Pack a MyPlate Lunch
When you pack a lunch that includes foods from the MyPlate nutrition guide, you make healthy eating so easy! Lunch menus that contain vegetables, fruits, whole grains, proteins, and dairy give your kids the nutrition they need to learn, grow, and play.
Healthy Lunch = Vegetable + Fruit + Protein + Whole Grain + Dairy
Here are some “lunch box safe” suggestions for each of these food groups and simple packaging tips that will keep your child’s lunch fresh and full of flavor.
- Baby Carrots
- Broccoli florets
- Cauliflower florets
- Celery
- Cherry or grape tomatoes
- Cucumber slices
- Edamame
- Green beans
- Jicama Slices
- Lettuce
- Mushrooms
- Red, yellow or green pepper slices
- Spinach
- Sugar snap peas
Preparation – Packing
- Wash vegetables under cold water
- Add a dipping sauce such as hummus or ranch dressing
- Add vegetable slices to a sandwich
- Keep vegetables cool
- Apples
- Applesauce
- Apricots
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Dates
- Grapes
- Kiwi
- Mango
- Melon
- Nectarines
- Oranges
- Papaya
- Peaches
Preparation – Packing
- Select fresh, dried or packaged fruits
- Choose canned or packaged fruits with no sugar or syrup added
- Wash fruits with cold water
- Most kids like cut fruit instead of whole fruit
- Keep fruits cool
- Chicken Salad
- Ham
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Hummus
- Nut Butters (peanut, almond, cashew, sunflower)
- Refried beans
- Roast beef
- Sliced chicken
- Sliced pork
- Smoked salmon
- Tofu cubes
- Tuna Salad
- Turkey
- White or black bean dip
Preparation – Packing
- Slice leftover meats from dinner for sandwiches
- Roll up meats around a vegetable stick
- Make sandwiches the night before and refrigerate or freeze them
- Boston Brown Bread
- Brown rice cakes
- Cinnamon Raisin bread
- Graham crackers
- Granola
- Multi-grain bun or roll
- Oatmeal – raisin cookies
- Popcorn (air-popped)
- Wheat flour tortillas
- Whole grain crackers
- Whole grain pasta salad
- Whole wheat English muffin
- Whole wheat pita
- Whole Wheat pretzels
Preparation – Packing
- Use whole grain breads instead of white sandwich bread
- Try a tortilla wrap or flatbread to make a sandwich
- Mix it up!
- Cheese Slices, sticks or cubs
- Cottage Cheese
- Cream Cheese
- Goat Cheese
- Milk
- Smoothies
- Sour Cream
- Yogurt
Preparation – Packing
- Choose low-fat or skim milk products
- Milk can be purchased at school at a very low cost. This is your child’s best bet to be sure the milk is kept cold.
