Aw shucks, you weren’t able to join us for the Healthy Lunch and & Chocolate Milk chat?
No worries as I am going to share some of the highlights with you right now AND you can read the entire conversation at The Motherhood.
The talk included moms who wanted to discuss school lunch nutrition and the ongoing nationwide debate about flavored milk in schools. Andrea Carrothers, MS, RD and Nutrition Communications Manager at Dean Foods, which sponsored the Talk and produces TruMoo chocolate milk led the conversation.
There were a few parts of the online chat that I am highlighting below:
Healthier School Lunch Options
Finding portable, tasty, healthy food to send to school for your child’s lunch can be a tall order. Most of the conversation centered on bag lunches, as the participants’ kids ate school lunches infrequently.
“Our son is such a picky eater that we pack his lunch most days, which always includes a grain, a protein source and fruit,” said Cat, 3 Kids and Us.
“My son doesn’t like school lunch for the most part, but he isn’t a big eater anyway … but he will always drink the chocolate milk,” reported Lisa, Life with Lisa.
And Shannon, The Mommy Files, agreed, “My boys LOVED the TruMoo Chocolate Milk we received. They would love to add these to their lunches!”
A number of women had ideas for ways to use whole wheat tortillas in lunches.
“I make peanut butter and jelly rolls with the wraps and my 7 yo loves them,” said Lisa, Life with Lisa.
“The whole grain tortilla wraps with melted cheese – my kids loooove!” said Ruth.
“Yes, cheese roll-ups and quesadillas are great ways to get those grains in,” agreed Stefany, To Be Thode.
“My kids love peanut butter honey tortilla roll-ups. We also sometimes stick a banana in there or some apple slices. Raisins are good, too.” Amy, The Finer Things in Life.
“Great ideas, everyone! I like to make pizzas on pita bread. Pretty sure it comes in a whole grain variety, too,” added Kendra, Me and My Insanity.
In addition, “All kids love pasta, so switch to whole grain. I also mix brown rice with white,” suggested Jennifer, Savor the Thyme. <—–that’s me!
Getting Kids to Eat Fruits and Veggies
Putting a whole piece of fruit in a kid’s lunchbox often means that fruit makes its way into a trash can. Andrea suggests pre-slicing them so they’re bite-sized and easier to eat. Providing dips like hummus, yogurt or almond butter can also encourage kids to try healthier food items.
Fruit smoothies are another tasty option “to boost both dairy and fruit consumption in one great beverage,” said Andrea. “Kids can really customize that.”
“I always add a bit of kale or other greens to their smoothies” to get some vegetables in the mix, said Amy, Cajun Joie de Vivre. They don’t affect the taste of the smoothie.
“Smoothies are a favorite at our house,” agreed Amy, The Finer Things in Life. “Make them with frozen fruit and you don’t need any ice.” And you can put them in a thermos to keep them cold until lunchtime.
There was also discussions on Cooking with Chocolate Milk & Drinking Milk for Health and Hydration and those conversations can also be found in the ‘Great Taste + Nutrition = School Lunches for Healthy Kids post.
Disclosure: This Talk was sponsored by TruMoo and The Motherhood.
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