BACK-TO-SCHOOL HEALTHY MEALS AND SNACK IDEAS
It’s that time of the year again, where long nights of food galore are a thing of the past and you (or your kids) are back to school. And we all know what that means: The oh-so dreaded preparation of school lunches.
We’ve all been through that period where we shiver at the thought of spending precious time after coming home from a work or school day preparing tomorrow’s lunch – assuming we’ve already figured out what that will be!
With the Back-to-school season coming up, most of us make it our plan to eat or feed our little ones the healthiest way possible, so that’s what we’re here to help with!
First and foremost, the healthiest way to have lunch is after breakfast; after all, it’s the most important meal of the day! The easiest option would be overnight oatmeal, which is healthy, fulfilling, and customizable to your taste. Simply microwave your jar before leaving in the morning. You can even make a few ahead of time by mixing all the dry ingredients in jars, and mixing in the milk the night before.
Now that we’ve taken care of breakfast, we move on to lunch. Here are a few ideas of what can be put in a lunchbox for you to get inspired.
MUFFINS
Muffins are also a perfect crowd-pleaser for all ages. However, most recipes are full of unhealthy fats and sugars. Try making these banana breads for a change. You can also add an egg to your oatmeal and bake it to make oatmeal muffins!
FRUIT SKEWERS
This one is more kid-oriented. Many of us have struggled to get children to eat their fruits, so why not make it more fun for them? Simply stick a few pieces of fruit into a small wooden skewer and voilà! Your kids have a healthy snack they can enjoy in all aspects.
A few tips: To make it extra fun, cut the fruit into fun shapes using small cookie cutters. Also, you can snip the piercing tip off the skewer using kitchen scissors if you’re worried your kids might hurt themselves with it.
NUT BUTTER
Let’s face it: Peanut butter is a childhood favorite. From PB&J sandwiches to chocolate & peanut butter cups, this staple is a definite crowd pleaser. However, the commercial stuff is filled with refined fats and sugars; so make sure that the jar that you’re buying doesn’t have any ingredient other than peanuts (and salt), or make your own by pulsing roasted peanuts in a food processor until it turns into peanut butter – yes it’s that simple! You can also try other nut butters such as almond butter. Nut butter is also very versatile: we recommend having it simply spread on some bread, or as a dip with fresh fruits such as apple or banana slices.
GRANOLA BARS
Granola Bars are another very convenient, tasty, and healthy snack that is very versatile and can be easily enjoyed on-the-go. Nevertheless, much like nut butters, most commercial cereal bars are filled to the brim with refined sugars, so why not make your own for a change?
LABNEH
This seems very trivial, but when all else fails, labneh is always a perfect fit. Not only is it tasty, refreshing and convenient, it is also quite healthy! The high amounts of probiotics found in labneh are beneficial in more ways than one, most notably its abilities to boost proper immune system functions; and with flu season fast approaching, we could all use some of that.
