Girls need to eat!

I’m a mom of 3 girls (11, 13, and 18), and as someone who’s struggled with food issues, I’ve finally learned that what keeps those food demons in check is a consistent, healthy eating style. The days when I eat whole, fresh foods with little sugar and additives are the days I find it (amazingly!) easy to resist foods that I know aren’t good for me.

I’ve found that it’s not enough to muster up super ‘willpower’ to keep me from grabbing unhealthy foods, I had to really revamp my daily eating habits to lower, or even remove, the physical cravings for the hands-off foods. The less I eat of them, the less I crave them.

But hey, I still love to eat! My girls do too, and in fact, they’re the reason I started my company, EasyLunchboxes.com. Fed up with the unhealthy menu choices at their schools, I was looking for a faster, greener way to pack their lunches.

Planning Ahead is the key

So now, using my containers and cooler bags, I’m able to send them to school with a great meal that I know is good for them. A bonus is their built-in portion control, so it’s easy to pack just the right amount of food. We also use EasyLunchboxes for road trips, family outings, and after school activities, instead of relying on fast food or pre-packaged snacks that may be provided by others.

Here are 10 simple lunch and snack ideas from some of my favorite healthy recipe sources to get you started:

• Smoked Turkey and Roast Pepper Wrap
• Healthy Italian School Lunch
• Popcorn Chicken and Turkey Rollups
• Whole Grain Vegetable Pancakes
• Baked Sweet Potato Fries
• Lunch box Sushi Roll
• Chicken Parmigiana Sandwich “Lunchable”
• Telluride Trail Bars
• Kale Chips
• Tacos and Veggies

By getting in the habit of preparing your meals in advance, you can be sure that your day’s eating will be balanced and wholesome.

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Fitsmi for Mom’s Dish It Up section has many more healthy recipes to try.  And for creative snack ideas, check out Seven Spring Snacks for Healthy Kids and Ten After School Snacks (You Might Not Have Thought Of).