I struggled with obesity for a few years before I found ways to lose weight naturally without gastric bypass. One big challenge was finding healthy diet recipes that didn't require an extra meal prep. I created these quick easy healthy school lunch recipes to make for the whole family. The good news is that everyone loved these "diet recipes" which were part of how I lost 100 pounds.
A-Z
lunch menu of quick lunch recipes and lunchbox foods for kids
A+
Applewich: Spread light oat grain bread with almond butter or natural peanut
butter (no transfat). Add sliced apples or apple butter. This will be in hot
demand on your monthly lunch menu. Be daring and sprouts or spinach leaves to sandwich.
Banana
Boats--cut two slits in banana and peel back skin part way. Remove a little
banana and fill with peanut butter and grape slices. Save removed banana for
PBB sandwiches (lunch recipes below)
Charcuterie: Cheese cubes or sticks (light mozzarella), olives, broccoli flowerets, almonds, turkey pepperoni and grapes.
Dogs
in the blanket--Nitrate free turkey hot dogs (Applegate, Oscar Meyer Naturals or Smart dogs (made with tofu) with honey mustard and wrapped in
lettuce leaves
Eggs
Devilishly Good--Hard boil eggs, chill and peel. Rinse and slice lengthwise.
Remove yolk and mash with light olive oil mayo, dill weed and paprika. Fill egg
cavities. Serve with cold baked potato and sour cream.
Fruit
Max--Mix dried apricots, raisins, apples, guava, papaya (don't get sugared ones)
with nuts, seeds and pretzels
GORP
(good old raisins and peanuts) or almonds, walnuts or any nuts!
Happy
Trails Mix-- Mix unsweetened breakfast cereal, pretzels, raisins, cheese cubes
and dark chocolate chips (just a few) for yummy lunchbox foods.
Insanely
Healthy Peanut Butter Dip (peanut butter and plain Greek yogurt mixed half and
half) with rice crackers, strawberries, pineapple, baby carrots, green pepper
spears.
Jumble
nut butter oatmeal cookies--Make with healthy sunflower oil and blue agave
syrup to sweeten. Use different nut butters (peanut, cashew, almond or
sunflower). Add mixed nuts and seeds for remarkably filling protein
alternatives for vegetarian lunch recipes.
Kangaroo
Sandwiches--Stuff pita pocket bread with lettuce and chicken or tuna salad. Mix
tuna or chicken with light mayo, spicy mustard, chopped celery, apples, grapes,
nuts and black pepper. Be sure to call it Kangaroo Sandwiches on the lunch
menu!
Lighten
Up Roll-ups--spread tortilla shell with light cream cheese, turkey lunchmeat,
large romaine lettuce leaf. Roll and slice. For gluten-ree roll up, roll cheese
stick in reduced fat lunch meat or vegan cheese slices
Mucho
Guacamole Boats--remove pits from avocado and scrape out some avocado. Mix with
lemon juice, garlic, tomatoes, onions for guacamole. Tuck tortilla chips inside
avocado, fill cavity with guacamole and sprinkle with cheese. Send some chips
separately. How's that for super healthy school lunches in minutes?
Nuts
and bolts--pretzels, dried fruit and Honey Nut Cheerios. Send almond milk or
lowfat milk for lunch cereal.
Olives
overboard pasta salad--Cook whole grain pasta, drain and chill. Add cubed feta
cheese, cucumber chunks, green and black olives and a little olive oil for
vegetarian lunch recipes.
Po'boy
Shish Kebobs: Skewer Swiss cheese chunks, pickles and all natural Al Fresco
chicken sausage slices on toothpicks.
PBB
sandwiches. Make peanut butter sandwiches with banana spread like jam on bread.
Quick
lunch recipes--Pita chips and hummus with baby carrots--Teens love these
lunchbox foods.
Raw
colored peppers and yogurt salad dressing (store separately). Yogurt dressing
is Greek yogurt mixed with lemon juice, feta cheese, pepper, dill, rosemary,
oregano and sage.
Smoked
almonds, broccoli and yogurt dip and blueberries--How's that for super portable
vegetarian lunchbox foods.
Sailboat
Sandwiches: PBJ sandwich cut diagonally (for boat) and then one half in half
again (sails). Use light whole grain bread, natural peanut butter and low sugar
jam.
Tomatoes
or baby carrots and hummus are another teen lunch pleaser.
Very
Vegetarian Veggie burger: Mash beans and mix with chopped veggies. Cook ahead
and make into sandwich.
Wagon
wheels--Cut sliced cheese round using mouth of small glass. Place inside two
crackers. (This was Timer's recipe in the old Saturday morning PSAs)
Under
the Sea. Serve Goldfish crackers with foil tuna packets or imitation crab
sticks. Add cucumber slices and watermelon chunks for quick lunch recipes.
X-tra
quick school lunches--Serve healthy power bars like Junkless, Luna, Kind or Clif bars.
These make great school snacks or lunches that satisfy
YOLO--Lemon
or orange flavored yogurt cups or Greek yogurt cups like Light and Fit,
Stonyfield, Oikos, Dannon, Chobani. Avoid "kid" yogurt or yogurts
with granola, candy, dyes or junk in them. Choose small yogurt cups for less
waste. Or mix plain Greek yogurt with organic lemonade, peeled grapefruit and
oranges. Serve with nuts for vegetarian healthy school lunches.
Zucchini
"Sushi" Rollups--Spread turkey lunch meat or cheese slice with cream
cheese and wrap around skinny spears of zucchini, carrots, green peppers,
cucumbers and scallions.
These healthy school lunch and snack recipes make great munchables all day long, to keep from mindless snacking on junk. Stick around for more on how I lost 100 pounds and other weight loss thoughts.
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