School Lunch Ideas for Kids: Creative and Nutritious Meal Plans
Explore creative and nutritious school lunch ideas for kids, including main dishes like Meatball Gyros and Ultimate Quesadillas, paired with additional supplements to pack alongside. Get tips on meal prepping and recipe variations to cater to picky eaters while ensuring a balanced and delicious lunch for your child.
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. Download presentation by click this link. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
COOK SMARTS Meal Planning by Jess School Lunches for school-age children Prepared August 1, 2012 1
Lunchbox Ideas Main Additional Supplements Choose 2 or 3 of these to pack alongside the main in your child s lunch No prep Yogurt cups Bag of nuts or trail mix Bag of pretzels, pita chips, tortilla chips, crackers Cheese Minimal prep Bag of fruit Edamame Hard boiled eggs Sliced veggies (carrots, red peppers) with hummus cup Most prep Tofu fries Sweet potato fries Quick breads / muffins (e.g., zucchini bread, carrot / banana muffins) Choose 2 each week and prepare them ahead of time. Then just assemble the morning of Meatball Gyro Meatballs in pita with lettuce The Ultimate Quesadilla Spinach, beans, cheese, and salsa Chicken and Rice Burrito A great use for rotisserie chicken Tortellini and Tomato Kebabs Dress up lunch with bamboo skewers Tuna Fish Sandwich Hide some flaxseed for extra fiber 2
Meatball Gyros For parents concerned about their picky eaters, this recipe helps hide some healthy ingredients Ingredients for meatballs: Ground meat 1 lb. Kidney beans 1 can Sundried tomatoes 5 to 8 Kale bunch Egg 1 Panko cup Olive oil Kosher salt Optional herbs / spices: parsley, basil, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, Italian seasonings Optional flavorings: mustard, ketchup, salsa, parmesan cheese Steps: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Place all meatball ingredients in a large food processor. Blend until all ingredients are broken down and mixed together Form into 1 to 1.25 inch balls. I learned from a client to keep a bowl of water handy. Dip your fingers into them before forming each ball. It helps prevent the meat from sticking to your fingers Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil. Once oil gets hot enough (begins to shimmer and disperse), add meatballs using a pair of tongs. Sear for about 2 minutes and then turn over. Place pan in oven and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes When meatballs have cooled, cut them in half and store in an airtight container To pack for lunch, toast the pita in the morning, slice in and stuff with the meatballs and lettuce Ingredients for pita pockets: Pitas 2 to 3 (white or whole wheat) Lettuce, romaine or iceberg Tools: Serve / Substitutes / Supplements: We use kidney beans because they have great iron content but any type of beans will be great Kale can be swapped for other greens Bake the meatballs in a jar of tomato sauce to keep them extra juicy Cast iron skillet Food processor 3
The Ultimate Quesadilla Spinach is chopped up and mixed with cheese, making a fun-colored and healthy quesadilla Ingredients: Spinach 2 cups Mozzarella, grated 1 cup Black beans can Pitas 2 to 3 Salsa or guacamole 1 cup Steps: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Open, rinse, and drain can of black beans Chop up spinach Mix chopped up spinach with with mozzarella, salsa, and black beans Open each pita and stuff with the filling Place on baking sheet Heat for about 10 to 12 minutes Let cool and slice into strips (so they can easily be dipped into the salsa / guacamole) and refrigerate To pack for lunch, include a small container of salsa or guacamole that they can dip their quesadilla strips into Tools: Baking sheet Serve / Substitutes / Supplements: If you don t think your kids will be happy with the spinach, sub some chopped up tomatoes If you don t think your kids will care for the beans, include some pieces of chopped up chicken or turkey (cold-cuts are fine too!) 4
Chicken and Rice Burrito Kids love chicken and rice, especially when it s packaged in a convenient hand-held burrito Ingredients: Rice 1 cup Rotisserie chicken meat - ~ 1 cup Avocado - 1 Tortillas 3 to 4 Steps: Rinse rice in water 2 to 3 times. This will achieve light and fluffy rice by rinsing away a lot of the residual starch Place rice in a >2 quart pot and fill with 2 cups of water. Add a generous pinch of salt, and if you want to more flavor and color, try spooning a few tablespoons of tomato sauce into the water Bring to a boil, and then lower heat, cover, and cook until rice has absorbed all the liquid, about 10 to 15 minutes While rice is cooking, cut up desired amount of rotisserie chicken Store both rice and chicken in airtight containers To make lunch, warm tortilla. Place tortilla up on a piece of aluminum foil. Scoop desired amount of rice and chicken into the bottom of the tortilla. Add some avocado slices Wrap burrito by folding the bottom over and then the sides. Roll tight and wrap in tortilla Tools: n/a Serve / Substitutes / Supplements: Let your kid pick out the tortilla at the grocery store. There are so many flavors and colors these days, and it ll help them feel like part of the decision making process 5
Tortellini and Tomato Kebabs Use kebabs to make anything a finger food for kids! Ingredients: Store bought tortellini 8 oz. Cherry tomatoes pint Steps: Cook tortellini according to package instructions Rinse cherry tomatoes Store in airtight containers To pack lunch, take 3 to 4 skewers and alternate tortellini and cherry tomatoes Tools: Short bamboo skewers 6 to 12 Serve / Substitutes / Supplements: Cherry tomatoes are of course simple and easy, but consider using other vegetables. Cubing and roasting eggplant, zucchini, or butternut squash with some olive oil and kosher salt would be great alternatives Instead of tortellini, cubes of tofu can also be used if your child likes tofu. Roast them in an oven at 400 degrees with some soy sauce and olive oil for 15 to 20 minutes. They ll come out golden brown and crispy on the outside 6
Tuna Fish Sandwich There s a reason why this is an old standby. It s packed full of nutrients, and it s a great way to hide some other nutritious ingredients, like flaxseed Ingredients: Chunk light tuna fish 10 to 12 oz. Mayo or Veganaise 2 to 4 tbs. Celery 1 rib Red pepper 1/2 Milled flaxseed 1 tbs. Lettuce or cabbage enough for 2 to 3 sandwiches Bread (e.g., sandwich, flatbread, pita) enough for 2 to 3 sandwiches Steps: Open and drain tuna Dice celery and red pepper Mix tuna, mayo / veganaise, celery, red pepper, and flaxseed together. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper Wash and dry enough lettuce for 2 to 3 sandwiches Refrigerate in an airtight container To pack lunch, toast up bread. Place a dry piece of lettuce / cabbage onto bread and then scoop tuna salad onto greens. Place another layer of dry lettuce / cabbage on top of tuna salad and then close with second piece of bread. The dry lettuce / cabbage will prevent the tuna salad from getting the bread soggy before lunchtime Tools: n/a Serve / Substitutes / Supplements: You can make this an open-face melt. Just place in toaster oven the morning of, and melt cheese over the tuna salad This can also be spooned over pasta and covered in cheese for a tuna pasta casserole. This can be a lunch or a dinner 7
Additional Resources What s in Your Lunchbox? By COOK + SMARTS in the Palo Alto Menlo Park Parent s Club newsletter How to keep school lunches safe from The Food Safety Department LunchBots: Safe lunchtime containers Laptop Lunches: Bento box lunch containers MOMables: School lunch meal plan subscription service NatureBox: Healthy snacks delivered to your door every month 8
