Busy Mama Recipes
Today I was on the internet all day. I know, it's so sad. I am sick and pregnant, and my energy level was non existent. The only time I hustled was when I needed to run to the toilet to vom:/ Gross. Anyway, I read an article about school lunches, and how bad they are for kids. I already knew that they were pretty gross, but reading the comments on the article, it was apparent that not everyone does know.
Processed "chicken" nuggets, pizza with no toppings except cheese and pepperoni, instant mashed potatoes with gravy - those are some of the things children are getting when they buy lunch at school. At first I was thinking: easy fix, pack your children's lunches. But then I thought about the families that use the reduced or free lunch program for their kids, and I felt bad. Families that can't afford to pack their kids lunches are at a complete disadvantage, because their kids don't have a choice. Not only are the kids forced to eat a very non nutritious main course, the side dishes are sub par as well: canned fruit (full of sugar), "salad" (lettuce with shredded carrot and cabbage) with calorie rich ranch dressing, or french fries (which, sadly enough, are actually considered a serving of vegetables at school... sick). Hardly ever does the school serve fresh fruit or vegetables, mainly because of waste (veggie going bad before they can all be consumed).
So, I have put together a list of healthy, cheap lunches you can pack for your kids to take to school (or for you to take to work!). I know they are kid friendly because I have tested most on my kids, and they are the pickiest eaters on the planet.
PBJB and Fruit
This first one is a modified recipe. I saw a photo of something similar on Pinterest and my mind wheels starting turning. The recipe on pinterest showed bananas as the only fruit used, so I thought it would be cool to add some. Why not get brownie points for extra vitamins?
1 whole wheat tortilla or pita bread
2 straberries, sliced
1/2 banana, sliced,
1 kiwi, diced
grapes, halved
2 tbs peanuts, almonds, or granola
2 tbs reduced fat natural peanut butter or cream cheese
Spread the cream cheese or peanut butter on the warm tortilla and sprinkle all of the fruit and nuts over it and roll up. This is a perfect lunch or snack, because it contains fruit, grain/ carb, and protein from the cheese or peanut butter.
Turkey Wrap
This recipe can be modified to add all sorts of things, but this is the way I usually make it. Both the kids love it, and it's a fun change from a sandwich. For a lunch, leave it whole. For a snack, roll up the wrap and slice into little discs, which make it even more fun for kids to eat. With my kids, fun= they will eat it.
1 whole wheat tortilla of flavored tortilla, such as spinach or tomato
2 tbs hummus (any flavor will work, but my kids like the "red" kind, which is red pepper)
Sweet onion (you can use regular onion, but Stewart (he is 7) LOVES sweet onion
tomato slices or halved cherry tomatoes
spinach or lettuce (I prefer spinach because of the extra vitamins)
alfalfa sprouts
turkey lunch meat (I prefer Jennie- O Turkey Pastrami. It is very cheap compared to other meats, and tastes great. It also is 99% fat free and low in sodium)
avocado
String Cheese (Lucerne makes a reduced fat kind, which tastes pretty close to the original)
Warm tortilla and spread the hummus on it, add all of the veggies and roll up. Pretty tasty, healthy lunch or snack!
Greek Chicken Wrap
Another recipe that can be easily changed to fit what your kids love. This is the most simple way that I have made it in the past, but I am constantly adding things to it. Keep in mind you can also omit ingredients and it will still be delicious, but cheaper and faster. I do this when I make chicken for dinner and have leftovers (or, make more ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for recipes like this).
1 whole wheat or flavored tortilla or pita bread
1/4 cup cooked chicken
2 tbs hummus or yogurt sauce (recipe below)
alfalfa sprouts
spinach
cucumber slices
tomato slices or halved cherry tomatoes
olive slices or pepperoncinis
sweet onion slices
feta cheese
lemon pepper
Warm the tortilla and spread the hummus or sauce over it. Add all of the other ingredients and roll up. Because this wrap has such strong flavors, it is extremely easy to hide more vegetables, just cut them small!
For yogurt sauce, mix 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream with 1 garlic clove, 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar, 2 tsp dried dill weed, and salt and pepper. You can also grate cucumber into the sauce if you have leftover cukes from this recipe.
Obviously, I am a fan of wraps for kids lunches:-) They pack easily, aren't messy to eat, can be healthy, and they can be cheap to make. Plus, they taste good and are quick and easy. Among these wrap recipes, there are many, many healthy snacks to go into kids' lunches along with these. Some of my favorites are: crackers with homemade dip or cheese, veggies with hummus or salsa or guacamole, cut up fruit, pretzels, or nuts/ granola. It's easy to stay away from packaged things like fruit snacks, candy, and chips when you know what is in them:/
Some of the recipes on my blog are also great for leftovers for kids' lunches, like the "Calzone Thing" or any of the pasta salads or soups. Homemade pizza is great to send as a lunch, because of all the healthy ingredient you can add, plus cold pizza is the best!
Yogurts are great too, if they can be kept cold. Mixing craisins with granola and nuts are a healthy snack kids love (and if you add a few handfuls of chocolate chips, they love it even more). My kids will eat any kind of dried fruit (banana chips!) Celery dipped in natural peanut butter is usually a winner too!
If anyone has any other great ideas for packing kids' lunches, I would LOVE to hear them. I'm always looking for more ideas!
Today I was on the internet all day. I know, it's so sad. I am sick and pregnant, and my energy level was non existent. The only time I hustled was when I needed to run to the toilet to vom:/ Gross. Anyway, I read an article about school lunches, and how bad they are for kids. I already knew that they were pretty gross, but reading the comments on the article, it was apparent that not everyone does know.
Processed "chicken" nuggets, pizza with no toppings except cheese and pepperoni, instant mashed potatoes with gravy - those are some of the things children are getting when they buy lunch at school. At first I was thinking: easy fix, pack your children's lunches. But then I thought about the families that use the reduced or free lunch program for their kids, and I felt bad. Families that can't afford to pack their kids lunches are at a complete disadvantage, because their kids don't have a choice. Not only are the kids forced to eat a very non nutritious main course, the side dishes are sub par as well: canned fruit (full of sugar), "salad" (lettuce with shredded carrot and cabbage) with calorie rich ranch dressing, or french fries (which, sadly enough, are actually considered a serving of vegetables at school... sick). Hardly ever does the school serve fresh fruit or vegetables, mainly because of waste (veggie going bad before they can all be consumed).
So, I have put together a list of healthy, cheap lunches you can pack for your kids to take to school (or for you to take to work!). I know they are kid friendly because I have tested most on my kids, and they are the pickiest eaters on the planet.
PBJB and Fruit
This first one is a modified recipe. I saw a photo of something similar on Pinterest and my mind wheels starting turning. The recipe on pinterest showed bananas as the only fruit used, so I thought it would be cool to add some. Why not get brownie points for extra vitamins?
1 whole wheat tortilla or pita bread
2 straberries, sliced
1/2 banana, sliced,
1 kiwi, diced
grapes, halved
2 tbs peanuts, almonds, or granola
2 tbs reduced fat natural peanut butter or cream cheese
Spread the cream cheese or peanut butter on the warm tortilla and sprinkle all of the fruit and nuts over it and roll up. This is a perfect lunch or snack, because it contains fruit, grain/ carb, and protein from the cheese or peanut butter.
Turkey Wrap
This recipe can be modified to add all sorts of things, but this is the way I usually make it. Both the kids love it, and it's a fun change from a sandwich. For a lunch, leave it whole. For a snack, roll up the wrap and slice into little discs, which make it even more fun for kids to eat. With my kids, fun= they will eat it.
1 whole wheat tortilla of flavored tortilla, such as spinach or tomato
2 tbs hummus (any flavor will work, but my kids like the "red" kind, which is red pepper)
Sweet onion (you can use regular onion, but Stewart (he is 7) LOVES sweet onion
tomato slices or halved cherry tomatoes
spinach or lettuce (I prefer spinach because of the extra vitamins)
alfalfa sprouts
turkey lunch meat (I prefer Jennie- O Turkey Pastrami. It is very cheap compared to other meats, and tastes great. It also is 99% fat free and low in sodium)
avocado
String Cheese (Lucerne makes a reduced fat kind, which tastes pretty close to the original)
Warm tortilla and spread the hummus on it, add all of the veggies and roll up. Pretty tasty, healthy lunch or snack!
Greek Chicken Wrap
Another recipe that can be easily changed to fit what your kids love. This is the most simple way that I have made it in the past, but I am constantly adding things to it. Keep in mind you can also omit ingredients and it will still be delicious, but cheaper and faster. I do this when I make chicken for dinner and have leftovers (or, make more ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for recipes like this).
1 whole wheat or flavored tortilla or pita bread
1/4 cup cooked chicken
2 tbs hummus or yogurt sauce (recipe below)
alfalfa sprouts
spinach
cucumber slices
tomato slices or halved cherry tomatoes
olive slices or pepperoncinis
sweet onion slices
feta cheese
lemon pepper
Warm the tortilla and spread the hummus or sauce over it. Add all of the other ingredients and roll up. Because this wrap has such strong flavors, it is extremely easy to hide more vegetables, just cut them small!
For yogurt sauce, mix 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream with 1 garlic clove, 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar, 2 tsp dried dill weed, and salt and pepper. You can also grate cucumber into the sauce if you have leftover cukes from this recipe.
Obviously, I am a fan of wraps for kids lunches:-) They pack easily, aren't messy to eat, can be healthy, and they can be cheap to make. Plus, they taste good and are quick and easy. Among these wrap recipes, there are many, many healthy snacks to go into kids' lunches along with these. Some of my favorites are: crackers with homemade dip or cheese, veggies with hummus or salsa or guacamole, cut up fruit, pretzels, or nuts/ granola. It's easy to stay away from packaged things like fruit snacks, candy, and chips when you know what is in them:/
Some of the recipes on my blog are also great for leftovers for kids' lunches, like the "Calzone Thing" or any of the pasta salads or soups. Homemade pizza is great to send as a lunch, because of all the healthy ingredient you can add, plus cold pizza is the best!
Yogurts are great too, if they can be kept cold. Mixing craisins with granola and nuts are a healthy snack kids love (and if you add a few handfuls of chocolate chips, they love it even more). My kids will eat any kind of dried fruit (banana chips!) Celery dipped in natural peanut butter is usually a winner too!
If anyone has any other great ideas for packing kids' lunches, I would LOVE to hear them. I'm always looking for more ideas!
I like it Lex! Good ideas.... I have some on my blog and others I've not yet posted too. If I actually have a little free time, I'll try to remember to share some :) Hope you're feeling better soon!
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