Kid Pleasing Lunchbox Recipes

By Kay Blakley, DeCA Europe Consumer Advocate

RHow long is school usually in session before you start running short of good ideas to pack for lunch? For most of us, it doesn’t take long. Faced with the laundry list of limitations a school lunchbox presents it’s no wonder, either!

Don’t pack fragile items – they’ll be smashed beyond recognition long before lunchtime rolls around. Avoid foods that announce their presences with a strong aroma, because a loud chorus of, “yuk!” from fellow diners is enough to damage a young psyche for the remainder of the school year.

Do try to make it healthy, but tread carefully, especially when it comes to sweets and treats. You don’t want fellow diners to insist on sharing their high sugar, high fat treats with your child because they see his treat choice as totally too pitiful, now do you? Treats like graham crackers, animal crackers, fig bars, oatmeal raisin cookies, and gingersnaps are all healthy choices that won’t cause too much of an uproar.

Other handy tips and tricks include relying often on sturdy, healthy foods that require no refrigeration. These include whole fruits and vegetables like apples, oranges, red and green grapes, cherry or grape tomatoes, baby carrots and sugar snap peas. Canned meats and fish, as well as small cans of baked beans or spaghetti, are all appropriate lunchbox fare, and all keep well at room temperature as do hard cheeses, breads (try to make them whole grain now and then) crackers, peanut butter, jelly, mustard and pickles.

Add these tips to our collection of lunchbox recipes, and you just might make it to the end of semester before needing a new round of ideas.

Below are our featured recipes:

Hot Dog Stew

Ingredients

• 8 reduced fat or turkey hotdogs, sliced into 6 pieces each
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 cups tomato sauce or tomato puree
• 3 cups chicken broth or water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 2 pounds all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can cut green beans, drained
• 1 medium zucchini squash, halved lengthwise then sliced on the diagonal
• 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced

Directions

1. Melt the butter or margarine in a large saucepan or Dutch oven set over medium heat. 2
2. Add the sliced hotdogs and sauté until lightly browned; add the minced garlic and cook, stirring often, for an additional 30 seconds.
3. Add the tomato puree, water or broth, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and sugar, and stir well.
4. Add the potatoes, bring the mixture to a simmer, cover and cook for about 10 minutes.
5. Stir in the green beans, zucchini, and bell pepper. Return mixture to a simmer, cover and cook an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.

Brown Rice Salad

Ingredients

1. 3 cups cooked short-grain brown rice
2. 1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach
3. ½ cup diced red bell pepper
4. ¼ cup sweetened dried cranberries
5. 2 to 3 radishes, diced
6. ½ cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

Directions

1. Toss all ingredients together; chill until ready to serve.

Bagged Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 cup cooked pasta of your choice

¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup cherry or grape tomatoes

¼ cup shredded carrots

¼ cup corn

¼ cup green beans

2 tablespoons ranch dressing

Directions

1. Place all ingredients except dressing in a large re-sealable plastic bag.
2. Pour dressing into small re-sealable plastic bag.
3. At lunchtime, add dressing to pasta mixture; seal the bag and shake gently to evenly distribute throughout the pasta and vegetables; enjoy!

Yields: 1 Serving

Cheerios String ’n Eat Necklaces

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup Cheerios cereal
• 1 (1.5 ounce) roll ring-shaped gummy candy
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package tube-shaped candies
• ½ cup miniature marshmallows
• 4 pieces red shoestring licorice (about 36-inches each)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour for dipping

Directions

1. Place flour in a small shallow bowl
2. For each necklace, string cereal, candies and marshmallows onto shoestring licorice, dipping licorice into flour before poking through marshmallows to prevent stickiness.
3. When licorice is three-fourths full, tie ends together in double knot to make necklace.

Yields: 4 necklaces

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