Do you ever run out of ideas for a healthy school lunch meals for your kids? Today, Susan Conley from Cook the Stone is sharing with us 3 fast and delicious back to school lunch ideas that are healthy, too. These recipes just take 20-30 minutes to prepare and cook and the recipes have just the right ingredients to keep your kids focused and alert during the afternoon slump (and not taking a nap during math class).
Picture this: It’s a Monday, and you’re running late for work. But you still have to prepare the lunchbox for the kids. What meal should you prepare for them?
You may reheat the leftover crab legs in the refrigerator, but obviously, kids won’t like them. Or you may have leftover spaghetti, however, the kids would have grown tired of eating it.
So what should you prep for your little ones? I’ll be sharing with you three healthy meal ideas. These are all delicious and easy to prepare meals that your kids will surely love.
3 Healthy School Lunch Ideas
Recipe 1: Fried noodle with roasted chicken, broccoli, and boiled egg
Let’s make it clear—it is up to you what type of noodles you would want to use in this recipe. Chinese noodles are specified in this recipe, but you can use rice noodles, wheat, and even egg noodles.
You can also replace the chicken with shrimp, scallops or squid. Even slices of filleted fish would work. But of course, you have to ask your children what they want.
I think what’s more crucial is the coconut milk. It can make or break this recipe. You should also make sure that the noodles are not overcooked. Aim to have the noodles as close to al dente (not overcooked, and firm to the bite) as possible.
You’ll need roughly 20 minutes to finish this recipe—10 minutes for the preparation and another 10 minutes for the cooking.
Ingredients:
- 10 ounces of Chinese noodles
- 1 to 2 chicken breasts
- One head of broccoli cut into small florets
- One egg
- One can of coconut milk
- One cup of chicken stock
- Three cloves of garlic, minced
- Three tablespoons of minced onion
- One ginger, finely chopped
- Half teaspoon of ground coriander
- Three tablespoons of fish sauce
- One and a half tablespoon of lime juice
- One teaspoon of brown sugar
- One bay leaf
Step-by-step guide:
- Boil water in a large pot. Put in the noodles and let it soak as you prepare the other ingredients.
- Wait for the noodles to soften before draining and rinsing with cold water. Set aside.
- Boil 1 to 2 eggs in the same pot. Set aside.
- Place the chicken stock in a wok placed over high heat. Bring this to a boil before adding the onion, garlic, ginger, ground coriander, bay leaf, and broccoli. Boil for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the softened noodles. Use two utensils to turn the noodles into the sauce until the noodles have absorbed most of it.
- Remove from the heat. Portion up into bowls then slice the boiled eggs in half.
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Recipe 2: Stir Fried Beef with Egg
Here’s another quick and delicious dish that you can whip for your kids.
Ingredients:
- One tablespoon of olive oil
- One pound of flank steak, sliced thin
- Two tablespoons of flour
- Half cup of low sodium soy sauce
- Three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
- Three tablespoons of honey
- Three cloves of garlic, minced
- One teaspoon of fresh ginger, minced
- Two tablespoons of sesame oil
- Half cup of beef broth
- One egg
- One small sausage
- Two teaspoons of butter
- One cucumber, sliced into thin pieces
- Three small tomatoes
- 3 raisins
Step-by-step guide:
- Whisk together the flour, soy sauce, garlic, honey, apple cider vinegar, ginger, sesame oil and beef broth in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet then cook steak on both sides for 5 minutes.
- Add the sauce to the skillet and stir. The sauce should thicken immediately.
- Heat butter in another nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and then fry the sausage till golden. Break and slip the egg into the skillet. Fry the egg for 2-3 minutes then add to the lunchbox along with the stir-fried beef.
- Add the cucumber slices and tomatoes. Place the raisins over the rice to form the face of a bear.
Recipe 3: Grilled chicken, kale and quinoa
This is another easy to prepare a meal that’s also delicious and nutritious. It would take less than 30 minutes to prepare this dish which can serve four people.
Ingredients:
- Two tablespoons of olive oil
- 3-4 boneless and skinless chicken thighs
- Steak seasoning
- One small onion
- Salt and ground pepper to taste
- One cup of low sodium chicken broth
- Three cups of cooked quinoa
- 10 cups of raw kale, with the stems, removed
- Half cup of dried cranberries
- Half cup of slivered almonds
For the salad dressing, prepare the ingredients:
- Quarter cup of apple cider vinegar
- Quarter cup of olive oil
- Three tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
- One tablespoon of honey
- Half teaspoon of salt
Step-by-step guide:
- Heat a skillet then add olive oil. Add the chicken things once the oil shimmers. Season with Montreal steak seasoning before cooking for 8 minutes or until the chicken turns brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate then set aside.
- Mix the kale, and quinoa in a large bowl. Add the cranberries and almonds. In another bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing before pouring over the quinoa mixture.
- Transfer kale and quinoa in a lunchbox then add the chicken.
- Add almonds and grapes.
Conclusion
I hope you’ll try any or all of these recipes. These are all easy and simple to prepare. Plus these are nutritious meals that your kids will surely love.
What do you think of these recipes? Let me know by writing in the comments section below.
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