Healthy School Lunches: Sneaky Items That Seem Sinful (continued)

Doctor Kracker Sunflower Cheddar Flatbreads We must say that we were a little dubious when we read the ingredients on the box. Spelt flour? Flax seeds? 8 grams of whole grains? What kid in his right mind would touch these things with a ten foot pole? Then we opened the package and changed our tune. With a crunch so robust it might disturb the neighbors in the school cafeteria, and a chunky shape just begging for a swipe of peanut butter, or a dip of hummus, we think this cracker might have just the yum-factor to keep the lunchtime food doldrums at bay. An excellent way to sneak in some whole grain goodness when your kid refuses to eat any bread other than Wonder White. (www.drkracker.com)

Lesser Evil Krinkle Sticks  Kids like chips. You can moan all you want, but get used to it. Why not prevent the inevitable carrot stick—potato chip trade by sticking in some chips of your own? Unlike the 10 grams of fat in the old-fashioned oily favorite, these sticks have just 2.5 grams per serving and 110 calories. They’re baked, not fried, have no trans-fats, and no preservatives. But more importantly (to kids anyway), they come in a cool crinkled shape—kind of like crispy French fries. (www.lesserevil.com/)

Kashi Tasty Little Cereal Bars These snack bars do the trick when you need to round-out a meal. Pack this bar with a bowl of fruit and plain yogurt, and you've got lunch covered. Unlike a lot of other cereal bars on the market, these are missing highly refined sweeteners and hydrogenated oils. Each portion contains only 110 calories, 3 grams of fat and 9 grams of sugar. Plus, each soft-baked bar packs 7 whole grains, 2 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fiber, tucked into a Fig Newton-type snack full of real-fruit filling in flavors like apple spice, blackberry and strawberry. Because they're soft and a little sweet, they make a great dessert or special treat. And since they're whole grain, this is fuel that will last past recess. (www.kashi.com)

Nairn's Mixed Berry Oat Biscuits With the no nonsense hardiness of a Scottish oat biscuit plus a hint of scone-y sweetness, these berry-studded biscuits make for a delicious and nutritious cookie stand-in. Two of these slim 100% whole grain biscuits contain only 3 grams of fat and 2 grams of sugar, but you wouldn't know it judging from taste alone. Great dunked into a glass of milk or nibbled plain, the biscuits come conveniently separated in 4 six-biscuit packages per box - perfect for slipping into a lunch box or serving up as an after school snack. So swap the cookies for this tasty alternative - your kids might even thank you! (www.nairns-oatcakes.com) Newman's Own Chocolate Alphabet Cookies Let's face it: kids want dessert in their lunch box. Parents want to keep fat and sugar out of mix. Newman's Own Chocolate Alphabet Cookies may be the happy medium you've been looking for. These crunchy little goodies are made with organic flour, organic sugar, and organic palm fruit oil--a type of oil which isn't hydrogenated, contains no trans-fatty acids, and is low in saturated fat. 10 cookies packs 120 calories, 9 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of fat--less than most cereal bars--yet your child will swear he's had dessert. And, because each square-shaped cookie has a letter imprinted on it, your child will be getting in a little extra reading practice over lunch. For fun, write a riddle for your child's lunch box, then hand-pick the answers from the Newman's Own package and put them in a baggie for your child's lunch box. Can he find the hidden answer in his dessert? He'll get lots of letter practice trying! (www.newmansown.com)

Drinks

Gojilania Goji and Mangosteen Goji is revered for its health benefits, yet it's often a tough sell for kids. This drink, mixed with the pear- like fruit mangosteen, is a sweet way to get your goji on. It has 120 calories and 27 grams of sugar, so while it's certainly not sugar-free, it's also a kid-friendly source of vitamins and antioxidants. (www.brandstormus.com/gojilania/)

Vita CoCo Coconut Water with Tangerine Coconut water is naturally loaded with good-for-you properties, but it's not exactly a kid-magnet. This version is flavored, making it a nice option for the lunchbox. Our favorite, the tangerine flavor, looks like fruit juice in the glass, but it's light, refreshing, and not nearly as sweet. This baby packs more electrolytes than a sports drink, with the potassium of two bananas, only 70 calories, and no fat. It has about 1/5 less sugar than a typical juice box, but it still contains about 17 grams of the sweet stuff. So make this an ocassional treat, not a daily addition. (www.vitacoco.com/benefits.html)

Honest Tea Black Forest Berry All we can say is...yum! Considering that a serving of this stuff contains a mere 30 calories, way less than the 130-calorie-wallop of most kids' drink pouches, this drink tastes darn good. Honest Tea has a line made specifically for kids, but this bottle isn't one of them. Still, it's caffeine-free and just sweet enough to get the sweetie in your life interested. Plus, there's no high fructose corn syrup, just organic cane sugar. The drink is a fruit-infusion, or tisane, according to the package. But forget the fancy talk, this is just a long, thirst-quenching swallow of berry-licious goodness. And it's got 1/3 the sugar of a standard iced tea. (www.honesttea.com)

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. (www.honesttea.com/products/kids)