Some parents admitted that using sesame seeds on top of the avocado was efficient enough to “mask” any first sign of browning in the lunchbox. In any case, always make sure the avocado stays in a tightly closed container to prevent air from getting in.

Do you pack lunch? If so, don’t miss out on the opportunity to showcase your lunchbox ideas on Teuko.com! Upload your photos today: you’ll build a useful record while inspiring other parents who pack school lunches like you.

RELATED STORIES:
How to Win the Battle Against Picky Eaters
How Simple Meal Planning Saved our Meals & My Sanity

Photo: Brenda Godinez on Unsplash

This post originally appeared on Teuko Blog.

Teuko is the first platform that empowers families to simplify lunch packing. Using Teuko, they can find and share kid-approved lunchbox ideas, recipes, and tips, all in one place. Teuko is transforming the lunch packing experience by boosting inspiration and motivation week after week. 

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Let Lucky Foods Inspire Your Meals this Year!

By Alexandra Gabalda

While we all need inspiration and motivation to go back in the kitchen and prepare our kids’ first lunches of the year, why not pick inspiration among these foods that are supposed to bring them good luck in the New Year? Get ready to update your grocery list!

Lentils. 
Italians eat lentils on New Year’s for wealth and prosperity because the flat legumes were believed to resemble Roman coins. Lunchbox ideas with lentils

Soba Noodles
In Japan, they signify a long life, but only if you eat them without breaking or chewing them. Lunchbox ideas with noodles

Black-Eyed Peas, Greens & Cornbread
“Peas for pennies, greens for dollars, and cornbread for gold.” In America, back to the Civil War era, black-eyed peas were used to feed grazing cattle. Leafy greens resemble folded paper money symbolizing wealth and prosperity. Lunchbox ideas with corn and lunchbox ideas with peas.

Pork 
Its rich, delicious fattiness symbolizes wealth and prosperity. Pigs are also “root forward” with their noses, which is supposed to symbolize progress. Lunchbox ideas with pork

Fish
Asian cultures feast on whole fish to celebrate Lunar New year, while on the other side of the globe, Europeans eat cod, herring, and carp. They do stand for coinage and plenty of it. Lunchbox ideas with cod

Grapes
In Spain and Mexico, eating 12 grapes at midnight as the clock strikes once for each hour will bring you luck for the 12 months ahead. Lunchbox ideas with grapes

We can’t wait to see what you will prepare out of this food inspiration!

Photo: Suad Kamardeen on Unsplash

This post originally appeared on Teuko Blog.

Teuko is the first platform that empowers families to simplify lunch packing. Using Teuko, they can find and share kid-approved lunchbox ideas, recipes, and tips, all in one place. Teuko is transforming the lunch packing experience by boosting inspiration and motivation week after week. 

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Fun Foodie Ways to Celebrate the Chinese New Year

By Alexandra Gabalda

Welcome 2021, with the Chinese New Year celebrating the Year of the Ox! May this year be more auspicious! For celebrating in a joyful way each day at lunchtime, discover below our Chinese New Year bento lunchbox ideas!

1. Bye Lunchbox Note, Hi Fortune Card! As the celebrations last up to 16 days (Chinese New Year, with Spring Festival, officially begins on February 12th, 2021, and ends on February 22nd, then you have the Lantern Festival held on February 26th), insert one fortune card each day in the lunch bag!

2. Fortune Cookies​ With fun and positive messages inside, these fresh and tasty fortune cookies will make lunch yummy and fun for sure! Definitely what we need these days!

3. Cute Chinese Red Envelopes Chinese Hong Bao, the red envelopes, are believed to bring good luck to the person who receives them. They are traditionally filled with money, but you could slip in a fortune card or chocolate gold coins for a lucky bento lunchbox! With the year of the Ox, let the auspicious care for you, let happiness smile forever! 72 Traditional and Fun Chinese New Year Red Envelopes, $12.99, Amazon 72 Elegant and Meaningful Chinese New Year Red Envelopes, $11.99, Amazon 12 Cute Kid-Friendly Chinese New Year Red Envelopes, $10.99, Amazon

4. Lunar New Year Chocolate Coins​ These good luck red and good fortune gold foiled Belgian chocolate Coins are perfect to place in the lunchbox!

5. Year of the Ox Sticker Favors Not a fan of the chocolate coins? You can take the candies you like and place these Year of the Ox stickers on them. Or place two stickers at the top of a wooden toothpick and you get cool Chinese New Year food picks! That will do the trick to bring Chinese New Year vibes in the bento lunchbox!

6. Eco-Friendly Moo-rrific Water Bottle Hydration should be a good resolution everyone should take for 2021! This water bottle is just fantastic for celebrating the Year of the Ox, with water, juice, or… milk!

7. Moo-tastic Lunch Bags May these lovely lunch bags bring your peaceful, happy, yummy lunchtime all this year! We selected four designs we liked best (and it seems we’re not the only ones finding these lunch bags cute – they disappear fast!). Which one would you choose? Dabbawalla Kids’ Lunch Bag, $20, Amazon Lunch Bag Cow Print, $14.49, Amazon Cows & Flowers Lunch Bag, $17.98, Amazon Cute Cows Lunch Bag, $22.98, Amazon

8. Chinese New Year Lunchbox Ideas Discover Chinese New Year lunchbox ideas and more on Teuko.com! See the ingredients that the families of our lunchbox community used and recreate easily these yummy bento lunch box ideas! Bentovivlov’s lunchbox idea BentoBette’s fun lunch.

So, how do you plan to celebrate the Chinese New Year? Any other food idea, accessory, or tip you would like to share? Add them in the comments!

This post originally appeared on Teuko Blog.

Teuko is the first platform that empowers families to simplify lunch packing. Using Teuko, they can find and share kid-approved lunchbox ideas, recipes, and tips, all in one place. Teuko is transforming the lunch packing experience by boosting inspiration and motivation week after week. 

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Adorable Lunch Ideas for Halloween

by Mom.me

Get spooky all week long with these adorable lunch ideas from our friends at mom.me. Flip through the gallery for the spooktacular ideas.

Spooky Spaghetti

This PlanetBox lunch box holds spaghetti and meatballs that have been transformed into a bat with toast "wings." What child wouldn't eat their veggies if they were shaped like these adorable pumpkins?

Image via Georgina V.G.

“Like” this story if you think these lunchbox ideas are spooktacular!

— Olivia Van Iderstine

Read More From Mom.me:

25 Birthday Cake Ideas for Girls

Hilarious Kid Photobombs

mom.me is for moms who love being women, and women who love being moms. We focus on all facets of a mom’s life. From parenting and relationships to style and home to mind and body, the site serves the whole woman. By providing a platform for dialogue on issues that mean the most to us, mom.me connects women to each other and the world around them.

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