Say YES to Fun School Lunches!

Allright, here we go. I'm doing this post mostly for me, but I know there are a lot of other parents out there who are at a loss on how to pack healthy lunches for their kiddos, that are fun too! (And that don't take an hour every morning to prepare!) I will be adding to this post as I go!

Salads

Black Bean Taco Salad
1 handful of salad greens with fresh veggies (cucumbers, peppers, whatever you want to add)
1/4 cup of black beans mixed with a bit of salsa or taco seasoning
1 handful of chips, crushed in hand
The dressing is salsa, so pack this is a sealed cup. Everything else can be in compartments so that the kiddos can assemble their own salad and it's not all soggy.

Tuna Salad
1 can tuna
1 apple, finely chopped
handful of raisins
1 small stalk of celery, finely chopped
seeds of your choice (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, etc)
Mix all together with a bit of vegenaise, onion & garlic powders, cumin
Serve on a bed of greens and chopped veggies

(I actually made this last week with leftover crockpot chicken. The kids loved it!)

Black Bean & Corn Salad
2 c cooked black beans
1 1/2 c fresh corn
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1/4 bunch cilantro chopped (leaved only!)
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1 diced cucumber
1 handful spinach
Combine and drizzle with the following dressing:
1/2 c agave
1/4 c rice vinegar
1/3 c lime juice
1/3 bunch cilantro (leaves only)
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
sea salt to taste
Blend in a blender.

 Fresh Mango & Mint
That's it! Chop up some mango, chop up some fresh mint leaves, mix and voila! It's super tasty!

Strawberry Salad
Spinach or romaine, rinsed and torn
1 cucumber, diced
1 apple, chopped
8 strawberries, quartered
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 can mandarin oranges
crumbled blue cheese
1/4 c slivered almonds or chopped pecans

Combine in a bowl and put the dressing on the side in a disposable cup:
1/3 c agave
1/4 c rice vinegar
8 strawberries
Blend in blender.

Fruit Dips

Yogurt Dip
1 cup homemade kefir or yogurt
Add agave nectar & cinnamon to taste (thanks Jessica!)

Strawberry Dip
1 cup plain yogurt
frozen strawberries, 6ish?
a bit of agave nectar
Blend in your blendtec and pour into those disposable cups to dip apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries, pears, etc.

Veggie Dips

Black Bean Dip

1 cup black beans - lightly pulsed in a blender/food proccesor

1 cup salsa

1/4 carrot puree (blend raw carrots in blender until smooth, add water if needed)

1 Tbsp taco seasoning

1 Tbsp fresh cilantro or 1 tsp. dried cilantro

Mix together and serve with an array of sliced fresh veggies.

Salsa
This is for you folks out there who don't care for raw tomatoes (like me!)
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
1-2 raw roma tomatoes
1 bell pepper cut into big chunks
1/2 medium onion
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
1 T lime juice
1 t sea salt
1 t cumin
1 drop hot sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Pulse all ingredients (except cilantro) in blender until you reach desired consistency. Stir in cilantro. Serve with pita chips, rice chips or organic tortilla chips.

Wraps

Spread homemade peanut butter on a whole wheat tortilla, sprinkle with raisins and cinnamon. Roll up and slice.

Spread hot refried beans, mozzerella cheese, and shredded veggies (squash, carrots, etc); roll up and serve.

Make homemade guacamole (I wish we all loved this, but only my hubby does) by dicing or mashing a ripe avocado with taco seasoning and sea salt to taste, some lime juice and some salsa. Mix well and roll in a tortilla.

Toast a piece of whole wheat or sprouted bread. Spread with almond butter and top with sliced bananas, raisins and cinnamon.


I will post some soup/chili/stew recipes this fall (my absolute favorite season ever!) that you can send with your child. See here with the link to our soup/leftover container.


I will also post a pre-school breakfast post soon with some breakfast ideas besides that sugary bowl of cereal. My son finally eats a variety of breakfasts instead of mini wheats every day! Woot Woot!


You can always serve a homemade muffin with fresh fruit and veggies and dip. We do this 1-2 lunches/week and the kids looooove muffin day! Here is a link with some muffin recipes!