Fun foods don’t have to be deep-fried or full of preservatives. Just think bite-size, dippable, and varied when looking for kids lunch ideas. Natural foods aisles in many grocery stores have a lot of healthier products, such as snacks sweetened only with fruit juice or packaged with fewer trans-fats and preservatives.

Here are five kids lunch ideas for health-conscious meals that are easy to prepare and fun. Whether your child is a try-anything eater or has the pickiest appetite ever seen, these lunches are sure to please.

Deconstructed Sandwiches

Instead of buying prepacked sets of crackers, cheese, and deli meats, put together a homemade version. Your child can even help out the night before, picking out the crackers, meat, cheese, and a small dessert. Another fun idea is to use mini cookie cutters (about the same size as the crackers) to cut the lunch meat slices into fun shapes. (The leftovers make a good mid-morning nibble for you!)

Some options:

• veggie or water cracker rounds
• chicken or turkey deli meat, cut into roughly cracker-size pieces
• part-skim mozzarella or cheddar slices, cut into roughly cracker-size squares
• fruit cup (packed in juice) or unsweetened applesauce

Grilled Cheese Pockets

As a variation on the standard pan-browned cheese sandwich, try using a sandwich maker; some machines even make the crispy triangles sealed around the edges. Use whole-grain bread and low-fat or part-skim cheeses, which are healthier than their whole-milk counterparts and melt better than completely fat-free versions. Include a couple of fruit leathers and a handful of baked pita or potato chips in the lunch bag, too.

Turkey-Cran Tortilla Bites

Instead of packing a bulky wrap or burrito, slice up a tightly rolled tortilla and fillings. The trick is to spread all the ingredients evenly rather than pile them into the middle like in a traditional wrap sandwich.

Lay the tortilla flat, then spread a thin layer of cranberry sauce over the whole surface. Top with one layer of lettuce leaves, then with pulled turkey (in smallish pieces) or deli meat slices. Roll tightly, then cut into one- or two-bite pieces, holding each piece closed with kid-safe toothpicks. (For vegetarian kids, try it with a thicker spread of hummus, thin slices of peppers and cucumber, and lettuce.) Toss in a box of raisins and a few animal crackers on the side.

Dipping Day

Everything in this lunch is bite-size and gets dunked. Pack them loosely in separate containers for younger children, or in rows on “skewers” for older ones.

• Chicken nibblers with honey mustard
• Baked tortilla chips and tomato salsa
• Baby carrots and cut-up celery sticks with light ranch dressing
• Sliced apple, banana, and peach with fruit yogurt (or plain yogurt stirred with all-fruit jam)

Sneaky Vegetables

Have a picky eater in the house? There are tons of ways to sneak vegetables into their meals without their knowing. Our favorite is homemade sauce. Whether you’re sending your child to school with a small serving of pasta or an English muffin pizza, all it takes is heating vegetables in a pan and blending them together in a blender. The best part is, it only takes 30 minutes to prepare and makes 8 servings, so you can make it the night before school and save the rest for later! Plus, you can opt for this vegan mac and cheese! There are six (yes, six!) hidden vegetables in the “cheese” sauce, and it goes perfectly over whole wheat macaroni for maximum health benefits. Yum!

Nutella and Banana “Sushi”

It’s as easy and delicious as it sounds– take a tortilla and line it with a layer of Nutella. Cut up a banana and place the pieces on top of the Nutella. Then, roll up the tortilla, and cut between each banana slice so it creates little sushi-like pieces. Paired with extra fruit and vegetables, this is a sweet treat that your child will look forward to every time! You can also do this with a variety of different wraps to make lunch time a little more fun, using ingredients like hummus and peppers or chicken and aioli. Get creative with it!

Breakfast Tacos

Breakfast for lunch, anyone? This is a fun one for Friday to lead into the weekend. Make your favorite pancake recipe then fold them over like tacos. Fill the pancake “taco shell” with yogurt and a variety of fruits, and sweeten things with a drizzle of honey or authentic maple syrup. It may be a little messy, so don’t forget to pack a fork and some napkins too!

Lunchbox Kabobs

Essentially a sandwich on a stick, a lunch kabob takes lunchtime favorites and gives them a fun twist! The best part is, it’s fully customizable to your child’s preferences. Just follow the vegetable → protein → dairy (or dairy alternative) → vegetable formula for a perfect kabob every time.

Sharkadillas

A fun lunchtime companion will put a smile on your child’s face every time! These quesadillas are shaped and decorated to look like sharks, making for a fun lunchtime surprise.

Build a Bento Box!

Bento boxes are fun, easy ways to get all the food groups covered. Pick one from the following category:

Protein:

• Peanut butter
• Tofu
• Chicken nuggets
• Turkey slices

Fruit:

• Apples
• Grapes
• Oranges
• Dried apricots

Veggies:

• Celery
• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• Cauliflower

Some crunch:

• Crackers
• Goldfish
• Veggie straws
• Pretzel sticks

Sweet treat:

Fruit snack gummies

Chocolate chip cookie

Cereal bar

Yogurt covered pretzels

Originally posted in 2007 and updated regularly.