Lunch Box: PB&J Makeover

This scrumptious mid-day meal is packed with fresh flavors, crunchy textures, and eye-pleasing color. Don't tell the kids, but it's also full of fiber and antioxidants! Serve with skim milk or water.

• Unsightly science. Cut apples start to turn brown from oxidation as soon as they hit the air. Keep a small spray bottle in the fridge filled with a mixture of water and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Mist sliced or grated apples to keep them crisp and pretty until lunch time.
• Make ahead. Make sandwiches the night before and store them, wrapped, in the fridge. The carrot salad will keep in the fridge for a couple of days, but you might want to lift it out with a fork to drain the juices a bit before portioning into small containers for lunches. Muffins can be baked ahead of time and either stored, wrapped, in the fridge or frozen (defrost in the fridge overnight).
• Make it easy. Use your food processor to shred apples and carrots quickly.
• Make it different. Sandwich: substitute bananas for apples. Try almond or cashew butter instead of peanut butter, or chunky peanut butter instead of smooth. Wrap sandwich ingredients in whole wheat tortillas instead of using bread.
  Salad: add raisins or dried cranberries. Omit nuts if you wish.
  Muffins: exercise portion control by making mini muffins.
• Make it safe. Freeze a small carton of milk or bottle of water to keep lunches nicely chilled until ready to eat.