CLEVELAND — Back to school means you're back up early packing lunches. And if you're like me and most parents, we get stuck in a rut when it comes to a variety of packable foods. What if we can find, not only easy options, but also super healthy for our little ones?
In today's Mom Squad, Dietician Melanie Jatsek, with Heinen’s, shows off some mix and match healthy lunch options that you might not have thought about before. And every lunch has the same combination of nutrients.
“So, the categories are fruits, vegetables ... those are two. Then we've got whole grains, and then we've got some protein. And actually there's five, we've added a bonus one, which is the treat. Growing up, my mom always put something special like that in my lunch, so whether it was a Little Debbie snack cake or something like that in my lunch,” Jatsek said.
Jatsek says hitting those five food categories will ensure a well-rounded meal.
“All of those are important because, you know, you need the vitamins and minerals obviously, in those fruits and veggies, you need them for, you know, general health, the immune system, for fiber. But, there's so much that we get from plant-based foods, fruits vegetables whole grains and even some plant-based proteins that we can't live without really,” says Jatsek.
Let's talk about some plant-based ideas. Jatsek put together a zucchini pasta with edamame. And check out the bright purple beet burger that she says kids love.
To see more ideas, watch the entire Mom Squad episode on your WKYC Plus channel on Apple TV, Roku and Fire TV. Or you can watch the entire episode on our WKYC YouTube channel or below.
Here’s a link to other ideas from Heinen’s for bento box lunches.
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