The Healthy Lunchbox: How to Plan, Prepare & Pack Stress-Free Meals Kids Will Love

This book was great in that it helped me to think outside the box for packing my son's lunches for school. It doesn't have to be a sandwich, carrots & fruit. My son is a very picky eater and now I feel like I have a good amount of options to make for some variety. I also found how to better involve him, which I'm hoping will increase the odds he will eat what is packed. Some of the recipes in the back were great, but I'm not too sure yet about others. I won't knock'em till I try them though. The book was a very easy and enjoyable read and I would recommend this book to anyone.

The Healthy Lunchbox provides a solid basis for parents to provide their children with healthy lunches that pack up quickly and easily. The book is divided into four parts: Part One, "Get Ready!", outlines the nutrional needs of kids; Part Two, "Get Set!", helps parents with the logistics of packing lunches (how to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold, menu suggestions, ideas on how to get your children to eat what you pack, not trade it away, alternatives to junk food, etc.); Part Three, "Go!", where all the recipes are housed; and Part Four, "More Food for Thought," where the authors give parents further resources. I read the first two parts (after looking at all the recipes!) and the information was solid and written in a conversational tone. My reason for buying the book, of course, was the recipes and I was not disappointed. There was a wide variety of foods (from your standard english muffin pizza to japanese style california rolls) presented under three headings: Sandwiches, Salads, Soups, Casseroles, and Other Main Dishes; Fruit and Veggie Side Dishes and Snacks; and Snacks and Desserts. As promised, the recipes are quick and easy, and each has its own nutrional index covering calories, total fat (further broken down into saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and monunsaturated fat), cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates (further broken down into dietary fiber and sugars), protein, and exchanges. Serving size, total servings, prep time and cook time are also included. Indeed, this book is very comprehensive. Additionally, the recipes in this book can appeal to adults and children alike, so that weekend lunches and adult lunchboxes can benefit, too. My particular favorite is the Turkey Lurkey Jerky - it's easy (although time-intensive) and tasty and now I can make my husband's favorite snack without any preservatives or other nasties. In fact, the first batch I made was eaten the same day (much to my chagrin)! This recipe alone was worth the cost of the book to me!

Fast foods are a part of today's modern busy world - but they are leading to obesity and diabetes in kids and adults alike. Still, they serve their purpose in being fast - can healthier foods compete? Parents receive new ways to keep their child's lunchbox healthy in The Healthy Lunchbox: How To Plan, Prepare & Pack Stress-Free Meals Kids Will Love. Work with new ideas and modify old favorites with chapters that also involve kids in the process, from a food interview to supermarket selections. The second section provides recipes for creating healthy lunches and snacks, including special diet accommodations. Exchange and nutrition info for all recipes completes this planner.

The Healthy Lunchbox shares how to plan, prepare & pack stress-free meals kids will love. An innovative guide for jazzing up lunch from home with nutritious and healthy food. McClendon and Shauck, tackle an age old problem; [getting kids to eat lunch from home] with creative, healthy and good tasting solutions to the challenge. The Healthy Lunchbox was written under the American Diabetes Association guidelines, and surpasses traditional inspiration for providing healthy lunch from home for our children's vitality, health and nutritional needs. Delicious ideas for children and adult lunch boxes.

This book is what every mom needs to keep handy in the kitchen! I have used it for my kids' lunches and for my husband's! This "resource" book is easy to reference and the nutritional research has been done for you! A must for moms!