Your mind might still be in summer vacation mode, but your grocery trips are about to go back to school.

	Lake Fong, Post-Gazette photos One idea for a healthy school lunch -- mini-carrots and pita bread to dip into hummus, along with a yogurt for calcium, 100 percent juice and a cookie or two. Click photo for larger image.

Maybe you've been packing kid lunches for day camp or road trips, picnics in the park or hikes in the hills. None of that, though, compares to the demanding daily deadline of packing the school lunch that is not just edible, but nutritious, tasty, creative, hip, even irresistible to your children.

For one thing, you're probably trying to balance the competing demands of getting your kids to eat healthily and getting them to eat, period. For another, there's the coolness factor to contend with, especially if you have kids in middle or high school -- what's the socially acceptable lunch, the trendy bag that will insulate your child from any possible insults about his or her lack of coolness?

And lastly, there's your own juggling act of work, after-school activities, bills, housework and grocery shopping. Add another ball: packing lunch.

Finding the time to make lunch for your kids, however, can yield great results for their health and ultimately for their self-esteem, according to Tanya Steel, author of a book by HarperCollins Publishers called "Real Food for Real Kids" that will be released next year.

"They might think they're being deprived of being able to eat french fries and pizza and cola like their friends," said Steel, who also is the editor-in-chief of epicurious.com, an online food magazine and database of recipes. "But they need to realize that every time they open their lunch box and see something Mom or Dad made for them specially, that you're taking the time to show them how much you care and love them, that you care about their health and want them to be the healthiest they possibly can be.

"It's like sending a love note."

Most parents, in fact, do pack their children's lunches rather than send them to school with lunch money, according to a poll conducted last month by Harris Interactive Market Research. About three in four parents with children in kindergarten through eighth grade pack lunch for their children while school is in session, and about half do so at least once a week. Of those parents who pack for their kids, about 65 percent work full time or are self-employed, according to the survey.

But just because parents pack their children's lunch doesn't mean their children eat it: About two parents in three who pack say their children have brought home part or all of their lunch after school. And about half said their children have confessed to buying something from the cafeteria, throwing away or trading part of their packed lunch.

Despite some gains, junk food remains widely available in many schools. (In May, the three major soda companies agreed to phase out their products from elementary and middle schools within four years, and some states, with California and Arizona at the forefront, are looking at banning junk food from school cafeterias statewide. In Pennsylvania, banning junk food remains voluntary for individual districts; Pittsburgh Public Schools have banned chips and sodas but not other junk food.)

And not to put too much pressure on you, but to compete with junk food, your lunches -- and your sales pitch to your kids -- had better be good.

Different tactics work best for boys and girls, Ms. Steel said. Boys often respond well when they're made to feel manly and brave for trying something new, she said, while girls tend to respond to food that looks good and will make them look good, she said.

	Vegetable and cheese wrap with yogurt, grapes and dips. Click photo for larger image.

In a society plagued by both obesity and damaging eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia, that's a crucial point to make beginning at a young age.

"One thing is to try to instill in kids that they're the coolest because they're eating healthy, and they're going to be like Lance Armstrong," she said. "And parents can say to girls, 'This is going to make you look so strong and beautiful and healthy.' That's the best way to fight that peer pressure."

When it comes to the lunch itself, think hard about how much food your kids can really eat in the 20 to 30 minutes -- or less -- they have for a lunch break, according to experts.

Until boys turn 8 and girls turn 11, a whole sandwich is just too much food for most kids, according to Judy Dodd, a registered dietician, assistant professor of sports medicine and nutrition for the University of Pittsburgh, and a nutrition adviser for Giant Eagle.

"They end up trading it and giving it to a child who really doesn't need it," she said. "You give a child a piece of fruit -- a whole piece of fruit -- and half a sandwich and a beverage, that's a meal."

And that beverage -- 100 percent fruit juice, water or shelf-stable milk -- should be the smallest amount you can find at the grocery store. Otherwise, she said, kids are likely to drink their beverage first because it's fast, then feel too full to eat anything else.

"An hour later they'll be hungry, and they're not allowed to eat then, and that affects performance," Ms. Dodd said.

(Horizon Organic has created an organic, ultra-pasteurized milk in a juice box-like container, complete with straw. It comes in plain, vanilla and chocolate flavors and can be found in the dairy section of larger grocery stores. While it tastes better chilled and kept cool with a freezer pack, it does not need refrigeration and is safe to include in a packed lunch.)

Also, lunch is not dependent on the sandwich, Ms. Dodd said. Children who've been introduced to hummus at home can be given hummus with carrot sticks, celery sticks and cubed whole wheat pita for dipping, she said. Celery sticks are also good when stuffed with cream cheese or peanut butter, and raisins are tasty.

Cut-up apples -- splashed with orange juice to keep them from browning -- also are good dipped into peanut butter, providing protein, fiber and tasty crunch. (Jif now makes peanut butter in small, sealed, disposable to-go cups, although they contain more than one child-sized portion.)

Before sending peanut butter, peanuts, or tree nuts or butter (such as almond butter) to school, find out whether such foods are restricted because of other students' allergies, Ms. Dodd said.

"Peanuts can be deadly, so as a parent you need to talk to the school and be sensitive -- don't consider somebody with a problem as being hysterical. They're not," she said.

Cheese sticks, which now come individually wrapped, are good on their own or wrapped with lettuce in a tortilla, Ms. Dodd said. Include salsa in a small resealable container for dipping and, if you like, mix in a few spoonsful of plain yogurt for added calcium and sour cream-like flavor.

Fruit and cheese kabobs -- threaded onto a small, flexible cocktail straw, not onto a skewer or toothpick that can become a weapon -- are another fun, creative way to get kids to eat foods rich in calcium, vitamins and protein, according to Ms. Dodd.

Ideally, lunches should include both a fruit and a vegetable every day -- for young children, a whole sectioned orange or apple, a handful of grapes, half a sliced banana on a peanut butter sandwich, single-serving applesauce or other packaged fruit, and four or five baby carrots, celery sticks or cherry tomatoes are all tasty and healthful. Increase portions as children reach middle school or tell you they want more.

And there's nothing wrong with chocolate milk instead of plain, if that's what it takes to get your kids to drink milk, Ms. Dodd said. Likewise, a few cookies or Hershey's Kisses make a nice treat without filling kids up too much to eat the healthy part of their lunch -- and teach that treats can be part of a meal as long as they're not the whole meal.

Not all treats have to be sweets, though, Ms. Dodd said.

"Why not include a sticker, a little note or a little book, something the child can enjoy?" she said. "It doesn't have to be food."

Likewise, lunch should include at least two or three food groups, but it doesn't necessarily have to be "lunch" food, said Ms. Steel.

"If they love whole-grain cereal, that's fine to eat for lunch," she said. "And then dinner is when you can give them the vegetables and the produce and the protein."

Children should also be given a snack such as honey-wheat pretzels, animal crackers, graham crackers, popcorn, nuts, fruit, dried fruit, vegetables or a half sandwich to eat right after school, even before they get home, she said. After all, it's been hours since lunch for most kids, they're hungry and they'll eat any snack they can find -- including their neighbor's candy bar.

Once children reach middle school, "coolness" starts to become even more important, as pre-teens struggle to find their place in an often-judgmental adolescent society where no flaw, real or perceived, is too small to escape notice.

"All you need to do is stand in a school hallway and listen to the abuse kids give each other," Ms. Dodd said. "They know who gets the free lunches. They know who has the rotten lunches and they know who has the stupid lunches -- they talk about it."

Stupid lunches?

Stinky lunches, Ms. Dodd said. Tuna fish. Salami. Sausages. Strong-smelling cheeses. Ethnic foods, or anything unfamiliar to the other kids. Even whole wheat bread is sometimes ridiculed as "dirty."

By middle school, wraps and pita pockets are popular, as are salads. But instead of guessing what to fix, give your child choices of what he or she wants to eat, within the boundaries of what is healthful and affordable.

By helping you shop for and pack their lunch -- and ultimately, packing their own -- kids feel more involved in the process and are more likely to eat what they take to school with them, according to Ms. Dodd and Ms. Steel.

But not if you send it to school in a plastic grocery store bag, Ms. Dodd said. Look for a thermal, insulated bag with pockets that is tapered so that it will fit into a backpack. Being seen carrying a lunch bag is not hip.

"You don't walk out carrying a lunch bag separate from the backpack," she said. "You have to go back to what's cool. Otherwise, they will deliberately skip their lunch or leave it somewhere."

That lunch bag should include a freezer pack, which you should use to keep foods chilled. Smoothies, yogurts, juices and sandwiches (as long as they don't contain mayonnaise) can all be frozen until the morning they're packed, helping keep them colder longer. Unless there's nothing to spoil in the bag, food cannot safely be left at more than 45 degrees for longer than two cumulative hours -- and that clock starts ticking as soon as the food leaves your refrigerator, Ms. Dodd said.

While you might have left your lunch unrefrigerated for longer than two hours as a kid, today's food supply is much more complicated and potentially more contaminated than it used to be, she said.

"Don't take the chance -- we have more processed, pre-sliced food, more time zones to get it from the producer to your house and then to school," she said. "With foodborne illness, a lot depends on how many people handled it and the temperature it was kept at."

While it might take a little more time and care, packing lunch for your child can be healthier, cheaper and tastier than giving out lunch money for the cafeteria or sending kids to school with a pre-packaged meal such as Lunchables.

That way, you can pack your own meal that's fresh, not weeks old, and add fruit that's cut that morning.

"I feel those pre-packaged meals are useful if you're going on a long trip and you're really stuck, but why not use your refrigerator and learn to pack lunch yourself? You'll save money, and you can control portions."

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CONFETTI TURKEY SALAD SANDWICH

According to our research, turkey is a lunch-time hit with kids.

This salad recipe starts with roasted turkey leftovers or a 3/4-inch-thick slice purchased from the delicatessen section at the grocery store.

The flavorful punch comes from crunchy fresh vegetables and dried sweetened cranberries.

• 2 cups (about 3/4 pound) cooked turkey
  
• 1 green or yellow pepper, seeded and diced
  
• 1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
  
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
  
• 2 scallions, minced (optional)
  
• 1/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries
  
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  
• 6 sandwich rolls

Remove the skin from the turkey and cut the meat into 1/2-inch cubes. In a large bowl, toss the turkey, pepper, carrot, celery, scallions and cranberries. Stir in just enough mayonnaise to hold the mixture together.

Slice the sandwich rolls in half and hollow out a portion of each center to keep the turkey salad from spilling out of the sandwiches.

Makes 4 1/2 cups, enough for six sandwiches.

-- Family Fun Magazine

FOUR-CHEESE PITA POCKET

This pocket sandwich is packed with an Italian-seasoned blend of four cheeses. If you want to add a little extra oomph, spread on some of your child's favorite spicy mustard.

• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
  
• 2 tablespoons grated mozzarella cheese
  
• 2 tablespoons grated provolone cheese
  
• 2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
  
• 1/8 teaspoon dried basil
  
• Pinch of dried oregano
  
• Dash of black pepper
  
• 1 pita bread pocket

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, stir together the cheeses, herbs and pepper. Split the bread halfway around the edge and fill it with the cheese mixture. Wrap the sandwich in aluminum foil and bake for about 10 minutes or until heated through. Cool before wrapping in plastic wrap or wax paper.

Makes 1 serving.

-- Family Fun Magazine

PIZZA IN A PITA

Few foods have a higher lunchtime approval rating than pizza. This one, with the main attractions packed inside pita bread, can be served plain for finicky types or loaded with extras, such as pepperoni, olives or peppers, for daredevils.

• 1 whole-wheat pita bread
  
• 1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
  
• 2 tablespoon pizza or tomato sauce

Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees. Split the pita bread halfway around the edge and spoon in the cheese, tomato sauce and any toppings. Wrap the pita in aluminum foil and bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until the cheese melts. Let cool and wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper.

Makes 1 serving.

-- Family Fun Magazine

SPICY POPCORN

The key to this recipe is cooking the popcorn in vegetable oil. Popcorn prepared in a hot-air popper will be too dry for the spices to stick to. You may want to make a double batch for your kids to snack on after school or while doing homework.

• 8 cups freshly popped popcorn (about 1/3 cup kernels cooked in 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil)
  
• 1 teaspoon no-salt seasoning
  
• Chili powder

Put the popped popcorn into a paper bag and sprinkle on the seasoning. Add 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder, fold over the top of the bag and shake it vigorously.

Sample popcorn to see if it is spicy enough for your family. If not, add more chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon at a time, until popcorn passes your kids' taste test.

Makes 8 cups.

-- Family Fun Magazine