quick and easey lunch recipes

Justine - posted on 02/22/2011

cooked rice, tinned tuna, frozen peasall mixed together; cooked pink lentils (soooo easy, they cook in no time or you can probably even get canned lentils), with garlic and tinned tomatoes (maybe a veg stock cube if you like for extra taste, served with toast; tin of mixed beans, tinned tomatoes mixed together with a little bit of fresh cilli and garlic, puree slightly so some whole beans are left but it's also nice and thick for dipping toast in!

Rachel - posted on 01/23/2011

@Sabrina Heffernan I saw another post from you. You are inspirational! And as far as easy lunches, my 1 and 3 year olds love frozen berries and yogurt. We go through 32 oz. of yogurt every 4-6 days. They usually only eat it for breakfast, but they would eat it any time. Add some granola to it and you have a parfait. We also buy mac and cheese and add some ground beef to that. It's healthier than it sounds, we use Annie's Homegrown organic pastas and use 80% lean beef. You could also substitute ground turkey or turkey hot dogs. My kids love fruits and veggies as long as they are sliced and 'finger foods'.

Bonnie - posted on 01/13/2011

"I like to keep precooked chicken breast in the fridge. I can use it to make chicken salad, bbq chicken sandwiches, chicken club sandwiches or I can add it to salad to make it a little more hearty. Precooked potatoes are great to keep on hand too. Think potato soup, fried potatoes, potato salad, and hash browns. Hope this helps:)

Jenna - posted on 01/12/2011

We eat a lot of leftovers for lunch. Nothing is quicker or easier than reheating something you made for dinner the night before :) Other things we like are quesadillas w/whole grain tortillas, chicken salad or tuna salad melts, a big green salad w/lots of toppings, those are the things I can think of off the top of my head.

Jessica - posted on 01/10/2011

My kids love when we take mini hotdogs (or turkey dogs) and wrap them in the cresent rolls. Bake them for 18 minutes and perfect for little fingers! I also do this with regular size hotdogs for my older kids. Love it! I use the reduced fat cresents and turkey dogs to make a healthier version.

Amy - posted on 01/10/2011

My kids love platters. I use my bread board, put cut up fruit, raw vegies, cold meat, smoked fish, sandwiches, toast and/or biscuits. It is a simple but easy way to make the normal stuff look interesting plus it means less washing up as they don't need there own plates.

Stacy - posted on 01/05/2011

My daughter loved Taking our vresion of candied apples for lunch at school but we also made them at home. Put an apple on a stick. Cover it with peanut butter, then roll it in granola. It's everything you need protein, fiber and fruit.

Sabrina - posted on 01/04/2011

I have had the same problem what I have been doing is taking their favorite parts of dinner and making them lighter for lunch. Like spaghetti and meatballs. Instead of giving them both I just give them the meatballs in the sauce with a small roll and they can either eat it separate or do like my 11 and 12 year old do and make it into a sandwich.

Another basic that I haven't really explored until recently is tortillas. Man they can be used for anything...as a side, main dish or even dessert. And the cool thing is that each kids can put what they want inside to customize what they like. I just start with cheese and go from there. As a dessert/snack I lightly coat 2/3 of the tortilla with butter and then sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on it. Roll it up and microwave it for 15-30 secs and my kids go nuts for it.

One more is using fruit with a protein for those days when they are just not"hungry" but you know they need to eat something or they will be ravenous by dinnertime. Stuffed Apples- scoop out the core from an apple; stuff with peanut butter, cream cheese, or other spread. Top with raisins or chocolate chips. Fruit kabobs also are aesthetically pleasing and can be something you make together and again they can customize what they like just for them. You can add cheese cubes in between the fruits and dip them in peanut butter or yogurt.

Itsa - posted on 01/04/2011

Carrot sticks, apple slices and a sandwich with chicken/turkey/ham, lettuce, tomato, avocado, etc.

Vegetable platter with lots of baton veg, hard boiled egg and some cheese and crackers.

Fruit salad!

Juniper - posted on 01/04/2011

something that's easy and yummy for mom's and kid's that can also be for breakfast, fruit wraps. Just take a wrap, a spoon of your favorite yogurt and some cut up fruit sprinkled inside. My whole family loves them!