4 Healthy Lunches Your Kids Will Want to Help Make

Coming up with new ideas to keep the kids satisfied and entertained is no easy task. Chances are, they have a lot of energy, and you want to keep them running on the healthiest foods you can find. While kids are sometimes known for putting up a fight when it comes to eating healthy, our list of lunches might be creative enough to not only get them to eat their veggies but also help in the kitchen!

Ants on a Log

The concept of this yummy lunch is gross enough to intrigue your little ones. They will have fun setting their "ants" in place and gobbling them up!

For this recipe, use fresh celery as the "logs." Have the kids spread peanut butter on the celery, filling up the hollow side. Next, hand them some raisins to stick on the peanut butter- these are the "ants!" If you have chia seeds, let them sprinkle some onto the peanut butter as well. Maybe they can be baby ants? This great meal provides protein and the vitamins and minerals found in celery. And chia seeds can add some omegas to the mix!

Banana Sushi

While it might sound weird, this is a delicious lunch that you will end up eating as well! You will need some whole wheat tortillas, fresh bananas, peanut butter, and something crunchy- options include but are not limited to: wheat germ, chia seeds, and crushed walnuts or pecans.

Let the kids spread peanut butter on their tortilla and sprinkle whatever crunchy toppings they want to include. Then, pop the bananas out of their skin, but leave them whole. Lay the banana at one end of the tortilla and roll it up. Finally, cut the banana into bite-sized pieces, and there's your sushi! You can get fancy and make a peanut butter sauce to drizzle on top by mixing peanut butter with pure maple syrup. The added sweetness (and nutritional benefits of the maple syrup) will surely grab kids' interest.

Fancy Yogurt Parfaits

It's really easy to spice up some plain or vanilla Greek yogurt to make it look like a colourful dessert. Using Greek yogurt is important because it is loaded with protein. Coupled with some healthy granola and fruit, it can hold its own as a good meal.

If you have tall, clear glasses (plastic or glass, depending on how brave you are), they will work nicely for this. As long as they can see all the goodness in the layers of the parfait, you are in business!

Try laying fruits like fresh strawberry slices, raspberries, and blueberries in between layers of crunchy granola and Greek yogurt. If the kids want to see pink or purple yogurt, try showing them how to crush some fruit and mix it into the yogurt to change the colour.

Veggie Shapes

If you have cookie cutters lying around, they are about to come in handy. Slicing cucumbers long ways (not into small circles, but long, flat strips) will give you the surface area you need to cut out your shapes.

The kids will likely want something to dip their cucumbers in, and you will probably have some cucumber scraps left over. You can put them to use by chopping them finely and adding them to plain Greek yogurt. Also, consider adding a dash of salt, pepper, lemon juice, dill, and garlic. This will make Tzatziki, which is much healthier than ranch dressing you can buy in the store.

Hopefully, this list gave you some inspiration for healthy, creative lunch ideas the kids will want to help make and eat. To purchase some of the ingredients mentioned in these recipes, visit our website!