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STACY’S SWAPS:

Thinking Outside The Lunch Box

LUNCHTIME
The 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kid
Act helped transform school meals
and snacks with the most recent
Dietary Guidelines for Americans. When
packing lunch for your child, include
lean proteins, brightly colored fruits and
veggies, whole grains, healthy fats and
calcium-rich dairy products (or non-dairy
alternatives).
• Instead of your standard PB&J, try
it on a stick! Cut your sandwich into
squares and place onto skewers
with pieces of fruit in between. For a
peanut-free alternative, try Don’t Go
Nuts Soy Nut Butters with sprouted
grain bread. Alternatively, try a PB&J
burrito with raisins or unsweetened
dried cranberries. To amp up the
protein and fiber, look for tortillas
infused with added protein and fiber,
such as La Tortilla Factory.
• Lunchables are a classic favorite for
kids but often filled with sugar and fat.
Make your own nacho or taco bento
boxes and swap out your traditional
tortilla chip for Beanfields chips. This
provides more protein and fiber in
the diet for sustained energy. Include
beans, olives, guacamole, shredded
cheese and diced veggies for an
awesome home-made lunchable.
• Mix it up with monochromatic
lunches and let your child decide
which color and foods he desires.
For example, if choosing the color
green, you can offer cucumbers and
broccoli dipped in avocado, fresh or
dry roasted edamame and grapes or
kiwi for dessert.

SNACKTIME
• Skip the sugary fruit snacks and opt for

Brothers All Natural Fruit Crisps. Make
fruit fun, crunchy and healthy with
interesting flavors such as pear and
apple cinnamon. Mix with nuts, seeds
or cereals for a fast and easy trail mix.
• Boost protein and cut carbs by
experimenting with jerky from a
variety of different sources (Simply
Snackin, Field Trip and Sunburst Trout
Jerky are favorites) and flavor profiles.
Try turkey, salmon, trout, grass-fed
beef and venison jerky in flavors such
as black bean and mango, teriyaki,
sesame, apple and more.

WHERE TO FIND?
• For a nutrient-dense treat, try a
s’more sandwich using a gluten-
free supergrain-filled Kind Healthy
Grains Bar cut in half in place of
graham crackers, Don’t Go Nuts
chocolate spread (think peanut-
free, low-sugar Nutella) or high-
protein Nakee butter and all-natural
marshmallows from Trader Joe’s.
• Need a gluten-free option? Try cereal-
dipped bananas! Crush up a low-
sugar, high-protein cereal such as
Kind Protein Dark Chocolate Granola or
Kay’s Naturals, roll the banana first in
peanut, almond or soy-nut butter, then
immerse it in cereal for a nutritious
snack. You can even freeze these for
an end-of-summer treat.
• Swap traditional cut-up fruit for a fruit
cone. Use an organic ice-cream cone
such as Let’s Do Organic Sugar cones
and fill with your fresh fruit to keep it
lively for kids. You could also make a
waffle cone sundae using Nutritional
Choices Waffle Bites and top them off
with vanilla Greek yogurt, fresh berries
and a few dark-chocolate chips.

Note: Many of the snacks suggested in this article are available at savorfull.com.

38

August 17 • 2017

jn

A

s I walked through the aisles
PACK THE NIGHT BEFORE
of Target getting my sunscreen
Before heading to bed, put the finishing
last month, I caught a glimpse
touches on your lunch to eliminate stress
of backpacks and binders being set up
the next morning. Pack any foods that
for back-to-school. My mind immedi-
weren’t pre-prepped earlier in the week,
ately started thinking about lunches,
such as crackers, dips and dressings.
snacks and fueling my kids for
their extra-curricular activities.
CREATE A LUNCH-
As parents well know, getting
PACKING STATION
ready for work and school in
For hectic mornings, keep grab-
the morning can be incredibly
and-go lunch options within
stressful. Rushing the process
reach to ensure no one misses the
may lead to making unhealthy,
bus. Stock an area of your fridge
unsatisfying choices at break-
with pre-cut and washed fruits
fast, lunch and in-between. A
and veggies that can be added
Stacy Goldberg
poorly packed lunch not only
to lunch bags in a time crunch.
Columnist
slows down productivity in the
When rushing out the door, toss
afternoon but contributes to
Greek yogurt, string cheese, indi-
weight gain.
vidually portioned guacamole or
According to the CDC, the
hummus into your kids’ bags for
percentage of children with obesity in
a nutritious boost.
the United States has more than tripled
since the 1970s. Today, about one in
SMART STORAGE
five school aged-children (ages 6-19)
Tupperware with multiple compartments
has obesity. Putting together a balanced makes lunch-packing easier. This helps
midday meal may be a dreaded task in
with portion control and allows organiza-
your home, but packing a lunch need
tion for all your food groups. When shop-
not feel like a chore this school year.
ping for containers to store your foods,
look for products labeled BPA-free. BPA is
PLAN AHEAD
an industrial chemical used to make poly-
Dedicate a fraction of your Sunday to
carbonate, a hard, clear plastic, which is
lunch-packing prep. Prepare soups, sal-
used in many consumer products. Several
ads or leftovers into BPA-free reusable
studies have proven that health risks are
containers for easy additions to lunch
created due to this chemical seeping into
bags during the week. Cook quinoa
food over time. •
or brown rice ahead of time and have
Stacy Goldberg is a nationally recognized nutritional
whole grains on hand. If you can’t find
consultant, registered nurse and the CEO of
time to prep a full week of meals, plan
Savorfull (savorfull.com), a Detroit-based company
a weekly family menu to eliminate time
that sources healthy, allergen-friendly foods and
spent scouring the fridge for lunch
provides nutrition-consulting. Savorfull is part of
foods.
the Quicken Loans Family of Companies.

NO INFORMATION PROVIDED THROUGH STACY GOLDBERG/SAVORFULL IS INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS SPEAK WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN OR OTHER HEALTHCARE
PROFESSIONAL BEFORE TAKING ANY MEDICATION OR NUTRITIONAL, HERBAL OR HOMEOPATHIC SUPPLEMENT, OR ADOPTING ANY TREATMENT OR IMPLEMENTING NUTRITIONAL ADVICE FOR A HEALTH PROBLEM.

Healthy
Hacks
For Back-
To- School