5 ways to spice up brown bag lunches

If you’re anything like me, you have some fond (and not-so-fond) memories of brown bag lunches. Ham and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, tuna fish on wheat – it seemed sometimes like we were eating the same thing for years and years and years. That is, unless you were one of the lucky ones who was able to trade their lunch for something better – and “better” usually meant whatever we didn’t have.

Well, now it’s our turn to pack those lunches, and whether you’re making lunch for yourself or your kids (or both), we’ve got some great tips to help you make lunchtime more interesting – and make it more likely that your kids won’t swap their lunches for their friends’. The first two tips are for parents; the last three can apply to anyone, whether you’re making lunch for yourself or your kids:

1. Give them some choice in the menu. I’m not saying you should give them the chips and soda they’d probably ask for if they were given free reign to make their own lunch. But offering them a choice of options will help them feel that they have a say in what they get – and will make it more likely that they’ll actually eat the lunch you pack.

2. Let them pack their own lunch. Just like with family meals, when kids play a part in making the food, they are more likely to eat it. Kids as young as six or seven are certainly old enough to spread peanut butter and jelly on some bread, or mix up some tuna and mayo, or even prepare a lovely roast for a delicious roast beef sandwich. Ok, so we’re kidding about that last one, but even a five-year old can prepare a simple ham and cheese sandwich. Let them help with preparing their lunches, and you might just find they actually want to eat them when lunchtime rolls around.

3. Make it a buffet. Many people, myself included, just can’t stomach (sorry for the pun) the idea of eating a whole sandwich for lunch. It’s not that we don’t eat that much food; rather, the idea of that one big piece of food is just…not appealing. So why not make it a “buffet”? Instead of one item like a sandwich, try five or six different things. Chop up some veggies and include a small Tupperware container of dip; add a baggie of nuts, a piece of fruit, and some whole-grain crackers, and you have a healthy, well-balanced lunch!

4. Try sushi. Or rather, try a sushi-like lunch (if you don’t relish the idea of raw fish in your lunchbox – or your kids’ lunchboxes). Pick up some sheets of seaweed in the Asian section of your supermarket, and wrap thin strips around matchstick-sized pieces of carrot, cucumber, celery, and more! Make a “Philly roll” by adding cream cheese; kick up the flavor by adding slivers of chives, hot peppers, or even fresh ginger! Adapt these ideas to your and your kids’ tastes – if you or your kids don’t like seaweed, try using strips of soft flour tortillas held together with a toothpick. The idea is to get creative in the ways you put the ingredients together – sometimes, simply changing the presentation a little bit will add that extra “spice” you need!

5. Explore Bento boxes. Bento boxes are a great Japanese invention that’s been imported to the US. Essentially, they’re small, usually plastic, aluminum, or bamboo boxes that are sectioned off and contain a variety of food such as rice, meat, pickled vegetables, fruit, and more. While it might be difficult to find an “authentic” bento box, you can probably find something that would work just as well in the tupperware section of your local convenience store. Then, vary your lunches each day, taking inspiration from the traditional bento boxes. You can go as simple as some  cold rice mixed with a little white vinegar to keep it from sticking (add herbs to flavor it even more), some vegetables, and a chopped fruit salad, or get creative and include things like lettuce-wrapped sauteed chicken, an Asian-style chopped salad, and some spicy noodles. It’s all up to you.

We hope these ideas inspire your lunches; if we’ve saved even one person from another boring lunch, we’ve done our job.

Have any ideas for making lunchtime more interesting for you or your kids? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!