Quick Pantry Lunch Ideas

Quick Pantry Lunch Ideas

It’s lunch time and the kids are hungry. Take a look in your pantry for some quick and filling lunch ideas. You’ll be surprised with how many last minute meal ideas you can come up with using the various cans and bags of dry goods stashed away in your kitchen cupboards.

Macaroni and Cheese Plus

Grab a box of Mac & Cheese and mix and prepare it according to the package directions. To turn it into a full lunch meal, add some vegetables and meat. Here are some ideas…

Add small chunks of steamed broccoli or a can of green beans or peas along with some chopped ham, nitrite free all natural hot dogs, or cubed cooked chicken. You can also brown some hamburger meat, ground turkey or sausage ahead of time and keep it in small containers in the fridge or freezer. Just reheat (don’t forget to thaw when appropriate) and add it to the cheesy noodle mixture.  The same basic idea also works well with spaghetti and tomato sauce.

Soup and a Sandwich

Since we’re talking about soup already, why not fix soup and a sandwich for lunch? Just about any combination goes well together and lunch is ready in a matter of minutes. Some personal favorites include tomato soup and grilled cheese, chicken noodle and tomato and lettuce sandwiches, and if you ask my kids, peanut butter sandwiches go great with just about any soup, but especially with broccoli and cheese.

Nacho Grande

Who doesn’t have a bag of corn chips in the pantry? Pour some in a microwavable dish, and top it with leftover chicken, diced ham, cooked sausage, veggies, olives and anything else you can find that might go well with chips. Top everything with plenty of cheese and microwave until the cheese is just melted. Serve with a side of mild salsa and sour cream for a filling lunch that only looks like a snack.

Go ahead, take a look in your pantry and see what fun and fast lunch ideas you can come up with. Your family is sure to love all the new culinary creations you whip up for them and they may even come up with some of their own.

Packing School Lunches for Your Child

Packing your child’s school lunch has some big advantages over having your child participate in the school lunch program. You can often prepare the lunches cheaper at home, the meals you prepare for your child can easily be made healthier than what the school cafeteria has to offer and you can cater to your child’s individual taste, just to name a few.

If you’ve decided to try packing school lunches for your child, it’s time to come up with some ideas on what types of foods you’ll include each day. Each lunch should include some sort of main dish (this can be a sandwich, a wrap, or a hot lunch dish), one or two sides, a drink and possibly a snack or dessert.

When it comes to the main lunch dish, just about any type of sandwich will work well. Some ideas are ham and cheese, chicken salad, or peanut butter and jelly. Instead of making the sandwich with sliced bread each day, mix things up by using a tortilla to make a wrap instead. Bagels and pita pockets are also great sandwich options. Older kids also enjoy a salad topped with ham and cheese or grilled chicken breast for lunch. Remember to pack the salad dressing in a separate container, so the salad doesn’t get soggy.

There are all kinds of thermos type containers on the market today. You can find wide-mouthed versions available that are perfect for carrying soups or stews to school. You may also want to invest in an insulated water bottle for your child. This will allow them to carry anything from water to fruit juices or cold herbal teas to school.

Last but not least, let’s talk about how your child will actually carry their lunch to school. There are quite a few different types of lunch boxes and containers available. If you are packing a sandwich, a piece of fruit and a bag of chips, you don’t really need anything more than a few sandwich bags and maybe a small brown paper bag to let your child carry lunch in. Of course hard plastic lunch boxes are also a good option and will keep the sandwich and chips or pretzels from getting smashed and messy.

What you pack for your child’s lunch and how you send them to school can be determined by keeping in mind things such as the child’s age, the type of lunches they will be eating and convenience.  Don’t think just because they are taking their lunch to school means they have to eat the same boring things everyday. By mixing it up and giving them a variety, they just might end up the envy of all the kids at the lunch table.

Eco Friendly Laptop Lunch

39 Quick Healthy Snacks you can pack in a Lunch

• Yogurt with a bit of granola on top.
• Whole-wheat pretzels (you can dip them in spicy mustard if desired).
• Rice cakes - Spread with natural peanut butter and top with banana slices or raisins.
• Whole wheat cheese sandwich - Cut it in half for a smaller snack.
• Turkey and cheese wrap made with a whole wheat tortilla - Skip the mayonnaise and fill it up with plenty of lettuce and tomatoes instead.
• Fruit salad - Cut up a bunch of fresh fruit and drizzle it with a bit of lemon juice as a natural preservative. Keep the fruit handy in the fridge to make it easy to grab instead of chips or sweets.
• Fresh fruit - Great portable fruit includes apples, pears, peaches and bananas.
• Chicken salad wrap made with all natural mayonnaise - Add sprouts, lettuce, grated carrots and tomatoes for a more filling wrap that also has some additional nutritional value.
• Apple slices topped with cheese.
• Ants on a log - Create these with celery sticks topped with cream cheese or peanut butter and raisins. Ants on a log are always a favorite of adults and kids alike.  Or what about Ants in Gravel?
• Dried nuts and raisins mix - For added interest, include a few M&Ms for your kids and call it “Trail Mix”. Low-sugar, dry cereal works well in this also.
• Raw veggies - Goes great with ranch dip.
• Salad (pack dressing separately) - Customize it with your favorite raw vegetables, sandwich meats, cheeses and egg for a filling snack or lunch.
• Baked tortilla chips and salsa - Easy to pack.
• Cheese and whole wheat tortilla quesadilla - Add some chicken or turkey if desired.
• Pita bread - Cut it open and fill it with your favorite hummus and fresh veggies.
• Fruit smoothie - Make your own with frozen fruit and yogurt. You can carry this with you in an insulated mug.
• Cut up fruit - Fruits such as apple and pear slices go great with fruit or vanilla yogurt to dip.
• Air popped popcorn
• Cup of dry low-sugar cereal - You can package these in small sized sandwich (zippered) bags as a great (almost) mess-free portable snack.
• Whole-grain crackers - You can top these with cheese, lean sandwich meat, tuna or peanut butter.
• Sunflower seeds - These yummy seeds make another great portable snack. For a bit of variety, you can also mix with other nuts and seeds.
• Gelatin fruit cups - Available as single serving cups, pick your favorite fruits. Of course you can also make your own with gelatin and plenty of diced fruit.
• Cottage cheese - Eat it plain or topped with fresh fruit.
• Bran or banana muffins - Make your own and substitute the oil with apple sauce for a great healthy snack.
• String cheese - String cheese makes another great portable snack. Eat it alone or mix it up by wrapping some thin sliced ham or salami around the cheese.
• Dried Fruit - You can find anything from apples to pineapples dried. They make a great sweet and crunchy snack. Banana chips are also always a great option.
• Edamame - These are soy beans in their shell. Steam them and top with a bit of salt or lemon juice.
• Apple sauce - Apple sauce is available in single serving cups and comes in a few different flavors including no sugar and cinnamon.
• Natural, all-fruit leathers - These are a great healthy alternative to sugar snacks like fruit rollups.
• Cereal bars - You can choose from all kinds of different low-sugar cereal bars.
• Milk - A cup of milk can make a very filling snack on the go.
• Chocolate dipped strawberries - If you have a chocolate craving, dip some strawberries or other fresh fruit into melted dark chocolate for a yummy and healthy treat.
• Tofu smoothie with fruit - Get some tofu and blend it with frozen fruit into a creamy smoothie.
• Animal Crackers - These are low-sugar cookies kids are sure to love. Serve them with a glass of milk.
• Fruit and Cheese Kabobs - Alternate chunks of fresh fruit and cheese cubes and thread them on a bamboo skewer for a fun and of course healthy snack.
• Cooked Sweet Potato - Just cut it up in chunks. They are delicious warm or cold.
• Avocado chunks - If the avocado gets very ripe and “squishy”, spread it on some whole wheat toast, just like you would butter.
• Lettuce Wraps - Take a large leaf of lettuce and top it with raw veggies, ham or turkey and a little ranch dressing. Wrap up and serve.

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