If your children are tired of the same old PB&J or turkey and cheese sandwiches, it may be time to burst through their brown bag boredom by adding some fun flavorful and nutritious foods to the lunch box.

Brown Bag Basics for Lunches & Morning Snacks

• Include a fruit, vegetable, and a good source of calcium and fiber
• Keep portion sizes in check
• Be mindful of sugary beverages by sticking to water, low fat milk, calcium-fortified soymilk, or 100% fruit juice

Brown Bag Boredom Busters

• Pasta Salad: Cook up some pasta (try a whole wheat blend like Barilla Plus) and broccoli florets, drain and mix with Italian or Caesar salad dressing. Top with your choice of chickpeas, low fat cheese, sliced or cubed deli meat, olives, cucumbers and/or diced red bell peppers.
• Wraps & Roll Ups: Use a whole wheat flour tortilla as your base. Layer with lite cream cheese, lean deli ham, shredded low fat cheese, and some shredded carrot...or layer with deli turkey, low fat shredded cheese, a bit of salsa, and sliced avocado.
• BLT: Make a BLT using 100% whole wheat bread, canola mayonnaise, romaine lettuce, thinly sliced tomato, and two to three slices of nitrite-free bacon.
• Carroty Salmon Salad Sandwich: Mix canned boneless, skinless pink salmon (or tuna) with light canola mayo and some finely diced apple or shredded carrot for crunch. Stuff in a pita pocket, layered with a few lettuce leaves.

Healthy Nibbles for Morning Snack
Instead of the less nutritious salty snack and sugary cookies and juice drinks, try some of the following:

• Melon balls, halved strawberries, sliced apples, grapes or a Clementine.
• Squeeze yogurt or a low fat cheese stick with whole grain crackers.
• Single-serving container of applesauce or fruit cup.
• Homemade snack mix made with sweet potato chip, whole grain pretzels, and popcorn.
• Carrots or red pepper slices with ranch dip, or celery with peanut butter.
• Homemade muffins.

Article by Liz Weiss, MS, RD: www.MealMakeoverMoms.com