Health Matters with TSET: Packing Kids' School Lunches

Oklahoma families are getting ready to go back to school, and for many, that means it's time for moms and dads to pack lunches.

In today's Health Matters with TSET, Amy Slanchik puts a dietitian's healthy lunches up for a taste test.

Registered Dietician Katy Soper showed News On 6 how to use about $65 worth of groceries to prepare lunch for three kids, for a whole week.

Soper is the Oklahoma Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics media representative.

Three Healthy Lunch Ideas

"We're looking for a protein. We're looking for a fiber, fruits and vegetables, which are really highlighted here. That's your color; color is nutrition, and then grains,” Soper said.

She offered three themed lunch ideas for back-to-school.

First up: a deconstructed sandwich.

"I've got turkey, I cut up a cheese stick. That's an easy way, just to make it bite-sized. Some grapes and some cherry tomatoes."

Kids can eat each item out of the box or pack a bun, and they can build their own sandwich at school.

Next, she showed us a “Mexican Celebration” themed box.

"It's canned white chicken meat…some shredded cheese, microwaved, cut up into four slices,” she said. “They've got some guacamole, some carrots, hydrating watermelon."

Then, a "Hiker's To Go Box," packed with protein and fiber.

“We've got some peanut butter… Don't forget you can dip apples in peanut butter and you can dip carrots in peanut butter. Both are really good,” she said. “I gave them a few M&Ms…in some, just lightly salted almonds and then some beef jerky, mini sticks and a cheese stick."

Taste Test with The Kids

News On 6 found three school-aged children to taste test the healthy meals: Nine-year-old London, seven-year-old Boston, and four-year-old Savanna. Their favorite foods, respectively, are fried rice, spaghetti, and corn dogs.

"Ok, I hope I like it,” Savanna said.

As the siblings dug into their lunch boxes, they tried carrots with peanut butter for the first time.

"Mommy. I like peanut butter and carrots,” Savanna said.

The kids had a positive reaction to the healthy food options.

"This is all so delicious,” London said.

“Can I have another one?” Boston said.

"I know some people are probably watching, [thinking] ‘My kids aren't going to eat that,’” Soper said. “Listen, it takes anywhere from 8 to 10 times to actually like a food.”

"Fun lunches, they don't just have to be sandwiches. They don't just have to be peanut butter and jelly,” Soper said.

“They can be anything!” Boston said.

Soper said, Get the kids involved in meal prep, and be creative with themes. There can be big ideas in every bite.

"I want everybody to realize, it just doesn't have to be hard,” she said.

Advice for Picky Eaters

Soper offered this advice for picky eaters:

“Our taste buds change. But sometimes it can take 8 to 10 times and it can be texture. So, do we need to cook it instead of eating it raw? Do we need to have it cold instead of hot? Everybody loves a dip. Add a dip to it. Hummus is a great way. A little bit of ranch is a great way. Yogurt dips. Take some Greek yogurt, add some peanut butter to it, and you have a peanut butter and jelly dip,” she said.

She also suggested being honest with kids, instead of always trying to “sneak” vegetables in.

“We all eat with our eyes first, so present it on the plate. Just let it sit there. They get more familiar with it. Hopefull,y they're going to try it. Add a dip to it. Eventually, those tastes will come. I am a big fan of smoothies because I think it's a great way to make a whole shake with a little bit of spinach. And let them drink that up,” she said. “I do like to identify there are vegetables in it. I'm not a big ‘let's hide it’ because I want them to eventually become veggie eaters and fruit eaters.”

“If you did a blueberry shake and added a few leaves of spinach in it, the blueberries, you're going to make it more purple. But you can say, ‘Hey, did you like that? Great. You got a little bit of spinach. I'm so proud of you.’”

Breakfast & After-School Snacks

Soper also showed News On 6 a breakfast-themed box.

“We've got some air-fried, homemade peanut butter granola. That is just an easy addition, tastes good and gives some crunch,” she said. “Some scrambled eggs. They're great if you have a little bit of leftover from the morning, throw them in; they'll last. We've got some walnuts for omega 3s, good healthy fat, chopped up apples and then some Greek yogurt here."

Here’s an idea for a snack box:

"So we've got carrots with ranch cucumbers, which are always a nice addition, tomatoes and some olives with some hummus. So this is kind of a play on a Mediterranean snack box,” Soper said.

Tips for Meal Prepping

Soper says anyone can meal prep a week of kids’ lunches in about one hour.

“What's awesome about when you do kind of meal prep, you get better and faster at it. So where I'm suggesting about an hour, it takes me about 15 minutes now to do so,” she said. “I can do that because I know my system; things are drying, things are getting cut up... So it is a skill that everybody can learn, which is really exciting."

She also writes a plan out on paper before she heads to the store for groceries.

"I kind of draw out my containers and I just start plugging in protein, fiber, fruits and vegetables,” she said. “What am I going to buy?"

Soper suggests getting the kids involved with meal preparation, too.

"Have them dump the carrots. Have them, in a safe way, depending on knife skills, let them cut up the cucumbers. Sure. Spoon in hummus, all that stuff."

For tips on how to make school mornings less stressful, CLICK HERE.