Easy school lunch ideas
Here’s the second topic I’d like to ask your help for. Because I get lots of questions about it, I’m going to put a recipe collection together of healthy lunch ideas (especially school lunches). If you email me (robyn@greensmoothiegirl.com) or post on this blog with your favorite ideas (recipes encouraged!), I’ll put you on a list to get the collection FREE when it’s done. Thanks a million!
Making different pate’s to spread on homemade bread and/or crackers. Nori rolls with cauliflower instead of white sticky rice with avocado and shredded carrots, cucumbers, etc. peanut butter with fresh fruit sandwiches. If i think of anything else i will add.
1. Raw veggie fajitas (sprouted grain tortilla with veggies – strips of zucchini, yellow squash, onions (maybe), peppers of assorted colors, tomatoes, lettuce, etc and maybe some refried beans to hold it together)
2. Raw enchiladas – guacamole or mashed avocado rolled up in a tortilla with some other veggies like tomatoes and defrosted corn and maybe some sort of bean or lentil sprouts
3. Cucumber “boats” – split a cucumber in half and take out seeds if necessary – fill with dip or spread of your choice; you can also do this with zuchinni, yellow squash, or celery
4. A good winter idea (for older kids) would be to make bread bowls and soup. Just make smallish round loaves of bread instead of the conventional size, slice off the top and take out some of the center. Pack the soup separately in a thermos. Then the kids can pour the soup into the bread and eat.
5. ALT – avocado. lettuce, and tomato on bread – sounds simple but it’s one of my favorite things in the whole world!
6. Homemade lentil burgers (mashed lentils and potatoes mixed together with seasonings of choice, some onion, some celery, and maybe some green pepper mixed in – bake in 350 oven for 10-15 mins on each side); sweet potato fries
7. Spaghetti with lentil balls
8. Chickpea Salad in a pita or on bread with some lettuce and tomato (mash chickpeas with some onions and celery or apples, walnuts and celery and some sort of dressing or mayo or like mayo)
9. Nut butter wrap – tortilla with nut butter, lettuce, shredded carrots, shredded zuchinni, spouts, etc.
10. Nut butter roll – tortilla with some dates, banana, coconut, etc blended together and rolled up with some nut butter
I could go on all night but that’s probably enough for now.
Sandra, who homeschools but still gets excited about lunch ideas!
Okay, a couple more ideas:
1. Fruit salad and trail mix (who doesn’t love fruit salad? and it’s so versatile)
2. Chickpea nuggets (mash some chickpeas with some water or veggie broth until you have a very thick consistency (you can also add some onion, celery, etc for more flavor); use a cookie dropper or a rounded tablespoon to measure out the spread; dip into some bread crumbs which can be plain or seasoned and mash to a more flattened state; bake in oven or fry in olive oil until very brown) (you can do this with other beans as well)
3. Baked potatoes (kept warm in a thermos) with topping of choice – broccoli; veggie chili; spaghetti sauce, etc
Sandra, who thinks she might write a cookbook some day haha
My mom and I used to make a huge bean salad at the beginning of every week, and I would take that for lunch a few days (and eat it as a snack, it was SO good)! Basically it was a few cups of cooked beans, such as chickpea, black, kidney, or pinto, and chopped veggies, such as peppers, green onion, carrot, zucchini, cucumber, tomato, and a dressing with olive oil and Bragg’s ACV. Then we added seasoning, including salt, pepper, garlic and cumin. I’m a raw foodie these days, so sometimes I do this with sprouted mung beans or lentils instead of cooked beans. It tastes good, but it doesn’t quite last as long (the sprouts wilt).
Another great thing to throw in the lunch box is any kind of nut or seed pate with veggie “chips.” Carrots or zucchini cut into rounds are really good for this.
here’s an email I got:
Thank you for putting together some healthy lunch ideas. While I’m a homeschooler and I am able to give my son healthy lunch choices here at home…my husband takes lunches every day and it is always a challenge to make something not just healthy, but portable too. I’m looking forward to some fresh ideas. Some of the easiest ideas I have come up with are wraps with a variety of vegetables (fresh or roasted), eggs and chicken or fish. Sliced tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions, spinach, mushrooms, cheeses, Veggies with dips are good also..very portable for him. I have put homemade soups in a thermous (to keep them hot) for him as well as things like chili and spaghetti. But those aren’t very portable. It also works with Hubby’s favorite, peas, crushed tomatoes and brown rice. I guess the biggest tip that I have is that I find if I just throw fruit in his lunch…it usually gets bypassed. A whole apple usually is left, but apple slices are usually eaten. So I take the time to prepare the lunches. My husbands favorite sandwich would be a tomato sandwich. Just thick sliced tomatoes, some lettuce and some mayo. But I’ll usually include all the makings and let him make the sandwich himself so it doesn’t get soggy.
Ann in Indiana
this is from Shaelene G. via email:
Here’s my lunchtime staple:
Anywhere Soup!
I pack a large tupperware full of veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, onions, greens, etc as well as some beans or lentils. Then I add spices to taste. My favorite are organic garlic powder, cayenne pepper, miso paste, sesame oil, vinegar, Braggs All-Purpose seasoning, fresh ginger root, etc. I bring this to work along with a spoon and a bowl. At lunchtime, I will empty the veggies and seasonings into the bowl and pour hot water over the veggies. Almost any lunchroom you go to will have a hot-water spout for tea so that’s what makes this so easy. (I bring the extra bowl because I don’t like near boiling temperatures in tupperware. I’ve also done this with a large stainless steel coffee mug/thermos which worker well too.) Then, I let the veggies sit for a few minutes until they turn bright in color and enjoy! I will often bring a piece of sprouted grain bread to throw in the toaster, or you could even add a cooked whole grain to the soup to make it more filling.
The beauty of this soup it that it takes seconds to make and you can use literally anything you have in hand. I tend to make mine with an Asian twist, but you could use different spices to completely transform the soup.
Enjoy!
Some great stuff I got from B.Z. in an email:
I’m responding to your blog entry about healthy school lunch ideas. Here are some recipes that I use often. They are either very quick or use leftovers from dinner.
Bean Burritos:
Put any type of beans into a sprouted grain or whole wheat tortilla and warm it up on the stove (I make big pots of beans using dried ones from the store, but canned ones are great, too).
Optional: add salsa, herbs, or any other raw or steamed veggies
Pizza:
For the crust:
2 cups whole wheat or other whole grain flour
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 cup or a little less warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dissolve the yeast in the water, then knead it with the flour, olive oil, and salt. Let rise for 30 to 45 minutes. Then knead it and shape into the shape you want.
Cook it at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Then take it out and top with tomato sauce, pesto, or your other favorite sauce. Add toppings such as mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, goat cheese, olives, or whatever you like! Cook for 5-10 minutes more.
Note: This is great for dinner and then cold the next day in lunches.
Veggie Pasta:
Make this for dinner and use the extra for lunches the next day.
Top whole wheat or other whole grain pasta with zucchini, tomatoes, basil, mushrooms, goat cheese, steamed greens, beets, or any other vegetables or herbs you like.
PB and fruit sandwiches:
Just as you would make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, make a peanut butter and fruit sandwich! Fruits could include: peaches, pears, bananas, apricots, plums, apples, or even sliced grapes. You could also substitute almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, etc. instead of peanut butter.
I hope you enjoy these recipes!
I really enjoy having cooked Kashi (or brown rice), cooled, then adding various veggies (carrot slivers, green or red onions, crisp julienned green beans, red pepper), and topping with a homemade olive oil, balsamic vinegrette, apple juice and dijon mustard dressing. By the time lunch comes around, the salad has had time to marinade and marry the flavors. Add a little fruit for some sweet on the side, and yum!
I haven’t had time to read the other responses, so I hope I don’t duplicate, but here’s mine. We keep it very simple at lunchtime:
1. Raw veggie “soup”-put a few tomatoes (these provide the “broth”) in the Blendtec with any other veggies except potatoes and blend. It gets a bit warm so it’s tasty, but not so warm that it kills the enzymes. If you add some avocado, it gets a little creamy, and sometimes I add a little low sodium store-bought organic vegetable broth. Quick and nutritious!
2. Cinammon-raisin Ezekiel 4:9 English muffins spread with organic apple butter and a side of raw veggie “chips”
3. Homemade wheat bread with a bowl of homemade raw milk plain yogurt mixed with berries and a salad
4. Kefir smoothie-In Blendtech: 2 c. homemade raw milk kefir, handful frozen strawberries, one banana, 2 T coconut oil, honey to taste (you could send this in a stainless steel Thermos)
I’ll look forward to reading the other responses when I get time!
Sending lunches to school is a constant challange. Some of my kids aren’t allowed to have any kind of nuts because of other kids allergies. I find this very frustrating! But we have managed to find things that work for us.
Jam sandwiches are a favorite.
Chips and salsa
refried beans spread thinly on a tortilla and rolled up. cut in half or small circles. Dip in salsa.
Various soups
Any dinner leftovers
Tortilla wraps filled with:
1. any kind of bean or lentil and veggies
2. Just veggies
Drizzle with your favorite dressing.
Sushi Rolls
Vegetable stir-fry over rice
whole grain pancakes with homemade all fruit syrup.
Granola cereal served with yogurt or rice milk.
side dishes include:
Cucumber chips- wash the cucumber well. Score the cucumber with a fork with the peel on instead of peeling it. Cut it into circles.
apple wedges or apple spirals (pampered chef sells a tool that cores, peels and cuts that apple like a slinky (I bought the tool at Walmart a few years ago.)
Melon balls or chunks
Fruit salad: 1 banana
1 can pineapple drained
1 can mandarin oranges
Toss together. Serve.
Medley of veggies:
Snap peas.
Broccoli (green trees)
Cauliflower (snow trees)
cherry tomato
Mix of colored peppers red, yellow, orange, green
Box of raisins or dried fruit
For packed lunches I include a main dish or sandwich, 2 vegetabels, and fruit. I always pack water for the drink.
For a special lunch on a field trip or holiday I include healthy cookies, juice drink and water bottle.
~Camille
My mom used to make us carrot/cheese melts all the time, and they were fab! Just grate some cheese and carrots, mix it all together with a little light mayo, just enough to stick together, and then slap it between two pieces of whole wheat bread and grill it like a grilled cheese sandwich.
And lately I’ve been making lentil burritos – so yum! Just boil up your lentils like you normally would, with chicken bouillon and a bay leaf, saute some onions and garlic in olive oil, add to the cooked lentils, mash with a potato masher, and put it all in a flour tortilla with some cheese and your favorite taco fixins. I like to make a cucumber/plain yogurt dip to spread on it as well – just chop your cucumbers finely and add coriander and cumin, salt and pepper, and whatever other spices you want. Add a little dash of tabasco, too.
Jessica wrote to say:
In a long, flat container, you can make romaine lettuce “boats” filled with all kinds of yummy fillings, from chicken salad, to avocado and bean dip for a more Mexican flare, you are saving on the gluten (my daughter is celiac) and they are fun and yummy to eat.
Alternately, you can pack the leaves and the filling separately and then prepare them at lunch time so the lettuce doesn’t get soggy.
some of my favorite quickies for my toddler are:
plain yogurt with fresh or frozen berries.
black beans and rice with a tiny sprinkle of motzerella cheese
black bean quesadillas
ww pita with sprouts and veggies and hummus
My girls like:
Pizzas made from ww tortillas with a little tomato sauce on them, sprinkled with cheese and some pineapple. Bake about 350 degrees until cheese is melted.
Also, nut butter, honey and banana sandwiches. These are also good on rolled up tortillas.
They like to have dip with their veggies, and since we had a totally failed batch of yogurt, I’ve been making yogurt cheese and mixing herbs in that for them to have dip. It’s a treat. They ate all veggies with dip for lunch the other day and didn’t even complain.
I like to make enough dinner that we have leftovers, especially salad, because after spending all morning on homeschool, I’m usually ready to just tell them to go get something that’s already prepared out of the fridge for lunch.
We love sandwiches with avocado, tomato and alfalfa sprouts on whole grain homemade bread.
Cold ww pasta salad with steamed veggies and homemade italian dressing mixed in. Can also use cold rice, couscous, orzo, etc. and add in the cold steamed veggies and whatever kind of dressing.
Baked potato topped with chopped veggie with hummus, salad dressing, or kefir/yogurt on top.
There’s no reason that homeschoolers can’t get excited about lunch ideas – we have to eat lunch every day, just like everyone else! lol!
Last year I bought Laptop Lunch boxes. I loved them because: 1. They were washable which allowed us to give up plastic bags 2. the containers were easy to serve items like salad, soup, or other dinner entrees 3. They include a drink bottle and spoon and fork in the container. 4. Even though I thought they were expensive to buy for 4 kids, I think they saved us money in the long run due to elimiating the bags and allowing us to use a variety of food that we already had. They offered tons of lunch ideas as well. Look up http://www.laptoplunches.com
Whole wheat pitas are my new favorite item to build upon when making lunches (and dinners, too). My two-year-old loves the word “pizza” and doesn’t yet know that pitas aren’t pizzas. So we build various pizzas for our lunches. A few of my favorites:
- Original pita pizza: Spread homemade pizza sauce on a whole-wheat pita. Top with diced bell peppers, black and green olives, onions, tomatoes, etc. Top with mozzarella cheese (optional).
- Garden pita pizza: Spread hummus on a whole-wheat pita. Top with finely shredded broccoli, chopped carrots, diced red peppers, and sliced black olives. Top with light layer of parmessan cheese.
- Mexican pita pizza: Spread refried beans on a whole-wheat pita. Top with tomatoes, avocado, shredded lettuce, diced bell peppers, salsa, etc.
Well, I posted earlier to this and blip I lost my account or something cuz its gone. . .so some of the things may have been covered, sorry if there’s repeats
We like:
**Tortilla Sushi – whole grain tortillas spread with hummus or mashed avacados, shredded carrots and beets, whole string beans, sliced cukes and/or zuchinni, tomatoes, etc. Roll them up and slice in 1in segments like sushi. Kids love this one.
**Sushi – for the “refined” child, our kids won’t eat them, but my husband and I love them. Nori sheets spread thinly with cooked and cooled brown rice(with bragg’s aminos or nama shoyu added to taste), add in a row lengthwise nearest the end you will start rolling: juliend carrots, avacados, cukes, chives. Roll tightly and slice in 1in segments. yummy with bragg’s aminos or nama shoyu. A great use for leftover rice and salad remnants.
**whole grain, homemade pancakes with berries or applesauce: 1 egg, 1/3c. rice milk(or coconut milk, almond milk, etc.), 2 Tbls vinegar or lemon juice, 1 c. whole wheat flour( or ww pastry flour), 1/4 c. ground flax seed, 1 tsp. b. powder, 1/8tsp b. soda, 1/2tsp sea salt. Blend wet and add dry, mix just till combined and fry in Virgin Unrefined Coconut oil. Serve with smushed berries and/or applesauce or maple syrup.
**Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers – adapted from a Martha Stewart Recipe
5 Tbls olive oil
1 chopped onion
1 chopped red bell pepper
4 garlic cloves pressed or minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 Tbls ketchup
1 1/2 c cooked black beans
1 c cooked quinoa
2 c fresh whole grain breadcrumbs
Hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Saute onions, garlic and peppers until softened, add tumeric, cumin and ketchup and cook for 1 more minute to release the spices. In Blendtec or food processor blend onion mixture, beans and quinoa until well blended. Transfer to bowl and mix in breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and optional hot sauce(we skip it, for our kids and our swedish intolerance
)
Heat coconut or olive oil and drop mixture by 1/4c balls, flattening them on the skillet. Fry until crispy on both sides.
Serve on whole grain bread or bun with lettuce, tomatoe and avacados. YUM! You can freeze these patties in ziplocs for last minute lunches or dinners.
**Cold Italian Noodles – Any cooked and cooled whole grain pasta, tossed with EVOO, balsamic vinegar, spices of your choosing(basil, oregeno, crushed red peppers, garlic, etc), diced or sliced raw zuchini, tomatoes, peppers, or other seasonal veggies.
**Cold Asian Noodles – 1/2 regular box of any long cooked and cooled whole grain pasta such as linguine, fettucini, spaghetti or soba noodles. Toss with 1/4c EVOO, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, 2 tsp rice vinegar, 1 Tbls Brigg’s Aminos or Nama Shoyu, 1 Tbls raw sesame seeds, 1/4 c. cashews or sprouted sunflower seeds, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp garlic, and optional 1 tsp of red curry paste for spice. Slice into thin sticks raw or cooked carrots, zuchini, and peas(can thaw frozen for this or use pea pods), sliced scallions. Toss altogether and serve sprinkled with scallions and cashews. Serve warmed or cold. Great marinated overnight or done early in the morning for supper later.
**Alternative peanut or cashew sauce. Whisk together: 1/4 c. peanut or cashew butter, 2 Tbls EVOO, 2 Tbls Brigg’s Aminos or Nama Shoyu, 1 tsp rice vinegar, 1/4c. sucanat or agave nectar, 1 tsp garlic, 1/4c. peanuts or cashews. Mix with veggies mentioned above. Serve warmed or cold.
That’s it for now
My(NutirMom) lunch ideas
When I prepare a plan for the week. I usually have a soup/salad, sandwich, dip and I cut up a large bag of raw veggies.
The sandwiches are veggie, nut butter or bean based and always served with raw veggies and maybe a bean dip or dressing.
The dips are usually a salad dressing, bean dip (hummus, black bean and pinto based) or a roasted vegetable based dip like baba ganoush (roasted eggplant) or some new one I found to try using roasted beets or roasted carrots.
The veggies are cut up and put into glass bowls or bags with the carrots, celery, etc in water to keep them crisp. I am sure this water could be used in soups and green smoothies later in the week.
For example this week is a black bean hummus with radish sandwich. Using leftovers from dinner we will have Veggie Wrap. I will share the recipes below.
I try to make a big batch of soup for the week in the fall/winter and a big batch of salad in the spring/summer. These are grain based, veggie based or pasta based with lots of veggies.
Raw soups from the blender are also quick and supplement a sandwich or salad. I like cream of celery, cream of zucchini, corn or tomato raw soup usually with the creaminess using avocadoes or cashews.
The rest of the lunches are filled in with freezer items like frozen soup, homemade burritos or veggies burgers.
Leftovers are utilized for our lunches. Quick soups are usually made in the fall and winter and they are always so delicious but a person could not duplicate them very easy as they use our leftovers. The veggies and grains being cooked all different ways and with different spices.
For example one night we had fresh corn on the cob, another night we had roasted okra and boiled beets, and another night we may have had roasted potatoes/onions/peppers. I used the beets cold and diced to top a green salad (lettuce already prepped and bagged earlier). I then cut the corn off, sliced the okra and tossed all in the stir fry pan with the potatoes and served as a succotash. In the winter I would have put all these things in a pan on the stove with veggie broth or V-8 juice and threw in leftover pasta, grains (rice or quinoa usually) and maybe some more veggies. Another lunch I made stir fried rice with the leftover rice and added some leftover veggies along with frozen and fresh cut.
Garden Sandwich
1 slice good-quality bread
Black bean hummus or hummus of choice
1 radish, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
Spread each slice of bread thickly with hummus. Place the radish slices decoratively on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.
Black Bean Hummus – Recipe
Adapted from 12 Best Foods Cookbook, by Dana Jacobi (Rodale Press, 2005).
Simple Solution
Hummus rates right up there for versatility: you can serve it with pita chips, corn chips, breads, crackers, or raw veggies. You can make it into a lunchtime pita pocket sandwich with sliced veggies and sprouts, or you can serve a scoop of it alongside sliced ripe tomatoes for a quick and nutritious dinner.
This is an unusual–and especially good-for-you–version of the Mediterranean classic, made super-quickly with canned black beans, tofu, limejuice, and seasonings in your blender or food processor. Black beans are one of the 12 best foods for us to eat, since they rank at the top of the legume family for antioxidants, and are high in folates. Eating them helps lower cholesterol and LDL levels, reduces cancer risk, and scavenges free radicals. And Black Bean Hummus is so flavorful! This makes a lovely offering for graduation and other celebrations.
INGREDIENTS
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup soft silken tofu
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 small lime
Salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
Ground sweet paprika, for garnish
1. Place the beans, garlic, tofu, tahini, cumin, oil, and limejuice in a food processor. Whirl until the mixture is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Serve in a bowl, garnished with a sprinkle of paprika. Black Bean Hummus will keep for 4 to 5 days, tightly covered in the refrigerator. Makes 1 1/2 cups.
Veggie Wrap
1 T. hummus (leftover or from the freezer)
1/2 c. leftover pasta salad, and
1/4 c. red pepper pesto sauce or any pesto (leftover or from freezer) (I like to freeze pesto in ice cube trays, pop out and store in bags for the winter)
Here is a basic recipe for pasta salad but of course you vary it using any whole grain pasta, any veggies you might have from your garden or from Farmer’s Market, etc. Use any beans that are leftover, in your pantry or freezer(I cook a batch and freeze in bags) and use any dressing you might have made up in the frig. A simple one using lemon or lime juice and olive oil is always quick. I also use fresh herbs from the garden or herb combos from my spice rack.
Veggie Pasta Salad
By Diana Dyer
12 oz. tricolored shell pasta (Eden 50% whole grain pasta)
10 oz. frozen broccoli florets
1/2 – 10 oz. can black olives, sliced
1/2 of a red, orange, or yellow bell pepper – diced or sliced
1/2 of 16 oz. cans each of kidney beans, cannellini beans, and chickpeas
1 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced (use green and white parts)
1/2 small zucchini, cut into small sticks
Grated peel of one lime
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c. fresh or bottled limejuice
Directions: Cook pasta and then toss with veggies, oil, and limejuice. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Compliments of Diana Dyer, MS, RD
http://www.CancerRD.com
Red Pepper Pesto Sauce
1 roasted red sweet pepper, peeled and seeded
1/2 c. lightly packed fresh basil leaves (from your garden, produce section of your grocery store, or the local farmer’s market)
10 black olives
1 large clove garlic
1 T. soy parmesan cheese or low-fat parmesan cheese
1 T. pine nuts or walnuts
4-5 fresh Roma tomatoes
To roast a whole pepper, place whole washed pepper under the broiler and rotate every 3-4 minutes until evenly charred with skin blistered. Seal in paper bag until cool. Peel and seed over a bowl to catch the juices. To save time and fuss, whole roasted red peppers may also be bought in many specialty grocery stores, packed in jars.
Directions: Put all ingredients in blender, and blend until smooth. Serve heated, with spaghetti squash, cooked pasta, poached salmon, or stir-fried veggies. Or, add to soups for a real flavor boost.