5 School Lunches That Make the Grade

As athletes prepare backpacks and workout bags to go back to school, parents are preparing pantries and refrigerators for school lunches. I often hear complaints about not knowing what to pack each day to make sure athletes actually eat what is packed, but also properly fuel themselves in preparation for after-school or evening practices. Here are 5 school lunches that earn an "A" from this sports dietitian:

The Tried and True

Jam and nut butter on whole wheat bread

Fresh veggies such as baby carrots, cherry tomatoes or mini sweet peppers (already prepared!)

Greek, non-fat yogurt (must be Greek!) - flavored okay

Piece of fresh fruit

Whole grain tortilla chips

The Vegetarian's Delight

Hummus & fresh veggies inside a whole wheat wrap

(Optional non-veggie addition: chicken breast)

Trail mix of lightly salted nuts and dried fruit

Piece of fresh fruit

Mozzarella cheese stick

The Carnivore's Love

3-4 slices Deli meat on whole wheat bread (Optional slice of cheese and mustard if desired)

Piece of fresh fruit

Regular, non-fat yogurt (doesn't have to be Greek here)

Fresh veggies

Whole grain crackers

The Planner's Pride

Mexican Quinoa Salad (Recipe) - can use brown rice instead of quinoa if desired

Whole grain tortilla

Piece of fresh fruit

Non-fat, plain Greek yogurt to use in place of sour cream

Honey packet to mix in with Greek yogurt after pull out portion for sour cream

Handful of lightly or unsalted nuts

The Last-Minute Frenzy

250 Kcal granola bar with at least 10 grams of protein and no more than 2-3x as much grams of carbohydrate

No-sugar-added dried fruit (check out Nuts.com) for some great options

1 Packet of Justin's Nut Butter (not a chocolate variety)

Baby carrots

Be Extraordinary,

RDKate