Nutritious Lunches

This is a non-photo post to be used as a reference for myself. And since I've gone to this small amount of work, I thought I'd share it with you.

School starts Tuesday. Summer was good and long. I'll be getting back to homeschooling my senior and making school lunches for my bus-riding eighth grader, which always causes some issues. What to make? How to keep it interesting all year long? He and I brainstormed today, with tasting good and being healthy the priorities (you already know who prioritized which,) and this is what we came up with. Hoping with 21 main entree items to choose from this will work well. Happily, they have a microwave he can use at his school also, giving some of our items better taste.

PRIMARILY PROTEIN

Chicken Nuggets
Chicken Salad with grapes and celery
Tuna Salad with celery
BBQ pulled chicken
Quiche with veggies (onions, peppers, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms - all options)
Black beans and rice mixed with salsa
Chicken Drumstick
Turkey nitrate-free hot dogs (bun packed in a separate bag)

SANDWICHES/WRAPS - put into Whole Wheat Bagels, Tortillas, Bread, English Muffin or Pita
               
Grilled Chicken with Lettuce and Avocado
Bean and Cheese and Salsa Burritos
Any of the Protein Salads or pulled chicken from above
Grilled Cheese with Turkey
Apple Butter and Banana on Whole Wheat Waffles (we're going to give it a try)
Egg Burritos

EASILY PORTABLE FRUITS

Cut-up Peaches, Pears, Pineapple, Grapes, Clementines, Applesauce


HOMEMADE LUNCHABLES

Theme                 Carb                               Veggie                            Fruit                      Protein

Pizza                    Mini-bagels                  Tomato Sauce                    Grapes              Mozzarella
                                                                        Mushrooms                                        Turkey Pepperoni

Mexican               Taco Chips                    Olives                                 Peaches                Black Beans
                                                                     Avocado                             Salsa                     Cheddar
                                                                     Lettuce                      (veggie I know)
                                                                     Cherry Tomatoes

Asian                     Rice Bowl                    Carrots                            Clementines      Slivered  Almonds
                                                                     Broccoli                          Plum Sauce        Grilled chicken

American                Crackers                     Carrots                             Pineapple                  Nitrate-free                                
                                                                                                                                     turkey or roast beef
                                                                                                                                          chunk cheddar

Breakfast             Breakfast Potatoes             Onions                           Peaches                  Nitrate-free ham
                               
Greek                      Pita or Pita chips            Olives                            Dates                  Grilled chicken
                                                                    Zucchini                                                Low-fat cream cheese



HOMEMADE PIZZA -
  Repeatedly on his list, I'll most likely give it to him in the above lunchable form, but occasionally I'll make ones with mini-cast iron pans, and he LOVES these. I can make six out of one crust recipe, and they freeze well and are easy to throw in his lunch on a day I know he has a lot of physical activity planned for that day.

VEGETARIAN CHILI - in a thermos, accompanied with either breakfast potatoes or rice, which he loves

SWEET TREATS - with braces we need to watch out for too crunchy, sticky, etc.

Yogurt, blueberries, granola
Graham Cracker, bananas, Nutella
Zucchini Muffins
Blueberry Muffins
Oatmeal Date Bars
Pumpkin Cookies

 I know there are some websites which say giving any treat at all in a lunch is a bad idea. My son read that, and said, "Push the X." Yep, that's not happening in this boy's lunch box. He's grown a good six inches this year. Calories aren't his enemy, we're just trying to keep it interesting, tasting good, and overall healthy. And frankly I need about as much as he eats for lunch to give him for an afterschool snack. He leaves at 7, has lunch at 11, gets home at 3,  and we don't usually eat dinner until 6:30 or 7. Gotta keep a growing boy fueled up with something besides cereal, which I should own stock in - seriously!