PHOENIX - As kids head back to school, I teamed up with Kim Miller of Fit Mom Diet to get some ideas on what to pack for lunch.
Kim has two teenage boys, 13-year old Jack is in 8th grade and 15-year-old Matthew is a sophomore in high school.
Here are her ideas and tips on what to pack for teenagers:
Meals
Meal 1: Nitrate-free turkey rolled with cheddar or provolone cheese slices. Ziplock bags of snap peas and carrots with a side of hummus. Small bag of pretzels and nuts.
Meal 2: Sandwich on Ezekiel bread (pre-toasted) made with turkey, lettuce and turkey bacon, Kodiak Protein pancakes, Sliced apple and trail mix with dark chocolate chips.
Meal 3: Chobani Yogurt, granola, nuts and blueberries. Whole wheat tortilla with peanut butter and honey and a side of bagged veggies.
Tips:
* Precook turkey bacon for the week so you have it for sandwiches each day.
* Put food ready to eat in small Ziploc bags so teenagers can easily eat it at lunch and throughout the day.
* When cutting and bagging apples add lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown.
* Meal prep on Sunday and make Kodiak protein pancakes for the week. Place 4-5 in each individual bag.
*Cook hard-boiled eggs and peel them ahead of time. Place in Ziploc bags.
* Buy yogurt in small portable containers and pack a disposable bowl and spoon.
* Find a low sugar granola in the bulk rate food section on your grocery store.
*Allow teens to make there own trail mix using a variety of nuts and seeds.
*Add dark chocolate chips to trail mix or pancakes if they crave a little sweet treat.
Shopping list for meals and snacks:
*Bagged fresh veggie such as snap peas and carrots
*Blueberries and apples
* Nitrate-free chicken or turkey and cheese roll-ups
* Crackers and small bags of pretzels
* Nitrate-free turkey
* Lettuce
*Turkey bacon
*Ezekiel bread
*Pretzels
*Chobani yogurt
*Granola
*A variety of nuts and seeds
*Small containers of hummus and carrots or pretzels
*Hard-boiled eggs
*Whole wheat tortillas
* Peanut butter
*Honey