Lunches for School (or work!)

Posted on by Lanie Fioretti

Back to school, what to eat?

Lunches are a big challenge normally.  The school can never feed your kids as well and as inexpensively as you can.  Those snack packs of highly processed items in the grocery store should not be an option.  Remember the more whole the food, the less processed, the better for them, and hopefully the healthier they are (that means they’re not home from school!).  If you pack perishables, then you have to use an ice pack, so I’m going to concentrate on non-perishable ideas.  Some of these I use while traveling on a plane and for easy work lunches.  So pack a sandwich or sandwich-like item, a piece of fruit or vegetable sticks, and maybe some nuts or seeds.  Skip the chips.

For breads:  the fewer things on the ingredient list the better

  • Whole grain pita pocket like Kangaroo
  • Wholewheat tortilla like Don Pancho® to make a roll-up
  • Whole grain bread – good quality

For fillings:

  • Peanut butter – all natural, just ground peanuts and maybe salt
  • Almond butter
  • Honey
  • All natural fruit spreads
  • Cream cheese
  • Cheese
  • Hummus – for those kids who like lots of different things
  • Shredded vegetables* – carrots, green peppers
  • Dried fruit
  • Fresh fruit
  • Nuts

There are a lot of combinations.  Here are a few ideas:

  • Peanut butter (or almond butter), honey, banana slices
  • Peanut butter, thin apple slices, sprinkle of cinnamon, maybe a drizzle of honey
  • Cream cheese, honey, chopped dates, walnut or pecan pieces
  • Cream cheese mixed with a little salsa and shredded cheese, some shredded veges
  • Cream cheese, sliced strawberries, and a drizzle of honey
  • Cream cheese mixed with chopped olives, green or black
  • Hummus, shredded vegetables, and maybe a little smear of cream cheese on one side
  • Hummus in a container with a side of good whole grain crackers and vegetable sticks (carrot, celery, green pepper)

Generally, cream cheese, even a thin layer is a great “glue” to hold things in place.

*Use a food processor to shred the vegetables; it’s too much work by hand.  If you don’t have a processor, use a box cheese grater.