3. Pack a pouch

Sometimes eating lunch can stand between your child and playtime—you never know what they are going to take the time to eat. Make it count! If your carefully crafted sandwich is going to stay in its wrapping—know that O'Farm will give your kids farm-fresh fuel without sugaring them up or loading them down.

4. Add a crunchy option

My kids love Annie's Cheddar Bunnies, so that makes for an easy side. I’ve also let my kids make their own trail mixes before and it worked really well. For me—you have to let them add a few chocolate chips! We’re at a nut-free school, so we recently made mixes from the following:

• Pumpkin seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Toasted plain rice cereal
• Gluten free pretzels
• Coconut chips
• Goji berries
• Raisins

You can also try homemade crispy beet chips or kale chips!

5. Make a menu

I love the idea of letting the kids make a menu. Letting kids pick their own veggies and setting up a lunch station that empowers the kids to help assemble what’s on the menus is fun, too. The menu can include leftover pasta or pizza, too. We don’t have to get too fancy about it!

6. Include a sweet treat

Chocolate-covered fruits or seeds are always a good option. These homemade granola bars are a fan fave in my family, too!

7. Keep it fun

I try to include a note, joke, silly drawing, or fun fact they can share at the table. I don’t send a note every day, but every now and then I get crafty with them. (Check out our printable O'Farm lunchbox notes!)

8. Weelicious

I rely on Weelicious: my longtime friend Catherine McCord reinvented healthy fun school lunches. I go to her for inspiration, recipes and—always—a good laugh with a beautiful mama.

9. Clean up ASAP

One last tip from years of lunch-packing experience and some pretty picky eaters: clean out lunchboxes as soon as the kids get home! We have our kiddos clean them with a grown up present so we can monitor how much (or how little) they’re actually eating. It’s so frustrating!