Parents’ Potluck: Tips on Raising Healthy Kids

4. What are your child’s favorite healthy but simple snack foods?

• My daughter loves apple slices. She'll take them over a piece of candy any day.
  -- mias_mommy1
• I've never been one to [cut] pears into rabbit [shapes] etc., so I don't have many cutesy ideas. My kids love homemade muffins, cornbread, fruit salad, scones, etc. I make several baked items at once and then freeze the batches. This allows me to offer them variety throughout the month. (We don't have to eat ALL of the muffins in two days.)
  -- ajloven
• Dried fruit like apples, plums, apricots, raisins, cranberries, and even blueberries, too.
  -- treyna
• Any fruits. And we use a good quality yogurt as a dip – my son loves to dip things.
  -- Jle21
• Sliced cucumbers with some lemon juice, lightly salted.
  -- smilingisgood

5. Do your kids get school lunch, or do you pack them something healthy at home?

• If my kids really want to buy lunch, I will probably [only] allow that once a week or so, unless they can show me they will pick a well-rounded meal.
  -- meredith18439
• [As a kid,] I always had a sandwich, a vegetable, and a granola bar. For my son, I plan to be a bit more creative than my mom was. An ideal lunch for him would be a hard-boiled egg, spinach and cheese square, small pasta salad (made with a homemade vinaigrette dressing), and for desert some berries with yogurt.
  -- Jle21
• I will always pack a lunch for my children. After [all the greasy food that] I ate at school lunch, they will always have something from home.
  -- mias_mommy1
• We don't do lunch boxes. The school canteen does balanced, tasty meals.
  -- FunnyCoolLady
• Once children hit their teens, they're often making their own eating choices. What steps do you take to ensure they're getting a healthy lunch as often as possible? Start when they are young.
  -- smilingisgood