Health Up Their Lunchbox! (continued)

O.N.E. Coconut Water

Weighing in at a reasonable 60 calories and with more potassium than a banana, this light, subtly sweet drink is really refreshing. Kids will like the picture of the straw-spiked coconut on the front. Parents will like that it’s in a juice box, and easy to stash in a small lunchbox. Kind of like a pina colada for kids. But without the fat.

HINT Water

It’s hard to get children to drink water. This product makes it just a little bit easier. Kids won’t be fooled, it’s still just H2O. But it’s H2O with a little extra. There’s no sugar or corn syrup here, but the drinks smell sweet, especially the pomegranate tangerine flavor. Skip the mango grapefruit, which is absolutely gross and go straight for the lime. Very tasty.

Honest Kids

Most kid’s drink pouches pack more sugar than a can of soda. We’re talking as much as 130 calories and 31 grams of sugar per serving. Honest Kids, the makers of the very popular adult Honest Tea line, have just come out with a version that has 40 calories and 10 grams of sugar. We all dream that our kids will beg for nothing but nutrition, but when the need for a lesser evil arrives, this is a good choice.

Mains

Tired of packing the same old peanut butter and jelly? Want to shake up the cheese and crackers routine? Here are three great recipes from our own Sneaky Chef, Missy Chase Lapine, that transform kid favorites into lunchtime vitamin boosts.

Creative Cream of Tomato Soup

Got a thermos? Fill it with something low fat and packed with vitamins, protein, and calcium.

Ingredients:

• 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) tomato soup, condensed
• 1 1/2 cups evaporated skim milk (tastes like cream and packs twice the amount of calcium and protein of regular milk!)
• 1/4 cup Orange Puree (recipe below)

Orange Puree recipe:

• 1 medium sweet potato or yam, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 medium to large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3-4 T water

In a medium pot, cover carrots and sweet potatoes with cold water and boil for about 20 minutes until all is tender. If the carrots aren’t thoroughly cooked, they’ll leave telltale little nuggets of vegetables, which will reveal their presence (a gigantic no-no for the sneaky chef). Drain and put in a food processor with two tablespoons of water. Puree on high until smooth, no chunks should remain. If necessary, add the rest of the water to make a smooth puree, but the less water the better.

Once you’ve got the puree, add ¼ cup the other soup ingredients. Cook it all together on the stovetop over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Throw it into your thermos. Voila!

Masterful Mac ‘n’ Cheese

A great take on an old favorite, this recipe hides an undetectable cauliflower/zucchini puree, which melts away in the familiar creaminess of the cheese. The kids won’t even notice! With microwaves available in most school lunchrooms, this is a great choice.

Ingredients:

• ½ pound macaroni (preferably whole wheat blend)
• 1 ½ cups milk
• ¼ cup White Puree
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups grated low-fat Colby or cheddar cheese
• 2 large eggs (optional)

White Puree recipe:

• 2 cups cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 small to medium zucchini, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 3-4 tablespoons of water if necessary

Steam cauliflower in a vegetable steamer over 2 inches of water, using a tightly covered pot, for 10-12 minutes, until very tender. While waiting for it to finish steaming, start to pulse in the food processor the raw peeled zucchini with the lemon juice only (no water). Drain cauliflower. Working in batches, add it to the pulsed zucchini in the food processor with two tablespoons of water. Puree on high until smooth. You can add more water if needed, for smoothness.