HEALTHY LUNCH IDEAS FOR ACTIVE KIDS

This week we have a wonderful guest post from Helen at the  Mom Bureau discussing some fantastic ideas for healthy lunch optionsfor kids who are active and on the go! Proper nutrition is crucial for all kids,so when kids are active, the correct nutrition becomes even more crucial! Checkout these great balanced lunch ideas to help ensure your child receives proper,balanced nutrition to do all the great things they want to do!

A healthy lunch will all go a long way especially if you havean active child, like one involved in sports or dancing activities. Being ableto pack adequate and energy boosted meals for your loved one is everyone'sdream.

If your child is an active dancer his/her diet mustconsist of an excellent balance of carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins and mineralsand sufficient fluids.

That suggests a balanced diet composed of a wide array offresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, dairy items, and proteins. And notjust balanced, you have to account that they are much more active, and theirbody requires more nutrition.

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For that reason, this article is dedicated to giving you thebest lunch ideas and recipes that are healthy and great for your child'snutrition.    

1.Smoked Turkey and cream cheese wrap   

 A wrap is a quick yethealthy lunch idea for your active- dancing kid.

You have the choice to interchange all the fillings in yourwrap to incorporate all your kid's lovely snacks, but for this idea you willneed; tortilla, a spread of pickles at the bottom or chutney or any dressingyou prefer, marinated turkey filling, slices of avocado, and grated creamcheese or blue cheese. You can add up lettuce or sprinkle some olive oil andadd some dried fruits or juice of a lemon on the top. 

Throw in some milk, shake or fruit juice and that's acomplete healthy meal.     

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2.Farmer's market vegetarian sandwich     

This is an entry from the vegetarian side of life, theinfamous farmers market sandwich. You get to add up fresh fruits and vegetablesfrom the farmers market and place in between bread rolls, and kids can enjoythe meal with a fresh fruit juice. Simple yet surely nutritious!

Although, worth noting that this will only work and issuitable for kids that are used to and do love eating veggies. Might not be thebest option for picky eaters and meat lovers.

A simple recipe could be;

Ingredients 

• 2 slices of pitta bread or whole wheat bread 
• 1 Lettuce leaf
• Cucumber slices
• tomatoe slices
• 1/2 avocado pit removed and sliced
• ¼ cup of hummus or 3 TBSP of tahini
• yellow, red or green bell pepper strips
• Shredded carrots
• Chopped cabbage
• Slices onions fresh or caramelized for added flavor
• Salt and black pepper for taste   
• A dressing of your choice

A banana smoothie or fresh fruit juice is the best partnerfor this meal.

3.Tortilla rolls 

Rolls are just like the wraps, but you can prepare them theprevious night or weekend and store in the freezer till when required. Speak ofconvenience at your fingertips.

For these tortilla rolls, spread up the favorite hummus onthe tortilla after you have warmed it in the oven or microwave or pan.

Add vegetables and dried fruits like apricots and carrots,add some chicken or meat pieces, shredded or chopped and roll it up.

You could cut the rolls into 3 inches clench small rolls toallow for an easier bite.

Pack with extra fresh fruits like and juice or water.    

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4.Chicken taco salad

Taco is also an amazing lunch idea. This is the perfect combination of all the components mentioned above for space to add even more healthy fillings to the meal. A simple ingredient could be.

Ingredients

• Tortillas
• Chicken pieces 
• Cheese of your choosing
• Baked beans or chickpeas 
• Lettuce 
• Heavy cream or chutney. 

Method

Warm up the tortilla, spread some dressing on the tortilla,not too much.

Add the leaflet of the lettuce. Add the baked beans plus anyother additions. Sprinkle some fresh lemon juice for freshness and add someheavy cream or chutney on top.

Add a small packet of yogurt or milk to go align with thetaco.

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5.Cauliflower and egg fried rice 

If you have some leftover rice, you could mix up some healthyvegetables and spruce up with some crunch or oil. For this type, thecauliflower is used but you can broccoli or carrots.    

Ingredients  

• 1 head of cauliflower grated or thinly sliced.
• 2 tablespoons of your favorite oil, coconut oil can begreat.
• 1 small onion diced
• Few slices of red, green and yellow pepper, alsothinly diced cherry tomatoes - halved Half a cup of frozen peas
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Salt and pepper to taste    

Instructions

Heat the oil in a deep-frying pan, add the onions and peppersand fry for 3 minutes till they brown. Add the cherry tomatoes and frozen peasand stir-fry for another 2 minutes.

Add the eggs to the mixture and fry it quickly over thevegetables. Add the cauliflower and eggs. On high heat, toss and turn the foodto brown the rice a bit, serve or pack for you dancing kid to enjoy for lunch.

Having a great and healthy meal for the active and dancingkids is not only essential but also saves upon costs to the doctor for anymalnutrition cases and injury.

All the ideas shared above as provided to encourage and guideall those with active kids on the best lunch ideas to place in their backpacks.

Thank you at Helen – Mom Bureau for this fantastic post! If you would like to see more postson this or similar topics let me know! I’d also love to hear of any great ideasyou have for balanced lunches for active kids that your kids enjoy!

Wishing you the best in health and wellness,

–Ricci-Lee Hotz, MS, RDN

Denver’s Dancing Dietitian

A Taste of Health, LLC

“Improving Quality of life one bite at a time”

https://dancesportdietitian.com