Parents, this one is for you! Your kids are your top priority and you love them with all your heart. You try so hard to feed them healthy food, but sometimes it is a struggle getting them to actually eat the healthy options.

News 2’s Ashley Yost, anchor with WBTW’s sister station, teamed up with healthy eating expert, Dr. Ann Kulze for our News 2 Healthy Lunches Series. Dr. Ann is a physician who specializes in health and wellness. She is also an award-winning and best-selling author.

Our Healthy Lunch Series will air each morning at 6:15 a.m. on News 2 Today during the week of Monday, March 20 – Friday, March 24. Each day we will show you a healthy meal to prepare for your kid’s lunch box. We asked Dr. Anne to give us some “out of the box” options. Each meal is packed with nutrients and with foods your kids will be excited to eat! All week on News 2 Today, Ashley and Dr. Ann will show you the ingredients you need for each meal and how to make them.

Avoid the return of the smashed fruit! Dr. Anne gives you tips for success. Research shows that simply changing the way you prepare an item can increase the likelihood that your child will actually eat it.

CLICK HERE for Dr. Ann’s healthy lunch box tips. Doing these tricks of the trade will help increase the likelihood that your child actually eats those healthy items.

Dr. Ann also lays out her 3 building blocks for a healthy lunch. First, a lean protein; second, a fiber-rich carb (at least 1 piece of produce); third, a calcium-rich food. She says these are the three things kids need to be productive at school and to assist their growing bodies.

CLICK HERE for lists of options to pick for each of the 3 healthy lunch building blocks.

Click the links below for the ingredients and directions for all 5 meals:

Monday: CLICK HERE for Healthy Kid-Friendly PB&J

Tuesday: CLICK HERE for Healthy Kid-Friendly Pumpkin Peanut Roll

Wednesday: CLICK HERE Healthy Kid-Friendly Yogurt Parfait

Thursday: CLICK HERE Kid-Friendly Omega-3 Pita Pocket

Friday: CLICK HERE Healthy Kid-Friendly Green Goddess Wrap

Also, Dr. Anne shares the health benefits of each lunch. She tells you which food items help your child’s brain, their heart, their muscles and their overall health. This is a series you are not going to want to miss!

Got a tried and true “main item” that your child loves and looking to switch it up with some different side items? CLICK HERE for some A-La-Carte side items to complete your child’s lunch.