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Transform Your Brown Bag Lunches into Nutritious Delights
Say goodbye to the mundane routine of everyday brown bag lunches. With some creativity and nutritious ingredients, you can elevate your lunchtime experience for both yourself and your kids, offering healthier alternatives that break the monotony.
It’s a well-known fact that sandwiches filled with deli meats dominate most brown bag lunches. According to a study by ACNielsen, 85% of U.S. households purchase lunch meats regularly. However, with innovative options available in the market today, it’s easier than ever to spice up these traditional meals.
Here are some refreshing ideas from Jackie Newgent, RD, CDN, to revitalize your brown bag lunches:
Explore Bread Alternatives
Experiment with different types of bread throughout the week for your sandwiches. Consider using flour tortillas, French baguettes, flatbreads or sesame seed buns as exciting substitutes. You can also skip bread altogether by making lettuce wraps or creating meat and cheese kebabs on toothpicks or small bamboo skewers.
Get Creative with Sides
Enhance your meal’s appeal by packing inventive fruit and vegetable sides. Create “ants on a log” by adding peanut or almond butter and raisins to celery sticks. Mix up an enticing fruit salad featuring three or more vibrant fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi for a colorful treat. Alternatively, prepare a tri-color pasta salad using green spinach pasta alongside red tomato-flavored pasta.
Choose Natural Ingredients
Opt for healthier alternatives instead of processed lunch meats laden with preservatives; try all-natural options like Hormel Natural Choice Deli Meats which are free from artificial additives and colors.
Add Some Fun Elements
Beyond changing ingredients around in their lunchbox consider including elements of fun! Slip in trivia quizzes or educational facts inside their lunch bags; add stickers along with toys or simple games they can enjoy during break time—use colorful sacks instead of standard brown bags too!
With these strategies not only will you breathe new life into regular midday meals but also ensure nutritious consumption every day.
