I am thrilled to have Kara guest posting again for me. She is a nutrition guru! She has guest posted for us before here. Today, she will be sharing some healthy kid lunches! Kara has some great ideas, and ones I'll definitely be trying for the girls. I love how she plates them. My kids are total snackers, so these lunches will work great for us!
Kara Swanson is a certified nutritionist, recipe developer, and meal plan creator over at Life Well Lived. Her passion is to show that eating clean + healthy is not only simple but also really delicious. Life is crazy and Kara loves making the food part a no-brainer by sharing quick + easy meals for those busy weeknights. No more boring chicken + broccoli. Come say hi + follow along on Instagram @karaswanson where Kara shares all her fave recipes + tips for living a healthier life.
If you’re kids are anything like mine...they’ll eat something for a hot minute then decide the next day they hate it. WHY?!
But kids nutrition is so important. It’s the reason I enjoy sharing how to add healthy foods into their diets {even for our pickiest eaters} so we can begin to encourage them to eat more whole foods.
I don’t have many food rules but I do have one “rule” for my girls: they must eat their veggies or it’s their next snack or meal until it’s gone. I don’t make them eat everything on their plate except their veggies. Veggies are my non negotiable. My 5-year old knows the drill by now and {usually} doesn’t put up a fuss. But my youngest is still trying to figure out if I’m serious or not. She’s learning though. 😉
It’s so important to begin teaching our children how to eat whole foods when they are young. It doesn’t just happen on it’s own – it needs to be intentional. Poor nutrition for children often leads to a life of dieting and other bad nutritional habits. That’s the last thing I want for the kids of this generation.
I’m on a mission to set my girls up for success now while they’re still young. To create healthy habits so when they are adults they aren’t on yo-yo diets or trying to find the next “best thing” to lose weight.
I’m teaching them one meal at a time that healthy is not only good for you but can be delicious too. To show them balance...where they crave veggies and a cookie. To get rid of the all-or-nothing mindset, food rules, and diets.
Mama, I know it’s hard. And I am far from perfect, so I don’t expect you to be either! It’s a journey and a process. Whether you’re feeding your kids nothing but fast food and Cheetos or an all organic mama or somewhere in between, just start somewhere.
Below I’m going to share with you some healthy kid lunches to pack for school or home. I hope it inspires new ideas and options for you to feed your kiddos.
Almond Milk Yogurt with berries + granola, hard boiled egg, snap peas, cucumbers, and a Larabar
Tortilla chips, grass-fed cheese, avocado, strawberries, cucumbers, carrots, and a piece of dark chocolate
Coconut flour veggie wrap + hummus + carrots + spinach + bell peppers, turkey sticks, orange, blueberries, and a {Simple Mills} cookie
Apple slices, hard boiled egg, date with peanut butter, Siete Lime tortilla chips, snap peas, and carrots
Almond flour wrap with nut butter + berries + granola, apple slices, snap peas, and hard-boiled egg
And if you’re looking for a meal plan that your whole family will love check out my 4-Week Meal Plan! It’s full of easy + simple + delicious recipes that are perfect for your picky little eaters too. And it comes with weekly grocery lists so grocery shopping is a breeze. You can grab the meal plan here.
Thank you for sharing, Kara! What are your go to meals for your kids and toddlers? Hope you have a great weekend!
