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Cut out the prepackaged lunches, and Build Your Own Lunch for Teens, with ingredients you can feel good about!
Lunch time in high school is completely different from what I remember it. We always had pizza Monday, chicken patty sandwich Tuesday, and so on and so forth. We also had either a salad bar loaded with lot's of fresh ingredients, or a potato bar, so that you could build the baked potato of your dreams.
Today's high school lunch room resembles the food court at your local mall. You have a plethora of choices, but let's face it, those choices are all greasy and loaded with calories that do not contain any nutritional value. I guess this is why I see so many students carrying a lunch box/sack after school. I wouldn't want to eat food court food every single day either.
For those reasons Kayla has taken her lunch since the second of third month in her freshman year. She will leave campus every once in a while to grab Chinese food with friends, but most of the time she carries her polka dotted insulated lunch bag packed with a lunch that she made, that I feel good about her eating.
When she realized that so many of the teenagers she saw in the lunchroom would bring those prepackaged square and rectangular lunches that they grabbed from the grocery store, she figured why not make her own, but a more teenage version, without the candy bar, and watered down juice.
Starting with some of her childhood lunchbox favorites, and building around that, she has a lunch that she will enjoy eating! One of her favorites that is always included is chocolate milk, but now that she's a senior in high school, not just any chocolate milk will do. Horizon™ Organic Chocolate Protein Plus Milk is delicious and loaded with 15 grams of protein, which will help keep her satisfied with the long stretch between lunch and after school. Another beloved lunch item that is always included is peanut butter crackers. We've been buying the Horizon™ Sandwich Crackers in peanut butter since they hit the store shelves. The girls love them! They are perfect for lunch boxes and after school snacking. You can grab these Horizon™ products, and all your lunch making ingredients/supplies at Walmart.
To create that prepackaged lunch favorite we use containers and silicone muffin cups. They make separating the items so much easier. Kayla loves fresh fruits and vegetables, so she includes her favorites like baby carrots and cherry tomatoes, along with whatever fruit we happen to have. In this lunch she included sliced apples and a little vanilla Greek yogurt for dipping. **Tip** Keep apples from browning by soaking the slices in a bit of water and a splash of lemon juice while you're packing your lunch.
For the meat and cheese aspects, instead of throwing slices of cheese and ham into the cups, she simply places them onto a tortilla with a bit of her favorite condiment, to help hold them together, rolls it up, and slices them into little pinwheels.
Looking for more ideas for back to school? Check them out here!
