Dietitian and mother Johannah Katz: “I prioritize four food groups in my children's school lunches”

Johannah Katz keeps her children's school lunches focused on nutrition rather than elaborate presentation. The dietitian and mother of two says each lunch should cover four categories: protein, fiber-rich carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables, and healthy fats.

That approach does not mean preparing gourmet meals or turning cucumbers into stars. Katz balances work, school, extracurricular activities, sports and household responsibilities, so she puts the nutritional content first and leaves decoration aside.

She regularly repeats some foods in the lunch boxes while changing the side dishes and snacks. Katz says repetition also appears in adult eating patterns and does not automatically make a diet less nutritious. Although she considers exposure to a variety of foods important, she says that variety does not have to happen during every school lunch.

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My children simply need to be well fed, and for me, that means making sure the categories I want to include are covered: protein, fiber-rich carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats.

Her regular choices include ready-to-eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bean-based pasta with peas, freeze-dried fruit, single-ingredient snacks, low-sugar yogurt, fruit purees, small bars and hard-boiled eggs. She uses a multipurpose fruit and vegetable cutter and a dedicated egg-steaming device to save time.

Katz also relies on prepared products because she knows her children will eat them and because they reduce stress. For her, a lunch box does not need to become a unique creation or an "artistic masterpiece" every day.

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Artistic masterpiece