3. Make it mini.
Kids like cute things, and mini versions of favorite foods also happen to be a great way to keep portion sizes in check. You can go mini with lots of things by using a mini muffin pan. The silicone ones make it super easy for your baked goods to pop out. Try minimizing your favorite recipes for quick breads, crustless quiche, brownies, and more. These are my picks:

• Garden Vegetable Crustless Quiche
  This will work as a mini if you dice the tomatoes instead of leaving them whole.
• Zucchini Bread
  Mini chocolate chips will up the fun and flavor of this healthy snack.
• Cheesecake Brownies
  Don’t worry about the swirl on top when you go mini. Simply fold the cream cheese mixture into the brownie mixture.

4. Serve up the seasons.
According to Hugh Garvey, the coauthor of the fabulous new book The Gastrokid Cookbook, back to school is the perfect time to go seasonal with kids’ lunches. “The farmers’ markets are full of flavorful, late summer produce that’s super sweet and requires little preparation to make it taste amazing.”

For a kid-friendly salad that won’t wilt in the heat, Garvey suggests dicing up tomatoes and cucumbers; tossing with dressing, and salt, and pepper; mixing with couscous; and adding in a bit of feta or fresh, diced mozzarella. (This Health recipe is similar.) Other fun, seasonal items are dinosaur plums (a type of “pluot,” a cross between a plum and apricot) and donut peaches.

5. Go global.
When you’re trying to get your kids to eat something new, say North African–Spiced Vegetable Tagine or Hoisin Chicken With Soba Noodles, you may have to cater to their other interests. Let them play explorer, like Dora, and point out on a map where Morocco and China are, for instance. Go to Wikipedia and learn about new places and foods together.

For bonus points: Print out factoids that go with that day’s lunch and fold them into a napkin. Your little history buff will love learning that his Mongolian Beef is named after the place that Genghis Khan controlled in the 13th century.

Next page: Get creative