Healthy ways to spruce up your school lunch

Is time for back to school? 

And what does that mean? The dreaded packing school lunch?

Here are some tips to make packing lunch successful and some fun, healthy and delicious recipes to keep your lunches from being boring.

Tips for making school lunch easier:

1. Meal prep: Cut veggies, and fruit. Wash lettuce. Pack snacks in snack bags.
2. Batch cook: Prepare extra dinner so leftover food can be used for lunch. For example,  leftover chicken is great for making  sandwiches or tossing on top of  a salad.
3. Involve your kids: Let them help prep and they will be more likely to eat what is packed.
4. Invest in a good lunch box with plenty of space and sections.
5. Get a good reusable water bottle.
6. Use packable foods such  as cherry tomatoes, clementines, grapes,  string cheese, drinkable yogurt and even pitted olives ( my daughter’s favorite)

Check out  these fun healthy recipes to change up your next school lunch…

Homemade Potato Chips

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees 

2. Slice a few potatoes or sweet potatoes very thinly or with a mandolin.

3. Toss in a bowl with spices of your choice.

4. Place on parchment lined baking sheets, spray with olive oil spray.

5. Bake for 20-30 minutes until crispy. 

6. Remove from oven toss with salt if desired and leave out uncovered to crisp up.

Pizza Triangles

Corn or flour tortillas

Pizza sauce

Shredded cheese

1. Spray a frying pan with olive oil spray
2. Place  tortilla in pan.
3. Spoon sauce over the tortilla.
4. Place shredded  cheese on ½ the tortilla.
5. Using a spatula, fold over the half without cheese on top of the half with cheese.
6. Press down with spatula and cook until cheese is melted.
7. Cut into triangles.

NO-Sugar Added Granola

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of oats
• 1/2 cup raw nuts
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut chips
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup cacao nibs
• ½ cup almond butter
• 1 tbsp flax or chia seeds
• ¼ cup dates soaked in water

Directions:

•  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
• Soak dates in warm water for 1 hour
• Puree dates, soaking liquid and almond butter in blender or food processor
• Fold in all other ingredients except coconut
• Place on a baking tray with parchment paper and spread evenly
• Bake for 20 minutes
• Rotate the tray, mix in coconut
• Bake for another 5 minutes or until the granola is browned.
• Take out of the oven for 10 minutes to cool. Then break up into clusters
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

Kid approved cereal energy  balls

3 cups Chex cereal

¼ cup flax 

1 cup sun-butter or any nut butter

2 tbsps. coconut oil

2 tbsps. maple syrup

Topping:

1 cup chocolate chips

1 tbsp coconut oil

1. Melt sun butter or nut butter in a microwave safe bowl
2. Add 2 tbsps. coconut oil maple syrup
3. Mix Chex cereal and flax together in a large bowl
4. Pour nut butter mixture over the cereal mixture and mix until combined.
5. Roll into balls
6. Place on prepared cookie sheet
7. Melt remaining tbsp of coconut oil with the chocolate chips.
8. Drizzle over the  energy balls
9. Chill for at least a ½ hour.
10. Store in a Ziploc  bag in the freezer