6 Healthy Lunch Ideas Besides Sandwiches
Here are 6 Healthy Lunch Ideas, because school is right around the corner, which means the daily decision of what to pack for lunch is almost upon us.
Or maybe you don’t have kids and are “brown bagging” it to save money on eating out every day.
Here in America, the humble sandwich is often our staple for lunch. You can vary the filling from PB&J or luncheon meat. But after a few weeks, anything stuffed between two pieces of bread can be boring.
6 Healthy Lunch Ideas
Here are six easy and healthy lunch ideas for kids and grownups.
1. Salads
A green salad with boiled egg, chopped meat or other protein is actually easy to take along. Mix up your salad ingredients and put them in a reusable container. Pack the dressing in a separate container, so things don’t get soggy.
2. Wraps
Wraps are basically sandwiches stuffed in a tortilla and rolled instead of on bread. Let your imagination run wild with fillings: peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese, bean and rice burrito, pizza roll-ups. You can leave them whole or cut into 1” rounds (works best with sticky ingredients like peanut butter, cream cheese, etc.)
3. Pockets
This takes a little preparation the night before or on the weekend. Still, if you individually freeze them and then store them in a zip to lock bag, you can grab and go in the morning. Using pizza dough, pie crust, or even biscuit dough, roll out a circle or square, add the filling and pinch the ends to close, then bake.
4. Soups and Stews
When the weather turns chilly, soup, stews, and chili make a great lunch. Make ahead of time, then heat up in the morning and put it in a wide-mouth thermal container for a nice hot lunch. Don’t forget to pack a spoon!
See our soup recipes here »
5. Leftovers
Cook once, eat twice. If you usually make 4 servings for dinner, make 6, so you have some to pack for the next day. Fried rice, pasta, casseroles, and more can be packed up in a wide-mouth thermal container for those that don’t have access to a microwave at lunchtime.
6. Bento Boxes
Bento Box from Bentgo
Bento boxes came over from Japan a few years ago. They usually consist of small amounts of a variety of finger foods – like Lunchables, but healthier. There are special divided containers you can get or use several small containers. Pack a few ounces of cheese, a few slices of meat, some crackers, veggie sticks, and fresh fruit. You could even cut up a sandwich with cookie cutters or slice up some wraps and add fresh fruit and vegetables.
Hopefully, that helps you break out of the sandwich rut and makes lunchtime something your child (or you) will look forward to with glee.
School is right around the corner which means the daily decision of what to pack for lunch is almost upon us.
Or maybe you don’t have kids and are “brown bagging” it to save money on eating out every day.
Here in America, the humble sandwich is often our staple for lunch. You can vary the filling from PB&J or luncheon meat. But after a few weeks, anything stuffed between two pieces of bread can be boring.
- 10 Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthier
- Five Ways to Get Kids To Eat Vegetables
- Feeding Kids Organic on a Budget Tips and Information
- Kids LOVE Veggies (right!)
- Broccoli Potato Soup
- Does Buying High-Quality Produce Actually Save Money?
- Green Citrus Juice to Start Your Day
- Carrot Kale Juice Recipe For Everyone
- 15 Radish Recipes to Break Out of the Salad Rut
- Get the Most Out of Your Harvest Box – Ten Tips
