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Nutritious Lunch Recipes for 5 Days a Week

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Out of healthy packed lunch ideas?

Packing a nutritious packed lunch your kids will actually eat five days of the week is no easy feat. It's no wonder many of us get stuck in a rut and end up packing the same lunch time and time again.

When packing your kids lunch, the main thing to keep in mind is that the lunch is nutritious and balanced. Try to include a mixture of whole grains, protein, calcium, fruit and veggies in each packed lunch and don't worry it's really not too difficult.

To help get you started, here's a 5-day sample lunch menu which is balanced to include a little of everything mentioned above.

Start with an awesome waste free lunch kit....

The Kids Konserve Lunch Kit (pictured first in the row below) is a good choice if you are thinking of providing your kid with a solid and good quality lunch kit. It includes a recycled cotton sack for the two stainless steel food containers and stainless steel beverage bottle. It also includes a cloth napkin and a reusable, BPA-free, food kozy for your delicious sandwich or bagel. It comes in three designs, Butterflies, Caterpillars and Logos.

Overall, this is a great eco-friendly lunch kit idea, which I would certainly recommend if you are looking to invest a bit more money into a waste-free lunch kit solution. Yes, it isn't cheap, but you can be assured that you will get a high quality and safe product that should last for a long time and will help to reduce wastage. I am sure your growing kids will be proud to be helping the environment in such a way.

EasyLunchboxes 3-compartment Food Containers (Set of 4)

These are great for kids and grownups alike!

Foods don't "touch" and just one lid covers all. No more time wasted looking for the right size container & lid or baggie for every item you pack. And EasyLunchboxes make portion control easy - just the right amount of food, without having to weigh or measure your meals.

EasyLunchboxes 3-compartment Bento Lunch Box Containers (Set of 4) BPA-Free. Easy-Open Lids (Not Leakproof)

Amazon Price: $13.95 (as of 06/03/2012)

Each container has 3 compartments and one lid. 9.38" x 6.1" x 2"
Less pieces, more function. Safe for microwave and dishwasher. Containers nest together to save space when not in use.
Made from FDA-approved, high-quality polypropylene #5. No BPA, PVC, or phthalates
Sturdy and long lasting. For all ages. Kid-friendly, easy-open lids.

Lunch for Day One

Monday's Lunch Box

Wholemeal bread sandwich filled with ham and cheese
Fruit yogurt
Cut melon cubes and cucumber rounds
Small packet of raisins
Lemonade or fruit juice

Yum-Yum Bento Box: Fresh Recipes for Adorable Lunches

by: Maki Ogawa, Crystal Watanabe

Amazon Price: $8.59 (as of 06/03/2012)

Each step-by-step recipe in Yum-Yum Bento Box is simple and adaptable. Readers will learn how to form their favorite foods into a variety of shapes from zebras, panda bears, and monkeys to kitties, piggies, and puppy dogs. Chapters include instructions for classic bento boxes and character-driven bentos (called Kyaraben), plus shopping advice, general tips and tricks, and much more. Stop wasting money on prepackaged lunches and start making beautiful, healthy bentos!

Lunch for Day Two

Tuesday's Lunch

Pita filled with turkey and cream cheese
Carrot sticks
Pineapple chunks
Mini muffin
Iced tea or fruit juice

Evriholder Set of 3 Sandwich Crust Cutters, DynoBytes/FlipperBytes/SweetBytes

Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 06/03/2012)

A real crowd pleaser, this set of three cutters doubles as cookie makers and sandwich shapers. Shapes in the 3-Pack include dinosaurs, dolphins, and sweet hearts. Safe to clean on the top rack in the dishwasher, the cutters are easily cared for. They make party prep work fun and easy, and are sure to please the young and the mature alike.

Lunch for Day Three

Wednesday's Lunch

Homemade Pizza Quesadilla
Apple sauce
Cherry tomatoes and cubes of ham
Yogurt covered raisins
Lemonade or fruit juice

These containers are ideal for storing cut sandwiches, sliced veggies, nuts, berries, goldfish crackers, cookies, hummus, and more.

Tight-fitting lids are leak proof.

Kids Konserve Nesting Trio Stainless-Steel Containers with Leak-Proof Lids

Amazon Price: $20.12 (as of 06/03/2012)

An earth-friendly alternative to plastic snack baggies, this set of 3 recyclable stainless-steel containers is ideal in lunch containers, purses, or backpacks. Tested by a CPSIA accredited testing laboratory, the containers are free from BPA, lead, and phthalate. Made from 304 food-grade stainless steel, the containers are sized to nest inside one another for easy storage.

Lunch for Day Four

Thursday's Lunch

Bagel spread with peanut butter and real fruit jam
Fresh peach
Carrot sticks and cubes of cheese
Yogurt or a yogurt drink
Fruit juice or Iced Tea

Dyno Dips Snack and Condiment Container- Blue

Amazon Price: $3.95 (as of 06/03/2012)

Take a healthy and delicious snack on the go for your little one wherever you may go! The next time you are out and about, the Dyno Dips by Evriholder Products will be sure to keep a nutricious snack ready for your child in between meals. Children will love the fun design of these highly functional snack containers. The specially designed flexible lid aligns perfectly with the inner dyno shaped reservoir to form an air tight seal.

Lunch for Day Five

Friday's Lunch

Roll filled with tuna and sweet corn
Cucumber slices and cubes of cheese
Bunch of seedless grapes
Mini Fruit Muffin
Fruit Juice or Lemonade
***throw in a handful of M&Ms ~ TGIF!!***

OOTS Deluxe Lunchbox with Containers, Blue

Amazon Price: $29.99 (as of 06/03/2012)

This modern lunch box, made of safe polypropylene plastic, comes with its own matching containers! These cool and contemporary lunch boxes will forever solve the issues that most parents have with the majority of lunch boxes: cleaning and durability. Cleaning this lunch box is easy, there are no folds or hidden corners, and you can put it in the dishwasher. Because of the materials used, this lunch box will last at least a whole school year. The use of space is optimal with custom containers that comfortably fit inside.

It's the weekend!

See, that wasn't so bad, now was it? :-)

Keep in mind this menu isn't just for kids ~ it works great for the whole family too! (Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Uncle Bob all need a healthy lunch too!)

The ever popular "Laptop Lunch Box"

Goodbyn Eco-Friendly Lunchbox Kits

also kid-friendly! and available in a variety of colors

Pack like you mean it, it stinks when your sandwich tastes like a banana or when your chicken korma tastes like your sweet rice roll, Goodbyn keeps tastes (and moisture) separate, lunch tastes like it's supposed to

Each Goodbyn lunchbox comes with three sheets of hundreds of stickers: alphabets, body parts, allergy labels you name it, you stick it
Goodbyn has a carrying handle, can easily be slipped into a backpack, or fit into a cubby hole at school
Goodbyn dishwasher-safe, so we can keep our kid's lunches clean - inside and out
Can be recycled and reborn as something else

Squidoo