September is a great month to start fresh on your health and fitness goals. With summer vacations behind us and kids back to school, why not make the most of the next two months before the holidays set in. Take advantage of the variety of fresh produce available this season and make perfectly balanced lunches for your kids (or yourself) all week long.
I never truly appreciated why the start of the school year was so exciting for parents until I had a school-aged child. As much as I love summer for all it has to offer from the weather and weekends away, to the barbecues and occasional ice cream treats, there is something to be said for getting back into a routine. While the thought of making lunches again can seem daunting, especially when it comes to kids, here we have some Zone-Friendly kid-inspired lunch ideas that can be prepared in a snap!
| 1. Turkey and Cheese Roll-ups Replace your bread with lettuce to add crunch to this lunch-inspired meal with turkey, cheese, cucumbers, radishes, heirloom tomatoes and roasted red pepper hummus for dipping. And don't forget the apple for dessert. |
| 2. Chicken Salad Save time by buying prepared chicken salad (or use tuna, if you prefer) and add tomatoes, cucumber sticks, grapes and strawberries. |
| 3. Greek Yogurt Parfait Strawberries and blueberries add the right amount sweetness to Greek yogurt. Couple with veggies and guacamole for the perfect Zone meal. |
| 4. Pinwheels Enjoy deli turkey, lettuce and cheese on a low-carb wrap (i.e. Joseph’s Oat and Flax) with cut up veggies and Tzatziki for dipping. |
| 5. Perfectly Pasta Zone Orzo in olive oil with green beans, and a whole apple and cheese is the right balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat to keep you satisfied. |
Things don’t always go according to plan, even when you have the best intentions for a healthy lunch for your kids. When my daughter started Kindergarten last year, for the first two weeks of the school year she came home with a full lunch box almost every day. Here I was thinking she was gabbing at the lunch table instead of eating, only to receive the bill two weeks later that she had actually been buying lunch instead of eating the ones I made!
Don't get discouraged! Keep on exposing your kids to healthy options and soon they’ll begin to prefer them. Sometimes you just have to be persistent.
With two months to go before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season begins, use this time to focus on you and your families' health, because what better time to start than now!