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Healthy
Lunch Box Ideas....
(That Won't Wreck Your Diet)
If you are a mum or dad at home on a diet, you
will probably related to a frequent situation I encounter as a
weight loss consultant. Many of my clients with children are able to
keep to a healthy eating plan through most circumstances except two.
It all starts to go astray when the kids come home from school, or
when they are preparing school lunches.
It's no surprise really. Kids love snacks we buy from the
supermarket, and parents love them because they are quick and easy
to throw into the school lunchbox or for kids to grab from the
shelves in the pantry. Small bags of chips, tasty bite size
crackers, sodas and the like. Everybody has them at school and we
often succumb to our kids' demands for the same. You may not have
given it much thought, but apart from these possible poor choices
for our kids, they wreck havoc when it comes to mom's attempts to
lose weight. Mom loves them too and a nibble here, and small snack
there, soon add up to disaster!
These products are high in fat, high in energy and high in refined
sugars. And after one, two or three nibbles it is possible to wrack
up an unwanted 500 calories. This single act will probably stall
your weight loss or even worse, cause you to gain weight!
To stop your kids from sabotaging your weight loss efforts, here are
20 snack ideas for kids that will do far less damage to your weight
loss program if mom nibbles (just a little).
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Healthy Snack Ideas For
Kids' Lunchboxes |
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Chop
up ½ tinned pear or other fruit in natural juice and set
in 200mls of low calorie jelly. Make up into individual
disposable plastic containers with lids. |
Roll
up thin slices of carrot and celery with grated cheese
in a slice of cold meat. Secure with toothpick. Slice
the carrot and celery with a vegetable peeler for really
thin slices. |
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Cut
up crisp vegetable sticks with dipping sauce - ranch,
peanut (satay), sweet chili or tomato. |
Cut
celery sticks 6-8 cm, fill with cottage cheese and top
with sultanas or chopped nuts. |
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Combine a mixture of low fat hard cheese cubes, nuts and
dried fruits in plastic wrap or a lunch bag. |
Cut
oranges into quarters and freeze on trays. Put into
plastic bags for a fruity ice block. |
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Meatball surprise. Next time you are making meatloaf,
double the quantity and make a batch of meatballs. These
are great in lunchboxes cold. Add a slice of pineapple
with a toothpick to each meatball. Add dipping tomato
sauce if required. |
Chilled fruit surprise - slice a combination of
strawberries, bananas, kiwi fruit, watermelon, grapes or
in season fruit. Place in small resealable plastic
container. Top with apple juice; do not overfill. Seal,
freeze. When packed in lunchbox, will keep sandwiches
cool and prove a refreshing treat on a hot day.
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Mini
quiches….make a batch of crust-less quiche and cook in
muffin tray. Each 'muffin' will be a wonderful healthy
snack for kids. |
Rice
cakes spread with mashed avocado, mashed banana and
cinnamon, or try mashed avocado, sliced tomato and
sprouts. |
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Chopped hard-boiled egg served with low fat mayo, salt,
pepper on a crisp bread. |
Creamy dates: slice dates lengthways, remove stone. Fill
with Philadelphia cream cheese (low fat). |
Leaf
wrappers: wrap a cheese finger, celery stick and carrot
stick in a lettuce leaf. Wrap in foil and place in
lunchbox. Contents will be kept moist.
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Quick
sausage rolls: wrap a skinned (good quality) sausage in
several sheets of filo pastry. Brush pastry with beat
egg to glaze. Cut into desired lengths. Bake in
moderately hot oven for 15-20 minutes. Rolls can be
frozen. |
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Baby
Bell Cheese and low fat cracker. |
Same
as above but use fresh chicken breast strips and cut to
2" - use tomato or favorite dipping sauce |
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Pop
top sandwich tuna tin, crisp bread, sachet of
mayonnaise. Kids can put their snack together at school
so that it doesn't go soggy. |
After
school hot snack attack: Spread a round of pita bread
with tomato paste and herbs. Top with tomato, ham,
mortadella, add onion, sliced mushrooms or pineapple.
Sprinkle grated low fat hard cheese over pita bread.
Grill to make a tasty pizza. If no pita bread is
available, substitute a crisp bread. |
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Fruity kebabs: place bite size pieces of fruit in season
on kebab skewers. |
A low
fat yoghurt tub. |
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Energizing fruit smoothie. If your child is under 12
years of age, simply halve these
delicious recipes. |
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