Kitchen Tip Tuesday---Lunches

It is getting to that time of year again!!! The time when we need to start thinking about school lunches! Granted, I am homeschooling my kids this year but I still struggle with putting together nutritious meals for them. Or I get stuck in the rut of the good old peanut butter and jelly sandwich, handful of chips, and carrot sticks! It doesn't make for an exciting lunch and most of the time my kids are coming to me about two hours later wondering what to have for a snack or when dinner is going to be served. So after doing some research online and talking to my crew, I have got a list of lunches that are not the same old PB & J sandwich!



Fried egg sandwiches

Mini homemade pizzas

Egg salad sandwiches

Chicken/Tuna salad sandwiches

Homemade pita bread stuffed with any number of things

Salad with grilled chicken

Hot Dogs/Coneys

Grilled cheese sandwiches ***did you know that you can make these in the morning and double wrap in foil to put in your kid's school lunchbox and come lunch time it will still be warm!?! NO kidding! I had a friend tell me about this "trick"!

Chili beans, toss some cheese, salsa and tortilla chips and you got nachos

Make up a bunch of meatballs and freeze. Get some hoagie rolls and spaghetti sauce and make meatball subs. **Put the meatballs and sauce in a thermos and put the bun in a baggie so that the meatballs don't make the bun soggy.**

Make up a bunch of spaghetti and let them have at it.

Egg burritos

Salad with a bit of chicken chunks and boiled eggs

Homemade tortillas throw in some chili

Leftover pasta with whatever. I've thrown leftover pasta and chicken together. Add chopped veggies or have them on the side, drizzle with a vinagriette.

Veggie Chicken noodle soup(leftover chicken and veggies with pasta and broth)

French toast and fruit

Bean and cheese burritos

Chicken quesadillas(cut up leftover chicken, add salsa or taco sauce to it, put on one side of a tortilla shell top with cheese, fold over tortilla shell, melt some butter or use olive oil in a hot skillet then put quesadilla in the skillet and lightly brown both sides)

Cheese quesadillas

Baked potatoes with leftover chili or taco meat

Homemade "Lunchables"--sliced turkey OR pepperoni OR ham, cheese and crackers

Breadstick & hard boiled egg

Use bagels instead of bread for sandwiches

Make homemade “pizza sticks.” Make a big sheet pan of focaccia. Bake the cheese and seasonings right into the foccacia. Then cut it into sticks and freeze in individual packets. Serve with a small container of spaghetti or pizza sauce from the fridge.

In order to not get stuck in the rut of the old PB&J sandwich, remember to menu plan lunches along with your dinner menu plans. It will make life go a little smoother for those seemingly hectic mornings!

Come back next week when I give some ideas for packable healthy school snacks!

For other kitchen tips, head over to Tammy's Recipes