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| Turkey Chili from SkinnyTaste |
Because I homeschool my children, I am able to provide them with a warm lunch most days. But for those of you whose children go to school or for those of you who take lunch to work, I have several options that can work for you.
MONTHLY LUNCH MENUS
- Sandwiches. Most of the time, we have PB&J. I get natural peanut butter ($3.99/lb) at the health food store and a quart of natural apple butter or homemade marmalade from a local farmer's market for less than $6. These will both last me for approximately 2-4 weeks, depending on how often we have PB&J. As I stated in an earlier post, I buy Nature's Own bread from the Dollar Tree (so I buy as much as they have and store it in my deep freezer). You can make a lot of sandwiches in advance and freeze them. The trick to freezing PB&J is to put peanut butter on both pieces of bread and the jelly (or marmalade/apple butter) in the middle.
- Soup. Now that the weather has changed, my kids love soup. Sometimes I serve it with a hot dog bun (Nature's Own) broiled with butter and cheese on top. If you heat the soup in the morning and put it in a good thermos, it should still be warm at lunch. (Our favorite soup recipes include Butternut Squash and Turkey Chili.)
- Quesadillas. Whole grain tortillas are obviously better, but I don't always buy them. I've tried making tortillas from scratch, but for me, they were too labor and time intensive. I simply sprinkle with shredded cheese (it's cheaper to buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself OR buy the largest bag of shredded cheese and keep it in the freezer). Or, I make personal pizzas with the tortillas by using marinara and mozzarella.
- Hot dogs. Get the Nature's Own buns from your Dollar Tree to save a lot of money! I stock up on Nathan's or Hebrew National when they are BOGO at my local grocery store. Other hotdogs have so many preservatives, so I try to avoid them.
- Leftovers. So often, we have leftovers from our healthy dinner meals that I warm up for the kids and definitely saves money! With leftover soups or chili, it helps to extend the meal by adding a can of beans, or some fresh veggies before reheating.
HEALTHY SNACKS
- Homemade granola bars. These are so hearty and filling. And by making them yourself, you will save a lot. Make them in big batches and store in freezer -- they actually keep better in the freezer! (See my recipe here.)
- Muffins. You can make all sorts of healthy muffins. SkinnyTaste is my favorite website for recipes. When you make them, double or triple the recipe and store the extras in the freezer. I also make several dozen mini muffins for quick snacks.
- Veggies & dip. I make my own hummus that the kids love! Use a white bean as your base for a smooth, mild flavor and add in any extra flavors your kids will like. Then, store them in baggies or freezer jars in the freezer. Heat them up for a quick snack served with baby carrots or celery. This is a very healthy and filling snack your kids will love!
- Snack mix. I keep items like dried fruit (cranberries, dates, cherries) on hand, along with sunflower seeds, nuts, dried coconut to make my own healthy snack mix. Buying these items in bulk packaging and making your own mix will save you a lot of money! If you're worried about your kids eating the entire bag of mix, separate out 1/4 c to 1/2 c of mix into snack baggies and store in your pantry.
- Fresh fruit and veggies. Buy whatever you can find in season at your local farmer's market or the grocery store. Going to a local farm and picking your own is another way to save money! If you buy a lot, freeze the extras so they don't go bad!
