Back to school is just around the corner and we can hear the collective sigh of relief! While getting the kids out of the house and back into a routine is appealing, there are other daily struggles like what to pack for school lunches!
Kids need healthy, nutritious food to fuel their brain and body. Children may not have access to as many healthy snack or food options at school so parents often try to pack healthy lunches. It can be a challenge to keep lunches interesting so we have 5 healthy lunch ideas for back to school:
1) Quinoa Bowl: Quinoa is not usually something we consider for lunch but it’s so versatile. You can go savoury with avocado, peppers, black beans, corn and cilantro. Or go sweet with fresh berries, walnuts, goat cheese and dried fruit.
2) Pitas: Mini pitas filled with shredded chicken, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes paired with baby carrots and an apple is a complete meal and easy to pack. Mix up the protein with hummus, pulled pork or luncheon meat.
3) Pasta Salad: Cook a big batch of pasta or use leftovers tossed with spinach, sundried tomatoes, broccoli, olives, peppers and olive oil. And if your kids don’t like the Mediterranean style pasta salad, go Greek with tomatoes, cucumbers, feta and peppers. Pasta is so versatile that you can’t go wrong when pairing it with whatever vegetables your child enjoys eating!
4) Quesadillas: Take a wrap and place it a frying pan. Add cheddar cheese, chicken or pinto beans, corn and peppers and then another wrap on top. The cheese should melt and help hold the quesadilla together allowing you to flip it in the pan. Serve with homemade guacamole.
5) Sandwiches: It’s not that original, we know! But give kids more variety in their toppings, like avocado slices, boiled eggs, hummus, Havarti cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, cream cheese, sundried tomato, luncheon meats, etc. There are so many options especially if you mix up the bread or bun choices!
