Sadly not a lot has changed on the school lunch scene since Ronald Reagan declared ketchup a vegetable.
School lunches are cheap, over-processed and lacking in nutritition and imagination. Think Sloppy Joes and canned corn.
For this reason I've always packed my son's lunches. Still it takes some clever machinations to come up with interesting, portable and tasty lunches that your kid will love - particularly when classmates are toting Twinkies and chips.
One popular bag lunch my son really enjoys is homemade pizza. We buy pizza dough from Trader Joe's (a fantastic deal at 99 cents), make a pie loaded with veggies and cheese for dinner, then save a few slices for school lunches. It's a great way to get in those 3 cups of recommended daily servings of vegetables.
Here are a few great ideas for bag lunches your kids will love.
Tomato Tortellini Soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 (10 oz.) cans condensed tomato soup
- 9 oz. pkg. refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
Dilute soups as directed on can. Combine in saucepan with tortellini and heat over medium heat until the soup boils, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Add peas and simmer 2 more minutes until the tortellini is tender. Pour into thermoses and package cheese separately to sprinkle over soup before eating. 4 servings
Parmesan Tuna Sandwiches
Prep Time: :20
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. can chunk tuna, drained
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp. sour cream
- 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. dried basil leaves
- dash pepper
Preparation:
Combine tuna, bell pepper, and green onions in medium bowl. In small bowl, combine cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, lemon juice, and basil leaves and blend well. Add to tuna mixture and blend. Cover and refrigerate tightly up to 2 days.
Individual Layered Salad
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup frozen baby peas, unthawed
- 1 cup cubed cheese
- 1 cup cubed cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 3-4 cups torn lettuce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise or creamy salad dressing

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