Packing a healthy lunch. Make sure you have foods from at least 4 food groups.
My Plate reminds us that half the plate should be filled with vegetables and fruits. Find different ways to add vegetables to lunch. It can be served over brown rice, part of a sandwich or side salad. Really any way that your child likes!
Read more about the five food groups:
Vegetable Food Group - make half of the plate filled vegetables and fruit
Fruit Food Group - color the plate with different colored fruits and vegetables 
Dairy Food Group - drink or eat low fat (1%) or fat-free dairy products
Grains Food Group - make at least half the grains "100% whole grains"
Protein Food Group - vary the protein and keep it lean!
| Lunch Meal | Vegetable | Fruit | Grains | Dairy | Protein |
| Sliced ham and cheese sandwich with crunchy vegetable | crunchy vegetable | whole wheat bread | low fat cheese | ham | |
| tuna salad with fruit slices, milk | green bed of salad | fruit slices | low fat or skim milk | tuna | |
| Peanut butter and banana sandwich, milk and crunchy celery | celery | banana or apples | whole wheat bread | low fat or skim milk | Peanut butter or any nut/soy butter |
| cucumber pita sandwich, milk, handful of seeds | cucumber | whole wheat pita | low fat or skim milk | seeds | |
| vegetable soup and crackers, milk and handful of nuts | vegetable soup | whole grains crackers | low fat or skim milk | nuts | |
| Rolled sliced meat, cheese cubes, crackers and crunchy veggies | crunchy vegetable | whole grains crackers | low fat cheese cubes | sliced meat | |
| brown rice and stir fried and diced meat or tofu or beans | stir fried vegetable | brown rice | low fat or skim milk | meat or tofu or beans | |
| Fruits and vegetables with yogurt dip and crackers | vegetables | fruits | whole grains crackers | low fat yogurt dip | |
| Whole grains cereal fruit and nuts | fruit | whole grains cereal | low fat or skim milk | nuts | |
| Bean and cheese burrito with sliced mango | salsa | sliced mango | whole grains tortilla | low fat cheese | beans |
| Bagel with low fat cottage cheese, raisins, nuts and applesauce and nuts |
raisins, applesauce |
whole grains bagel | low fat cottage cheese | nuts | |
| baked potato, cheese, steamed vegetables, and lean turkey bacon bits, sliced fruit | baked potato with steamed vegetables | sliced fruit | low fat cheese | lean turkey bacon bits |
| Vegetable Group | Fruit Group | Grains Group | Dairy Group | Protein Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cucumbers sliced | Sliced mango | whole wheat bread | low fat or skim milk | edamame (soybean) |
| celery sticks | kiwi | whole oats bread | Vanilla low fat yogurt | sugar snap peas |
| carrots | apples | whole grain bagel | mozzarella cheese | leftover chicken |
| lettuce | handful of raisins | stick pretzels | low fat sliced cheese | handful of nuts |
| tomato | handful of dried cranberries | tortilla | cottage cheese | peanut butter |
| jicama | banana | cereal - 5 gm of fiber | cube cheese | boiled egg |
| sweet potato | melon balls | flatbread | fortified soy milk low fat or skim | egg salad |
| baked potato slices | sliced peaches | whole wheat shaped pasta | fortified lactose free milk low fat or skim | almond butter |
| corn and peas | strawberries | crackers | ricotta cheese cup | soy butter |
| cauliflower trees | blackberries | whole wheat pita | string cheese | tuna |
| broccoli trees | blueberries | whole wheat English muffins | milk based pudding cup | beans |
| zucchini sticks | cherries | rice cakes | ham slices | |
| peas in a pod | mixed fruit cup | brown rice | hummus | |
| cherry tomatoes | raspberries | sunflower seeds | ||
| green salad |
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