For mom’s of teenagers, preparing lunch box becomes a real difficult task. Teenagers are very picky about food and it is very difficult to convince them into having a healthy meal. If your child is not happy with the contents of his lunch box, he will go to the cafeteria which does not provide healthy fresh food. So, it has become very important for teenagers’ moms to use their imagination and their kitchen skills to the best of their capacity. Teenagers tend to easily get bored with mom’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich. If you want your child to eat the lunch box meal, you will have to make it more sophisticated. Do not stick to the same old menu, bring some variations. Here are a few tips that will help you to prepare a lunch box meal for your teenager.
1. Gourmet lunch box
If your teen is fascinated by fine dining, surprise him/her with a five-star lunch box. The gourment lunch box could include cold shrimp cocktail with cocktail sauce, sandwich with smoked ham, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes or Greek salad. Every child loves sweet and so instead of cookies as dessert, add European Pastry like Baklava as dessert. Your child will be delighted when he/she opens his/her lunch box and finds a five-star meal.
2. Bento box meal
A bento box meal, the kind that you see in a sushi restaurant, with the different compartments filled with Japanese food can send your teen to a happy sprint. You can fill the different compartments with different stuff. For example, you can fill one compartment with a sushi roll or a veggie roll (if your child does not like raw fish), and another compartment with Tempura shrimp. The rest of the compartments can be filled with fried rice, chicken teriyaki, salad and fresh fruits. Give packets of soya sauce and chop sticks for a complete Japanese feel. You need not stick to the Japanese cuisine. A bento box meal can also be prepared with other cuisines such as Italian or Mexican.
3. Tamper with previous nights left-over
Left-overs from previous night’s Chinese take-out can also be used for lunch box. Instead of using the microwave to heat the left-overs, fry the left-over rice with a few drops of oil in a frying pan. Heat the meat in the broilers above the oven. You can also add fresh vegetables. To keep the food warm, wrap the food in an aluminum foil and pack it in an insulated lunch box.
4. Teen’s favorite dish
Sometimes you must treat your teen kid with his/her favorite dish even though it is not healthy. Macaroni and cheese or lasagna or a bread pudding once in a while in the lunch box will not harm your child. It will only ensure that your child is not trading your boring meals and eating in the cafeteria. Is not it better that your teen kid is eating a lasagna made from scratch at home using fresh ingredients rather than some dish cooked in the cafeteria kitchen.
5. Low fat lunch
Your teenage child might also be starting with his/her diet control tantrums. He/she will choose what to eat only after checking the fat content. For them, you will have to be extra cautious in preparing the lunch boxes. It has to be healthy, nutritious and also low in fat so that your kid does not empty the lunch box in a waste bin. Low fat sandwich can be prepared with rye bread, honey mustard, low fat cheese and thin slices of ham. Instead of the ham, you can also use tomato slices.
To make your teen’s lunch healthier, you can replace the cookies or pastry with fresh fruits. Make sure the fruits you plan to include in the lunch box is your child’s favorite. Pay a little attention to the presentation of the meal. For proteins, you can also add a boiled egg cut in half with a little salt sprinkled over. Use whole grain breads for sandwiches. You should pack it in such a way that the moment your child opens the lunch box, he/she will want to gorge upon the food. And remember to give a little extra in the lunch boxes. Friends tend to share their lunch and after sharing, there should not be any shortage. The lunch box should be tempting as it will increase the production of enzymes in the stomach which will increase your child’s appetite. This will ensure that your teen finishes his/her lunch box meal.
