Three tasty and healthy alternatives to the sandwich your kids will love
Like the rest of us, children love variety when it comes to eating! Particularly at lunchtime when they see all the other yummy treats their friends are devouring. The humble sandwich -- once a fool-proof option for parents -- doesn't always satisfy hungry and fussy playground warriors craving different tastes! You want your children to eat healthily and they want something new and delicious! So, here are three alternatives to the sandwich to satisfy your children's taste buds.
1. Charcuterie skewers
The cheese will also provide a good source of protein (2), as well as an impeccable source of vitamin K2 (3), which plays a vital role in the metabolism of calcium to promote your child's bone, teeth, and heart health (4).
Protein consumption will also strengthen your child's immune system (5), very beneficial given how quick classroom bugs can spread.
Moreover, the tomatoes will provide a great source of fiber, that will pair well with the protein and cheese to keep tummies fuller for longer (6). Also, tomatoes are a great source of Vitamin C (7), another powerful way of strengthening young immune systems! (8).
2. Peanut butter and honey waffles
Wait, waffles? You'd be forgiven for thinking waffles are an unhealthy treat packed with enough sugar to frighten Willy Wonka!
But they're not.
Waffles are simply just flour, milk, and eggs. They are a really healthy alternative that your kids will love, and you can make them easily. Here's how:- - 1 Cup Unbleached flour
- - 1 Cup Milk
- - 1 Tsp baking powder
- - 1 Egg
- - Pinch of salt
- Mix all of this together in a bowl till combined, and toast in a waffle iron. Apply the peanut butter to the waffle as if you're buttering bread, and do the same with your honey.
Peanut butter is a vastly underrated food that is a great source of protein (9) that also contains all the 20 amino acids (9). Peanut butter also boasts fibers, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals; as well as heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat (9).
This makes peanut butter a great source of protein and healthy fats, which is why we recommended it for active school children. Peanut butter is also utilised around the world in third-world nations to provide healthy calories to malnourished infants and children, which ends up saving their lives!
The waffles themselves provide a great source of carbohydrates for energy and brain function (10), and honey is a tremendous source of antioxidants, with the ability to provide anti-inflammatory (11), antibacterial (12), antidiabetic (13), respiratory, gastrointestinal (14), cardiovascular, and nervous system (15), protective effects.
3. Pasta salad
Like the waffles, pasta isn't unhealthy or high calorie if prepared correctly. Here's what to do:
- Use a Penne pasta, or a pasta they can use their hands if needed
- Add Protein (boiled egg, diced chicken or ham)
- Add Veg (corn, carrots and peas. Use veg your child enjoys)
- Use Italian salad dressing for topping
The pasta is a great source of playground and brain energy via its low GI carbohydrates (16) and is a flavoursome alternative to bland wraps or bread.
Cover your protein bases with the chicken (or eggs as outlined above) which will deliver a healthy dose of zinc; vital for healing any of your child's wounds (17) and supporting their metabolism (18).
The added green peas are a great source of iron (19) and fiber, which will -- along with chicken -- also put a stop to those rumbling bellies! (6). The corn and carrots are another good source of fiber (20), though the corn is exponentially better.
The Italian salad dressing is low in calories (21), yet adds the perfect amount of flavour to ensure no taste buds are left scratching their heads!
So there are three strong alternatives to the sandwich that taste great, are healthy, and that your children will be happy with.
All the best for the new school year!
How to pack a healthy lunch
References
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