Pick up know-how for tackling diseases, pests and weeds.
Farm bill, farm marketing, agribusiness webinars, & farm policy.
Find tactics for healthy livestock and sound forages.
Scheduling and methods of irrigation.
Explore our Extension locations around the state.
Commercial row crop production in Arkansas.
Agriculture weed management resources.
Use virtual and real tools to improve critical calculations for farms and ranches.
Learn to ID forages and more.
Explore our research locations around the state.
Get the latest research results from our county agents.
Our programs include aquaculture, diagnostics, and energy conservation.
Keep our food, fiber and fuel supplies safe from disaster.
Private, Commercial & Non-commercial training and education.
Specialty crops including turfgrass, vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals.
Find educational resources and get youth engaged in agriculture.
Gaining garden smarts and sharing skills.
Creating beauty in and around the home.
Maintenance calendar, and best practices.
Coaxing the best produce from asparagus to zucchini.
What’s wrong with my plants? The clinic can help.
Featured trees, vines, shrubs and flowers.
Ask our experts plant, animal, or insect questions.
Enjoying the sweet fruits of your labor.
Herbs, native plants, & reference desk QA.
Growing together from youth to maturity.
Crapemyrtles, hydrangeas, hort glossary, and weed ID databases.
Get beekeeping, honey production, and class information.
Grow a pollinator-friendly garden.
Schedule these timely events on your gardening calendar.
Equipping individuals to lead organizations, communities, and regions.
Guiding communities and regions toward vibrant and sustainable futures.
Guiding entrepreneurs from concept to profit.
Position your business to compete for government contracts.
Find trends, opportunities and impacts.
Providing unbiased information to enable educated votes on critical issues.
Increase your knowledge of public issues & get involved.
Research-based connection to government and policy issues.
Support Arkansas local food initiatives.
Read about our efforts.
Preparing for and recovering from disasters.
Licensing for forestry and wildlife professionals.
Preserving water quality and quantity.
Cleaner air for healthier living.
Firewood & bioenergy resources.
Managing a complex forest ecosystem.
Read about nature across Arkansas and the U.S.
Learn to manage wildlife on your land.
Soil quality and its use here in Arkansas.
Learn to ID unwanted plant and animal visitors.
Timely updates from our specialists.
Eating right and staying healthy.
Ensuring safe meals.
Take charge of your well-being.
Cooking with Arkansas foods.
Making the most of your money.
Making sound choices for families and ourselves.
Nurturing our future.
Get tips for food, fitness, finance, and more!
Understanding aging and its effects.
Giving back to the community.
Managing safely when disaster strikes.
Listen to our latest episode!
Lunchbox dilemma – what would you like for lunch?
University of Arkansas System Division of AgricultureSaline County Cooperative Extension Service
1605 Edison Ave.Benton, AR 72015
Tips from Extension Educator Kristal Draper on keeping our homes healthy and stylish!
by Kristal Draper
Soon this question will be asked a lot, what would you like for lunch? School will be back in session at area schools soon and children with backpacks and lunch boxes will be a familiar sight. The dilemma begins with what to pack in that lunchbox that is both healthy and acceptable to your child. In a brown bag or colorful lunch box, you can make your child’s lunch worth bragging about.
With a little planning and preparation, you can pack lunches with ease, and you will know it’s healthy. Planning is key. Plan out what you will put in the lunch; make sure it has a protein, healthy grain, and strive for 3 fruits and/or vegetables. Let your children buy milk from school and you have provided them with a well-balanced lunch.
For many, sandwiches are the mainstay of the brown bag lunch. Add variety to the lunch by trying different kinds and shapes of breads. Breads made from whole-grains, such as whole-wheat, multi-grain, rye, and pumpernickel provide additional dietary fiber as well as introduce a new flavor to the same old sandwich. Bagels, biscuits, rolls, tortillas, bagels and pita pockets are a few of the breads that lend different shapes to sandwiches.
Consider a tortilla wrap with lean turkey, spinach leaves and cheese rolled up and cut into spirals for little hands or cut in half for older children. You have included 4 of the 5 food groups. Add a fruit salad cup and you have a complete meal that you can make the night before and refrigerate.
Already tired of the cheese sandwich? Send cheese cubes and pretzel sticks for them to make their own kebabs. Freeze the cheese cubes the night before and they will thaw by lunch time, still safe to eat. Add in a hardboiled egg, grapes, and cucumber and carrots with ranch dressing. With a little prep work, you have included all the food groups.
Check the school policy for peanut butter. Some schools have policies against it due to severe allergies. If your school does not, then add variety to the peanut butter and jelly sandwich by replacing the jelly with slices of fresh fruit like bananas or apples. Or make a peanut butter and banana “dog.” Spreading peanut butter between raisin bread makes another yummy sandwich. Add in cherry tomatoes and sugar snap peas and the meal is complete.
Many grab bags of chips to go with a sandwich. Instead of chips, send pretzels, pretzel crisps, whole wheat crackers, whale shaped crackers or cheese flavored crackers. They get one serving from the grains group, whereas chips provide little more than calories, fat, and sodium.
Think out of the box when you prepare lunch. Consider an English Muffin Pepperoni Pizza with salad on a stick, apple slices, and cantaloupe and watermelon. Don’t worry about the lunch items not being warm, kids are used to eating pizza and other foods cold. Have you seen how many of those prepackaged boxes there are? So make them at home and pack them. Then you will know they are eating healthy because you can choose turkey pepperoni and add veggies such as diced onions and the sweet yellow bell pepper and they have a pizza that will be the envy of the lunchroom.
Include grilled cheese sticks with marinara sauce, salad on a stick, and mandarin oranges. Make it up the night before and refrigerate. Include money for milk at school, a napkin and fork for the oranges. This is another easy, well balanced meal.
Think out of the box on vegetables, crunchy raw vegetables like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach leaves, red, yellow and orange bell pepper slices with dipping sauce are usually a hit. If you aren’t sure your child will eat those, give it a try; you might be surprised. Chances are they may have already tried them at school. Make salad on a stick, using a coffee stirrer, alternate spinach leaves, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella cheese cubes. Add a small container of dressing. Or if you have salad eaters, make a chef’s salad in a cup. All you need is a plastic cup with layered salad ingredients and a container of dressing on the side. Add an apple or clementine and it’s a balanced meal. Just don’t forget the fork.
Be creative and think out of the box. The same old sandwich and chips can get boring. Don’t forget to include cheerful note, riddle or words of encouragement. A simple smiley face drawn on paper can brighten anyone’s day, regardless of how old they are.
English Muffin Pizza Snack
The recipe can be heated and then refrigerated or included in their lunch box uncooked.