The Healthy Lunchbox (Paperback)

by Marie McClendon (Author), Cristy Shauck (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Dozens of easy menus and tips to help you give your children healthy lunch-on-the-go alternatives

This upbeat guide is full of healthy alternatives to junk food–laden lunches. Drawing on her years of experience as both an educator and a mother, Marie McLendon has created a book loaded with recipes, menus, tips, and suggestions. This resource rescues you from the mundane and stressful task of figuring out how to pack a healthy lunch that your kids will actually eat.

About the Author

Marie McClendon, M.Ed., a mother and a teacher, has packed thousands of lunches and seen thousands of children’s lunchroom antics.

Cristy Shauck is a journalist for the Denver Metro publication Kids’ Pages.

Product Details

• Paperback: 124 pages
• Publisher: American Diabetes Association; 1 edition (December 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580402402
• ISBN-13: 978-1580402408
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,842 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quick, easy and healthy lunches for kids, June 9, 2006

By	chococat (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

The Healthy Lunchbox provides a solid basis for parents to provide their children with healthy lunches that pack up quickly and easily.

The book is divided into four parts: Part One, "Get Ready!", outlines the nutrional needs of kids; Part Two, "Get Set!", helps parents with the logistics of packing lunches (how to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold, menu suggestions, ideas on how to get your children to eat what you pack, not trade it away, alternatives to junk food, etc.); Part Three, "Go!", where all the recipes are housed; and Part Four, "More Food for Thought," where the authors give parents further resources.

I read the first two parts (after looking at all the recipes!) and the information was solid and written in a conversational tone. My reason for buying the book, of course, was the recipes and I was not disappointed. There was a wide variety of foods (from your standard english muffin pizza to japanese style california rolls) presented under three headings: Sandwiches, Salads, Soups, Casseroles, and Other Main Dishes; Fruit and Veggie Side Dishes and Snacks; and Snacks and Desserts. As promised, the recipes are quick and easy, and each has its own nutrional index covering calories, total fat (further broken down into saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and monunsaturated fat), cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates (further broken down into dietary fiber and sugars), protein, and exchanges. Serving size, total servings, prep time and cook time are also included. Indeed, this book is very comprehensive.

Additionally, the recipes in this book can appeal to adults and children alike, so that weekend lunches and adult lunchboxes can benefit, too. My particular favorite is the Turkey Lurkey Jerky - it's easy (although time-intensive) and tasty and now I can make my husband's favorite snack without any preservatives or other nasties. In fact, the first batch I made was eaten the same day (much to my chagrin)! This recipe alone was worth the cost of the book to me!

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good suggestions, September 15, 2007

By	Michele Reviewer "raw mama" (dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This book has a wide range of useful information. I was looking for creative ideas to make taking lunch more fun, and this book was full of them. I also liked that it didn't rely on foods some kids are allergic or intolerant to.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and easy!, February 13, 2006

By	Julie R. Cowan "Busy Mom" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is what every mom needs to keep handy in the kitchen! I have used it for my kids' lunches and for my husband's! This "resource" book is easy to reference and the nutritional research has been done for you!
A must for moms!