3 Healthy School Lunch Ideas

Back to school can be a time of high stress for adults and children alike. The “routine” is back in full flow and we want to make things as easy as possible.

One of the biggest challenges can be what to make your child for their school lunch or even send as a snack if lunch is provided. There can be arguments about what they want versus what you have and what they like and don’t like.

It can be all too easy to offer them a piece of fruit, granola bar or a basic sandwich with a thin slice of ham and, as Tommy calls it “floppy cheese”. Worse still, we may even give our older children money to buy their own lunch. I don’t know about you but I bought these with me lunch money:

A “shiney”/crest sticker was worth 3 regular stickers and the Premier League trophy sticker would set you back your tie, schoolbag and 34 pogs!

Your best bet for ensuring your child or children are eating healthy foods is to make them yourself. I have 3 suggestions that can work either ht or cold and you can batch cook for 3-5 days once refridgerated and stored in airtight containers.

CHICKEN QUESADILLA

Pan fry the seasoned chicken and vegetables of your choice until golden brown.

Then place a wrap on the pan filling one half with the chicken and veg and cover with cheddar cheese.

Once the cheese starts to melt fold the wrap in half.

Press securely down so the cheese sticks to the rest of the ingredients to keep it together.

Cut it in half and repeat with the next until you have the amount you need.

BANANA PANCAKES

Mash a banana and add porridge oats (to help keep it together) and whick in an egg. You can add a dash of vanilla essence here or honey BUT the banana should make them sweet already so use only a small amount of either.

Heat a pan on medium heat and use some oil, 1 cal spray or butter to keep it from sticking.

Ladel the mixture into circles and cook for 2-3 minutes per side depending on thickness of the mixture (it takes a bit of practice!).

Feel free to add berries, dark chocolate chips or chia seeds to the mixture to add some healthy fats. Serve or eat with natural yogurt.

EGG MUFFINS

Prepare fillings first! For this batch I chose Rocket ad Goats Cheese, Chorizo and Tomato and Bacon and Cheddar Cheese.

Whisk as many eggs as you need adding a little salt and pepper. I used 5/6 eggs for 12 muffins.

Put the filling in a pre-greased or lined muffin tray first and pour the egg over leaving 1/4 of the space free at the top to allow the eggs to raise slightly.

Cook for 12-15 mins in the oven at 180. These were unreal!!

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All these dishes should keep, once stored correctly, for 3-5 days and can be used as a hot meal at home or a packed lunch for school. Try them at home first. Last thing you want is your child saying they don’t want their lunch as you pack it away.

If you enjoyed reading this blog please share it in your friends WhatsApp groups, Facebook groups, your own timeline or anywhere really!

Now is the time to try these out at home BEFORE school starts back and plant the seeds eaerly that this year your child will eat as healthy as possible and not just get whatever is handy at 8.30 in the morning.

Mark

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