Brown Bag Lunches for theToddler

The other day I was checking my Facebook statuses and there was a post from a friend asking what to pack her toddler for school lunch. The trick was it is a peanut free school, as most are, and it had to be cold.

I have two toddlers myself and am often baffled when it comes to meal time, especially lunch. My goal is always for quality over quantity but depending on the day, I never know what challenges may occur at mealtime.

The average toddler requires 16-24 grams of protein and approximately 1300 calories a day. Once your toddler turns three, calorie requirements can increase up to 1800 per day.

Here are some ideas on what to pack for your child/children:

Food Item	Calories	Protein
String Cheese	80	8
Yogurt	100	4
Mini Bagel, Cream Cheese, and Jelly Sandwiches	200	6
Crackers (5) and Cheese (1.5 ounce)	225	9
Cottage Cheese Snack Packs	70	11
Veggies – ½ cup raw with 1 Tablespoon of ranch	100	2
Cold Cuts I slice and 1 Tablespoon of honey mustard for dipping	45	5
Fruit- ½ cup fresh	60	1

Milk is one of the best biological sources of protein and providing your child with 8 ounces at lunch provides about 90 calories and 8 grams of protein. Keep in mind you are not alone. This is a tricky age and it is normal for your toddler to be picky, especially regarding textures. Making it as fun as possible by providing dipping sauces, using your cookie cutters for cheese, and even buying yogurt with their favorite characters on it can help. I often roll up my children’s cold cuts with the string cheese with a little bowl to dip. Hey, whatever works?

Most likely your child is getting enough calories and protein to assist with growth. Play around with the amounts of items above to offer approximately 400 calories at lunch.

What do you do for your children? I’d love to hear your great ideas. Good luck and be well.

Comments

Unknown said…

Great suggestions Amy! I too have the blessing of dealing with a 2 1/2 & 1yr old ;) Being that I am not the main cook in the house, I often struggle at dinner time when Daddy's working late. My favorite "dessert" though is: any fruit (especially strawberries) cut up, vanilla yogurt for dipping, and a little brown sugar to top it off... A double dipper ;) Yes, I know, sugar! But as you said, whatever works :) BTW: I really enjoy your blog :)

January 27, 2011 at 10:17 PM

Family Nutrition: What’s the deal with Multivitamins?

This is definitely one of my top ten questions from clients and frankly it’s a hard question because there isn’t a generic answer. The internet and such stores as the Vitamin Shoppe and GNC continue to place a lot of focus on vitamins and minerals and some of my clients swear by their regimen. I’ve even had some clients tell me they can tell a difference within hours of taking certain supplementations. Since this is a subject I try to tame my responses too, I was very glad to see the article “Multivitamins, So Many Types, So Many Labels” by Melinda Beck in the Wall Street Journal published June 21, 2001. Did you know that the multivitamin is the number one dietary supplement producing $4.8 billion back in 2008 and that one third of American’s take multivitamins religiously? As Melinda points out there are many different varieties of multivitamins yet there is no specific formulation that specifies what a multivitamin should look like. ...

Miraculous Misconceptions: Raspberry Ketones

The interwebs are abuzz about the supposedly “miraculous” Raspberry Ketone supplements. Raspberry Ketone popularity started with Dr. Oz's show in February 2012, when he nicknamed it a “miracle weight loss drug.” Some even credit Raspberry Ketones with stimulating hair growth, but for our purposes here, let’s talk about weight loss. Raspberry Ketones are derived from red raspberries. Proponents claim that the supplement will stimulate your metabolism causing weight loss. However, there are no reliable studies to prove this. Specifically there is no scientific evidence to show how it alters metabolism to promote weight loss. There is also no scientific evidence to determine a proper dosage. If you find a study that claims otherwise, check the funding source. Most likely, that study was funded by a company who produces or funds raspberry ketone products. As far as I know, no major pharmaceutical companies are investing in Raspberry Ketone research. And it is my opinion ...

Food Trends: Plant vs. Animal Protein

In my practice I see a lot of vegetarians who have a lot of questions about the types of protein they eat. In case you need a refresher, animal proteins are proteins derived from meat, dairy, and eggs. Plant protein is derived from nuts, seeds, beans, legumes and soy. Most animal proteins are higher in saturated fat as well as cholesterol which have been proved to increase risks of arteriosclerosis, a precursor to cardiovascular disease. A lot of the general public, not just vegetarians, are starting to focus on decreasing intakes of animal proteins and focusing on plant sources to decrease total calorie, fat, and cholesterol intake. It’s important to know that most generally healthy individuals only need .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Basically this means that a 150 pound man or woman requires about 54 grams of protein in an entire day. Protein is made from amino acids. Although there are many amino acids, ther...

Search This Blog