Can you believe a new school year is already here? It is almost time for the kids to head back to school. In the beginning of every new school year, many parents have a goal of packing healthy lunches all year long. However, by the time May comes around, their lunches barely resemble lunch from August. Let’s look at some of the lunch ideas so they’re, hopefully, not having sandwiches every day of the week.
1. Whole Wheat Caprese Pasta is the new menu to introduce. It has all of the flavors people want in Caprese: tomatoes, basil, balsamic, and mozzarella but turned into a quick and easy pasta dish. a. Most importantly, this recipe takes only twenty minutes to make and is perfect for the whole family.
• Cook the pasta until al dente.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the tomatoes. Seasons with salt and pepper. Cook for 4-6 minutes until tomatoes begin to soften, stirring often.
• Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
• Add the balsamic vinegar and spinach. Cook about 1 minute until spinach wilts.
• Add Pasta and stir to combine. Add pasta water if the pasta seems dry.
• Turn off heat and stir in the cheese and basil. Drizzle with extra balsamic vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste.
Even though the main dish is very delicious, if parents continue to cook the same one, children get tired of their lunch pretty easily. Therefore, it is important to give them a lot of different options to keep their lunch interesting. Option one can be a turkey + cheddar Roll-up, fresh berries, yogurt, and a Trail mix. Option two can be a hummus, pita bread, grape tomatoes, cucumber, and sliced oranges. Lastly, option three can be cheese quesadilla, guacamole, salsa, tortilla chips, and strawberries.
