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What's for lunch today? It's often a challenge to think of something tasty, nutritious, and different to pack for so many school lunches throughout the year. Children are sometimes picky eaters and often don't understand the relationship between eating the right foods and staying healthy. So what's a parent to do?

Here are some selection tips:

Choose from the following groups for lunch:

Grain Group 1 slice of bread, 1 tortilla, 1 roll/serving	_	2-3 servings
Vegetable Group ½ cup of cooked, 1 cup of raw/serving	_	1-2 servings
Fruit Group ¼ cup of dried fruit, ½ cup of canned fruit/serving	_	1-2 servings
Milk Group 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 1 oz. of cheese	_	1 serving
Meat Group 2 Tbsp. of Peanut butter/serving 2 ounces of meat/serving ¼ cup of nuts/serving	_	1 serving

Serving Suggestions:

Grains

If your child has had enough of breads for sandwiches, try breadsticks, pretzels, crackers or breakfast cereals. For the sandwich-eater, choose pita bread or flour tortillas that can be stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, meats and mozzarella cheeses.

Fruits and Vegetables
Bright colored fruits and vegetables are packed with nutrients and look attractive in any child's lunch box. Small apples, bananas, grapes, tomatoes, bags of dried fruit are a great addition to lunch. High vitamin C juice is available in juice boxes now.

The Dairy Group
Worried About Calcium? Try new milk in the ½ pt containers (plain or flavored), and cheeses (cut in strips or triangles to add interest). Yogurt dips are also good and are becoming quite popular with children. The goal is 200 - 250 milligrams of Calcium per meal.

Meat Group
Tuna fish, peanut butter, turkey and skinless chicken provide extra protein for growing children. Bean dips with crackers and various nuts (almonds, pecans) are nutritious meat substitutes and add crunch to the meal.

Packing Treats
There is always a little room for treats in moderation. This group includes cookies, chips, cakes, and sodas. They add extra calories and sodium to your child's diet, which could lead to health problems in adulthood. Some better choices are Romaine lettuce stuffed with turkey & cheese, breadsticks, mini sandwiches with meat and cheese, and yogurt.

Fun Lunch Recipes

WHOLE WHEAT PUMPKIN MUFFINS
2 cups sugar ½ cup vegetable oil 3 eggs 1 ½ cups pumpkin ½ cup water 3 cups whole-wheat flour 1 ½ tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt ½ tsp. cloves ¾ tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. nutmeg 1 cup raisins (optional) 1 cup walnuts	Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, mix together, sugar,oil, eggs, pumpkin, and water. In small bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Add tofirst mixture and blend together with electric mixer. Add raisins (if desired) and walnuts. Let stand one hour at room temperature. Grease muffins tin (enough for 24 muffins). Bake 15 minutes. Makes 2 dozen muffins. Baker’s Tip: Muffins freeze well for future use.

FRUIT-N-NUT SANDWICHES
1/3 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter 1 orange 1 banana 1/3 cup raisins or other dried fruit 8 slices whole-grain bread	Spoon peanut butter into a small bowl. Peel the orange. Separate the sections, remove the membrane skin and cut each section into 3 to 4 small bite-size pieces. Peel the banana and cut into small chunks. Add orange sections, chopped banana and raisins to peanut butter and stir until mixed. Spoon the mixture on 4 slices of bread. Top with remaining bread slices. Makes 4 servings.

Pack-a-Lunch