Healthy school lunches for kids

Packing my girls' lunches is very important for me, especially since I have a child with a gluten/wheat allergy. Unfortunately, the lunches provided by the school are not in Becca's diet. Most everything in school lunches has now gone to wheat! I know that public schools are trying to make the food more healthy but it doesn't work for my gluten free child. I also know that my kids do not like most of the foods served at school. When my oldest, Maddy, used to eat at school last year she would always come home starving because she didn't like her lunch and therefore didn't eat her lunch. SO, I have figured out some very easy lunches for my kids and they LOVE them and EAT ALL OF THEIR LUNCH!

It's important to remember that kids will eat what they are giving as long as it peaks their interest. Kids love sandwiches but don't want a boring sandwich everyday. I talk to my girls and ask them what kinds of things they'd like to eat for lunch and I try to make it fun for them everyday. I use cookie cutters for sandwiches and roll and wrap foods together. I use a lot of color in their lunches , 1. for FUN, 2. so I know they are getting the right nutrition from all food groups.

So here are some of the lunches I have been packing for my girls everyday for lunch.

      Ham, turkey roll ups, hard boiled egg white, gluten free granola bar and gluten free veggie straws (this was at the beginning of this year when I was still learning the right ways to eat and was teaching my girls. I do not recommend using a lot, if any prepackaged foods because of the preservatives and sodium contained in these foods. I was learning and this was what we had.)

Whole wheat ham (we get fresh sandwich meats from the deli, not the prepackaged meats) and cheese quesadilla ( part skin mozzarella cheese and I simply just heated it to melt the cheese on the frying pan with NO butter), veggie straws, natural, organic, gluten free granola bar and organic

 apple juice 

                         Gluten Free peanut butter and jelly sandwich, gogurt, grapes, gluten free
                                                            granola bar and bottled water

                          Ham, turkey, pepperoni roll ups, fruit bowl with watermelon and grapes,
                                           gogurt, Pure granola bar with organic apple juice

    Tuna mixed with mustard and natural relish, whole wheat crackers (for my non gluten free child),                                      Organic, gluten free rice roll, raisins and organic apple juice

                    All natural, homemade, gluten free turkey meatballs (loaded with protein),
                                                         rice roll, raisins and bottled water

                     Gluten Free corn pasta noodles with gluten free natural tomato sauce,  part skim
                      mozzarella cheese stick, tangerine (fresh, not canned) with organic grape juice

                  Ham, turkey pepperoni roll ups, part skim mozzarella string cheese, greek yogurt
                   with blueberries, organic chocolate milk (this is a once a week treat for my girls)

         Pepperoni pizza quesadilla on whole wheat tortilla (my version of a healthier pizza for my                              gluten free kid) made with a little bit of cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt with
                                                     strawberries and organic chocolate milk

These are just a few of the lunches. I am still learning a lot about healthy, cleaning eating. I want my kids to understand the importance and the benefits of healthy eating so I am doing my best to provide them with clean, healthy lunches. I will continue to add more and more as I go.