Friday, February 27, 2015

Lunches For Big Kids

All my 28 years, I’ve suffered from a problem with lunches. I don’t like sandwiches. I was that weird kid who didn’t want to take lunchmeat slapped in the middle of two pieces of bread. I HATED crusts even more. Ick.

My poor mother, how she must have equally suffered. As a parent, what the heck do you buy your kid if they don’t like sandwiches? She tried every cracker-cheese-meat combination possible till' it was played right out of my grade six vocabulary. 

Well, 28 years later, here I am, and I got it down to a grind now.


I’ve had a few years to experiment and pull recipes from Pinterest, providing me a nice variety. I wanted to give a few examples of some awesome lunches that students can bring to school, something to give them energy and fill their hungry tummies that rumble all day at campus.

10 Tips for a healthy lunch:
Dying to grab that box of poutine from the commons? Here's why it's important to pack a lunch the night before while your in post-secondary.

1.) Water.
Bring those bottles friends. Hydrate yourself. It will fill you up so you feel less hungry, and if you're drinking cold water, it will keep you from putting your head down and falling asleep.

2) Skip The Bread.
Choosing a low fat, high-in-fiber bread is important. If you have too, choose a multi-grain type. Try crackers or a pita wrap instead of the traditional loaf of bread. You'll get more nutrients, which is important in maintaining diet and staying healthy.

3) Soup It Up.
There are a million different soup recipes out there, what are you waiting for!? Soups offer a low-calorie lunch option, and an easy way to fill up and stay full. Depending on what soup you can have, the benefits are endless. 

4) Fruit.
You've been hearing this since you were little. Eat your fruit, it's nutritious. Funny, they were right. Fruits provide another source of energy, as they are packed with vitamins and minerals.

5) Veggiezzz.
Red, orange, and green vegetables are legit. i.e. tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and broccoli. Another great source of energy, packed with vitamins and minerals.


6) Protein man. 
Protein increases energy. Put down that Red Bull and eat some chicken!! Other sources of protein are: peanut butter, fish, eggs, beef, soy and dairy.

Sample lunches below


Lunch #1:
hardboiled egg
pretzels
yogurt
trail mix (pumpkin seeds, craisins, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds)
apple
salad w/ balsamic dressing
water

Lunch #2:
pizza wrap (recipe below)
popcorn
cottage cheese
cantelope
snap peas
water

Lunch # 3:
hummus
triscuits
yogurt
kiwi (REMEMBER: green fruit = good)
edymeme beans
water
avocado mixed with Greek yogurt
veggies to dip (carrots, celery, cucumber)
grapes
water
bran muffin

Recipe for pizza wrap:
1 whole-wheat wrap
3 tbsp pizza sauce
Sliced pepperoni
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
Lay whole-wheat wrap flat, evenly spread pizza sauce.
Top with pepperoni   and cheese.
Roll wrap tightly.

Cook for 1 min in microwave or until cheese melts.


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