A well prepared and cooked set of a meal is an excellent way of deflecting your children’s cry for fast and junk foods. You can still make something presentable and tasty for your kids, and they end up loving it.
Also, you do not have to give them cheesy and creamy foods to please. You can still prepare healthy meals and here is a guide for seven-days healthy lunch for your kids.
Taco chicken salad
Any child will love taco chicken salad, and the best part is that it is easy to prepare and you do not have to add cream and cheese to be tasty. If you are the kind of person who does not love spending hours in the kitchen, the meal will favor you.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken
- Chopped large head romaine lettuce
- A can (19 fluid ounce) of black beans, rinsed and drained
- A can (1fluid ounce) of drained corn
- 10.5 ounce or a can of little tomatoes chopped into halves
- One chopped avocado
- A half cup of freshly grated cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A tablespoonful of chopped red onions to taste
- A half cup of broken-up tortilla
- Lime for serving
Preparation
Prepare your ranch dressing. You can do this a day or two ahead if you wish. This includes whisking ranch, cilantro, and salsa together
To prepare the chicken, put some oil in a pan and heat it on medium high heat. Put the chicken in the pan and season each side generously with taco seasoning. Cook each side for about 5 minutes or until they no longer look pink. Remove them from heat and cut them into cubes.
Place your corn on a skillet and cook it for a few minutes before removing from heat
It is time to assemble the salad. Take the lettuce and put it on the bottom. Pile the chicken, avocado, tomatoes, red onions, corn, cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla on top. Sprinkle the lime for dressing on top and its ready to serve or pack in the kid’s school box.
Pitta pockets
Are you looking for a sandwich replacement? Pita pockets are a perfect fit for that. To make the healthy lunch even more exciting and satisfying you can pair it with finger food such as mint deep with carrot sticks or crushed pea. You may also add almonds.
Ingredients
- Two tablespoonfuls of olive oil and some additional for kneading
- One 7g sachet of instant yeast
- A tablespoonful salt
- 250g/9oz of strong white flour and some extra for dusting
- 160ml of water
Preparation
Take a bowl and mix flour, yeast, salt and nigella seeds. Add 120ml of water and a teaspoonful and a half of oil. Use your fingers and combine all the ingredients. Slowly add the remaining water as you check the texture until you feel that all the flour has is no longer on the sides and the dough is soft. You do not have to use all the water but make sure that the dough is smooth, and it’s not sticky.
Put some oil on your worktop and place the dough on it. Knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is wet and smooth. Place it in a bowl (oiled) and cover it. Let it proof until it doubles in size.
Preheat your over to 250 c and put a clean baking tray on the middle shelf. Once the dough has proven enough, place it on a work surface and ensure that it is dusted with floor to prevent it sticking.
Fold the dough inwards and repeat this until all the air has been knocked out. Split into equally sized balls (the number depends on the number of people to be served) and roll the balls into an oval shape.
Take the hot tray off the oven, dust it with flour and place the rolled pieces of bread on it. You may cook them in batches if they do not all fit on the tray. Bake them for a few 10 minutes until they start coloring and remove them from the oven.
Let them cool and slice tan opening where you can put some veggies, tomatoes or carrot sticks.
Tuna rice salad
This meal is a perfect mid-week healthy lunch for your kids, whether they are just chilling at home on holidays or you want something they can carry to school. It is easy to cook, and the better part is that it is light, yet satisfying.
Ingredients
- A cup of frozen peas
- Three evenly sliced green onions
- Two large onions
- A cup of doongara clever rice
- Two cans of tuna in springwater
- A tablespoon of olive oil
- 250g brown rice
- Two diced gourmet tomatoes
Preparation
Cook the brown rice as per the package. Spread it on a tray and set aside as you wait for it to cool. Take a saucepan and add doongara rice and a cup and half of water. Bring them to boil on high heat and reduce heat to low after boiling. Cover it and leave it to simmer for about 10 minutes until the rice looks tender. Remove the pan from heat and put peas. Cover and stand for about 5 minutes. Drain the peas and beans and refresh it in cold water. Set it aside and let it cool.
Mix the white and brown rice, tomatoes, peas and green onions in a large bowl. Drain the tuna and cut it into large chunks. Add the the salad and mix gently to combine.
Chop the lemon and squeeze the fresh juice. Combine it with salt, oil, and pepper before pouring it over salad.
Pizza with garlic and mozzarella
The best and healthiest pizza uses pita bread and other healthy topics to taste. Avoid the creamy cheese and instead go for tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, Roma, cooked broccoli or olives.
Ingredients
- ¼ to ½ tablespoonful red pepper flakes
- ½ cup of natural salt-free tomato sauce
- Two whole wheat or gluten-free pitas
- 2 or 3 medium cloves garlic, well minced
- Tablespoonful minced fresh basil leaves
- 2 oz fresh mozzarella, finely sliced into rounds
- A cup of spinach or other healthy greens, finely chopped
Preparation
Preheat the oven to up to 400°c
Take a small bowl, combine tomato sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes and stir to mix
Put the pitas on a baking sheet. Use a spoon or brush; divide the sauce mixture between the two pitas and leave about a a ¼ inch border around edges. Sprinkle the spinach and arrange the mozzarella rounds on the greens.
Bake it for about 10 minutes until the mozzarella is melted and the greens are wilted. Remove it from oven and sprinkle with basil. Divide it evenly and serve.
Pesto pasta salad
You can still make a healthy pesto salad which is extremely easy to make and lovable by children.
Ingredients
- Grated black pepper
- A pound of whole grain pasta
- Three handfuls of baby spinach or arugula
- A ½ cup of sliced Kalamata olives; this is optional
- A pinch of tossed cherry tomatoes
- A can of rinsed and drained chickpeas
- Crumbled feta cheese, grated parmesan or diced mozzarella
Pesto
- A half cup of packed fresh basil leaves
- A quarter cup of lemon juice
- ½ cup of pepitas or hulled pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
- A half tablespoon salt
- One roughly chopped clove garlic
Preparation
Put water in a large pot and salt and boil for pasta. Let the pasta cook as per the package directions. Before it drains, reserve ½ cup of the cooking water before draining and immediately rinse the pasta under cold water to ensure that the noodles do not stick on one another. Transfer them on a large serving bowl.
Prepare the pesto by toasting the pepitas on medium heat. Stir often until they are fragrant and are making some popping noises. Pour half of it in a bowl ( you will use this portion for garnishing).
Put the remaining pepitas in a food processor; add parsley, basil, salt, garlic, and lemon juice. Process the mixture as you slowly sprinkle the olive oil until the pepitas brakes down to form a smooth sauce.
To make the pasta salad, put all the pesto over the pasta and toss it until the pasta is evenly coated with pesto. You can sprinkle some of the reserved pasta cooking water to thin it out. Add cherry tomato, the remaining pepitas, arugula and any other add-ins such as chickpeas or olive for garnishing. It is ready to serve.
Green bean & penne salad
You can make quick pasta salad tossed with basil and tomato dressing which is a perfect vegetarian lunch for date six.
Ingredients
- Two chopped tomatoes
- A large red onion, thinly sliced
- A tablespoonful of rapeseed oil
- 160g of green beans, chopped into short lengths
- 75 g of wholemeal penne
- A large chopped rocket\
- Chopped kalamata olives
Preparation
Put the pasta into boil for about 5 minutes. Add onion and beans and return to boil. Cook for at least five minutes.
As it cooks, put the tomatoes in a bowl with the vinegar, basil, and oil. Save a few leaves of basil. Blitz, the mixture with a hand blender. This will be used for dressing.
Drain the beans and pasta, tip them into the dressing, add olives and mix them well.
Serve your meal or pack into lunchboxes and top it with rocket and basil leaves.
Chicken, carrot & avocado rolls recipe
It is healthy, quick and straightforward to prepare. Also, they are appealing, and your kids will undoubtedly love the meal. It entails tortilla with vegetables, salad, and shredded chicken. It is definitely perfect for lunchboxes.
Ingredients
- A cup of brown rice
- Two avocados
- Two grated carrots
- Six nori sheets
- Three tablespoonfuls of salt-reduced soy sauce
- Cup sushi rice
- Tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
- One continental cucumber cut into wide strips
- Shredded chicken breast
Preparation
Combine the brown rice and sushi rice in a saucepan and add 3 ½ cups of cold water. Boil them and reduce heat to simmer for about 12 minutes or until the water is fully absorbed. Once the rice is cooked, stir the vinegar and soy sauce and spread it on a tray. Set it aside to cool.
As you await it to cool down, lay a clean tea towel, nori sheets, bowl of water, carrot and cucumber to set your sushi rolling space.
Take the avocado, scoop the flesh and mash it in the shredded chicken.
Lay the nori sheets (one by one) on the tea towel and top them with rice. Ensure to leave at least 3cm trip at the furthest end.
Lay the carrots and cucumber on the rice and add three tablespoonfuls of the chicken mixture. Lift the towel and roll the sushi from one side to the furthest corner. Sprinkle a little water on the exposed edges of nori and still the roll together. Pack them in the lunchboxes.
Last
These are only a few of the many healthy lunch choices for your kids. Note that you should try as much to avoid processed ingredients and go for natural ones. Also, avoid sodas and other forms of unhealthy sugars. Do away with cream cheese too. Go for more fruits, vegetables and to make the meals healthier buy coconut water and add it in the recipes.