Here's more back-to-school help for parents like me who are now wondering: "Ack! What do I pack for my kids' lunches?" And, while I'm at it: "What the heck should I pack for my son's nut-free, non-perishable, no-sugar (all school policy) afternoon snack?"
Here, to the rescue, is ParentsCanada.com's new Family Nutrition Expert, Lianne Phillipson-Webb. (I know this is a very long post but Lianne provided so much valuable insight and info that I was light on the editing.)
Q: With concerns over various meats being recalled and the no-nut policy in so many daycares and schools across Canada, please suggest nutritious options for kids' lunches and snacks (to be packed and brought out of the home).
A: Lunches can be full of great foods, nutrients and taste! It’s not always easy to keep the creative juices flowing when making lunch. Ensure that you are offering both carbohydrates and protein in your child’s packed lunch. You might get teacher’s positive comments on school work, behaviour and attention span when you get that balance right. Here’s some help on how make that happen…
- Soup: Include a variety of vegetables like butternut squash, sweet potato, celery, onions, garlic and sneaky ones such as kale, chard, spinach, and broccoli. Combined with lentils, barley or rice, you are giving both protein and carbohydrate here. Use homemade stock if you have any and coconut milk for great flavour and some fat that will keep them going even longer. Fill up a stainless steel thermos, add some crackers and presto!
- Wraps: Wraps are a great alternative to a sandwich. Look around for wraps make of kamut, spelt or corn for a great change to white flour wraps. Fill with grated cheese, sliced chicken or turkey from last night’s dinner, salmon or tuna or falafel and always add some greens. Finely tear up spinach, arugula or try sunflower sprouts. Top with some hemp salad dressing and you have a yummy and nutrient packed lunch.
- Leftovers: When shopping for dinner, buy a larger piece of fish or chicken than you will eat for dinner. Make some purple potatoes and green beans, again more than you need for dinner, and, presto: an instant lunch for the next day. If you do buy fish and potatoes, you can mash up the leftovers and make into fish cakes, coat with sesame seeds and you have another filling lunch.
- Bean burgers: Make up batches of bean or veggie burgers and put into the freezer. They are quick to take out of the freezer, offer some mayonnaise or hummus to dip them into and combine with carrot sticks and cucumber slices.
- Homemade pizza: There are lots of pizza bases that you can buy in stores. Look out for multigrain-rice flour bases by Organic Oven, or kamut and spelt found in most health food stores. Use a basil pesto for the base as a tasty change to tomato sauce. Pile it high with finely chopped vegetables, leftover chicken pieces. And try goat’s mozzarella for a change to dairy and you will have them asking for more. You can also make up two pizzas and freeze for another day.
So, think outside the sandwich. Although it’s an easy option, there are many more foods out there to feed your budding Einstein with the fuel to keep them going.
Q: If a child insists on having (or a parent would like to give) a special treat, what's the best "off the shelf" scenario: Cookies? Cake? Pie? Ice cream?
A: If you want to offer something as a ‘treat’ to your child, I might suggest making them aware that the type of treat that they want is not the most nutritious and if a cookie is what they are after, then a piece of fruit is what goes along with it. With that said, if you are going to give cookies, try to find some that are not filled with sugar, white flour and shortening. Checking the ingredients of whatever you offer, cake, ice cream or pie is really important. The fewer ingredients on the list, the better and the further away that sugar is from the beginning, the less it contains.
Q: What's your suggestion for the best post-3 pm snack for school-aged kids?
A: Fruit is always important to include in any snack. Offer it at any opportunity. At the end of the school day your child may a bit tired, they will get a boost from the fruit’s natural sweetness. Always try to combine some protein with fruit such as cottage cheese, nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Dried fruit will give them a faster energy boost and offer great nutrients such as iron too! Remember the super foods such as Goji berries, dried mulberries and golden berries. They not only offer amazing nutrients, but really fill you up and give a burst of energy.
This is also a great time to offer those foods that they can’t take to school such as almond butter. Try smoothing it into celery sticks, or spread on a healthy carrot muffin, or even mixed into a smoothie including a banana and milk (also a great place to sneak in some spinach or sunflower sprouts and even a bit of protein powder!). Apple slices smothered in almond butter or just on some banana slices always goes down well too. A more savoury snack is a brown rice cake or cracker, or better yet carrot sticks with a protein rich dip like hummus.
Q: If a child is coming down with a cold or cough, is there a great food or drink he can take to ward off illness?
A: Garlic is the number one immune boosting food there is. It kills bacteria and viruses. Add garlic to cooking, raw to dips such as hummus, or using a garlic press; add some into a tea of lemon juice and honey. Vitamin C rich foods are always essential to boost the immune system. Eat any of the following ; green and red peppers, avocados, banana, kiwi, kale, collards, parsley, broccoli, tomatoes, mango, cantaloupe, strawberries, and citrus fruits.
Post a comment here or email me @ lisah AT parentscanada.com if you've got questions for Lianne or suggestions for your own healthy, happy snacks and meals. I'd love to hear 'em. Tomorrow I will have a blog post catering to the parent-to-be and the new parent on enviromentally-friendly diapers and wipes.
2) Start a new tradition of giving out small toys to your trick-or-treaters. 
