Healthy School Lunches: Sneaky Items That Seem Sinful

It’s a struggle to get kids to eat well at home, let alone when they’re out of the house and in the school cafeteria. Ice cream calls. French fries beckon. And that carton of chocolate milk looks like a health drink, compared to that can of Coke.

Sure, celery is a nutritious snack and water a wonderful way to cleanse the body, but not if they end up in the trash. Help your kids resist temptation by tempting them yourself! Stuff your child’s lunch box with some secret weapons—fun snacks that will stave off the math class munchies, drinks that won’t shoot them into sugar stupor, and recipes that leave the old fashioned PB & J in the dust, but still pass the picky palate test.

Snacks

Organic Pop Alongs This whole grain snack has the satisfying crunch of a potato chip, but it's popped, not fried, so although it tastes bad for you, it's not! Made with a blend of organic corn, brown rice, and oat flour, with a yummy cheddar flavor kids will love, the whole snack bag rings in at just 90 calories. There are no trans fats, high fructose corn syrups, or artificial ingredients in this package. So stick a bag in the lunchbox and feel good about giving something that tastes this delicious. (www.revfoods.com)

Margaret's Artisan Bakery Date and Walnut Crisps This half-cracker, half-chip is just a little bit sweet, and a lot delicious. It has nine ingredients, all both familiar and pronouncable-- including organic wheat flour, dates, walnuts, brown sugar, buttermilk and molasses. The crisps taste great on their own, but slap on a little bit of peanut butter, or a thin layer of goat cheese spread...Wow! (www.mjsfinefoods.com)

Falafel Chips This is a great alternative to the traditional chip, because it packs in the whole grains—with only 110 calories and 5 grams of fat. Underneath that crunchy goodness lie 5 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein, so kids are secretly stocking up on some of the nutritional biggies while they munch away. The chips have a nutty, layered flavor-- they are to chips what pumpernickel is to bread. In other words, they're hearty. The perfect companion for a tupperware filled with hummus or bean dip. And while it may be tempting to buy the spicy flavor, be warned: these things are hot! If you don't want fire coming out of your kid's ears, go with the sesame or original. (www.flamousbrands.com)

Kaia Foods Buckwheat Crunchies Premium Raw Granola Cocoa Bliss These organic little nuggets are like gold for the body, containing buckwheat, agave nectar, raisins, coconut, flax seed, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, plus a little cacao powder and spices for good measure. It's the healthiest version of granola we've found, and makes for an interesting snack. It's also considered raw, meaning all the materials are treated below 115 degrees Farenheit, keeping the vitamins and antioxidants in good form. Don't expect your local grocery store to stock this stuff-- you'll mostly find it in natural food stores. (www.kaiafoods.com/about.html)

Sonoma Crisps Apple Sticks These sweet and tangy goodies look like shoestring French fries (bonus), but are fat free with only 70 calories (double bonus!) While they're crunchy, they contain no oil. A nice standin for fruit leather, the crisps don't get stuck in teeth the way traditional dried fruit does, and they have a less sticky consistency. A fun add-on for kids with a sweet tooth, with parents who want to keep them eating healthy. (www.sonomacrisps.com)

Meterobites: Blueberry Yogurt Flax  A cookie with only ten ingredients? A cookie chock full of flax seeds and omega-3s? A cookie with all that, that kids will want to eat? Believe it. These organic bite-sized circles are baked in apple puree, rather than oil, and full of healthy ingredients like blueberries, apples, flax seeds, cinammon, yogurt, rolled oats, and lemon juice. Sweetened with agave nectar and topped with a thin line of "frosting", they get a thumbs up from kids. But parents will love the nutrition facts: 3 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and just 1.7 grams of fat. Each little bag has only 105 calories. Shhh. No one needs to know... (www.galaxygranola.com)

Barbara's Whole Wheat Fig Bars  Got a fig cookie fan but looking for something a little more natural? These fig bars are made from whole wheat flour and sweetened with pinapple juice, date paste, and raisins. Super moist, they have an extra thick fruit center. At 60 calories each, no fat, and 8 grams of sugar, these guys are an almost guilt-free pleasure. A chewy treat, for when you want to stick a cookie in your kid's lunchbox. (www.worldpantry.com)

Lara Bar: Gingersnap or Lemon (skip the apple!) Nothing annoys me more than grocery store whining. And like most moms, I get my fair share of it on a weekly basis. Hats off to the Lara bar, a snack to which I can say “yes” without an ounce of guilt. Unlike its sugar coma-inducing neighbors in the energy bar aisle, this guy has ingredients I can actually pronounce. Things like dates, almonds, pecans, ginger, and cinnamon. All the sugars and carbs in the bar are from the fruit it’s made with and nothing more. Snack manufacturers say it’s impossible to make something good without refined sugar and hydrogenated oils. Shame on them. (www.larabar.com)

Guiltless Gourmet Mucho Nacho Tortilla Chips While no chip is exactly health food, Guiltless Gourmet has managed to create something both kids and parents can cheer about. At a mere 120 calories for 18 full-sized chips, it's easy to pack a sizable portion, without feeling the need to go to confession afterwards. And since these chips are baked, not fried, a lot of the grease of the typical crunch-satisfier is gone, and the chips sport just 3 grams of fat per serving, compared to their 10 or 12-gram brethren in the salty aisle. Kids won't care about that, because they won't notice-- these things taste like Doritos. As they munch away on their fat little handful (made from stone ground organic yellow corn, and ingredients you can actually pronounce), and as they thank you for finally packing them some "junk", try not to gloat. You can smile a guiltless smile, and enjoy their happiness. And even grab a few when they're not looking... (www.guiltlessgourmet.com)