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Healthy and tasty lunch and snack ideas for kids... and adults!

How do you get your children to eat healthy? Make it fun by involving them in the process! Not only do you get to build memories by spending quality time with them, but they learn how to be creative with delicious results. Teach the family how to make their meals and snacks tastefully. They will learn how eating healthy can be beneficial and enjoyable. Build from the basics with Colorado Mountain Medical's Dietician Annegret Kessler.

Build It from The Basics

• Protein: Unprocessed lunch meats, left over cold chicken breast, low fat cottage cheese, string cheese, high protein bar, all-natural peanut butter, hardboiled egg, beans (black, garbanzo, etc.)
• Starch: Whole wheat bread, whole grain crackers like Triscuits, fig bars, cinnamon graham crackers, vanilla wafers, 100% corn tortilla chips, 6 inch corn/flour tortilla, mini oatmeal raisin cookie
• Fruit: Whole fresh seasonal fruit, Low sugar applesauce or fruit cup, 100% dried fruit
• Vegetable: baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, salsa, low sodium vegetable soup, small "shaker" salad in a cup
• Dairy: shelf stable soy, almond or 2% milk, Yogurt, pudding cup
• Healthy Fats: avocado, nuts and seeds, olives 

 Lunches

• Fruit and cheese cube kabobs with a yogurt side dip
• Turkey/avocado sandwich on whole wheat bread, baby carrots, mini oatmeal raisin cookie
• Peanut butter sandwich with low sugar jam, 2% milk, fresh seasonal fruit
• Chef Salad, low fat ranch dressing, Triscuits, pudding cup
• Vegetable soup, sliced or string cheese, whole wheat crackers, fresh fruit of choice
• Turkey, avocado, lettuce wrap, tortilla chips with salsa, mandarin oranges

Snacks:

• Make homemade trail mix with your kids!
• Trail mix with apple slices
• String cheese with dried mangoes
• Kind Bar, Mini Kid's Cliff Bar, Bobo's Oat bars, Rx bars, Larabar minis, Skout bars for kids, other all natural granola bars
• Cinnamon graham crackers with applesauce or fruit cup
• Tortilla chips with hummus dip or black bean dip
• Berry and banana smoothies with yogurt
• Natural popcorn without additives

Introduce a variety of foods with no pressure for having to consume all the foods. Try again at a much later date. Lay a foundation of healthy meals with some sweets in moderation during grade school years so that kids can make informed decisions and know the difference during early and late adolescent years. Set the example!

Annegret Kessler is Colorado Mountain Medical's Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist.