Back to School is upon us, and with it comes the morning rush of trying to pack your bag and your kid’s bag, and their lunchbag, and those files from work, and that field trip form, and that recital form, oh, and don’t forget about those prescriptions to fill out. Wait… did you leave the stove on? No, thank goodness, but you did forget your kid. 

Getting used to the school season can be a challenge, but we think we can make it a little easier for you with these three easy-to-make school (and work) lunches.

These are a lot healthier than chicken nuggets, too, so you know your child is getting the nutrition they need.

DIY Lunchables:

This can be a really quick way to make sure that you’re getting all the food groups together, without resorting to overly processed prepackaged foods.

With some whole-wheat or multigrain crackers, cheddar sliced up into sticks, and a mix of lunch meats and salami cuts, you can create a lunch that’s filling, healthy and importantly: takes five minutes to make!

Classic Tuna Salad Sandwich:

If your kid likes the taste of tuna, an easy to prepare lunch that can be done the night before is the tuna salad sandwich. 

Ingredients:

1 can of chunk light tuna

¼ cup of mayonaisse\

1-2 stalks of celery, chopped finely

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1-2 leaves of lettuce

A handful of spinach

Whole wheat sliced bread

1. Mix the tuna, mayonnaise, and chopped celery together in a bowl. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice at a time, mixing, and then tasting.
2. On one slice of bread, put the leaves of spinach and lettuce. Then, spread the tuna salad mix onto the leafy side. Top with the other slice of bread. Bag or box it up in a container, and put it in the fridge. 
3. In the morning, just throw it in your kid’s lunchbox. 
4. That’s it!

This is a really easy meal that has tons of protein and veggies. But be careful: Don’t make this more than 1-2x per week, as tuna does have mercury. Make sure that you aren’t eating too much tuna in a given week.

Cheese Quesadillas:

This is essentially a classic grilled cheese, but it definitely looks different!

Ingredients:

2 8” tortillas (white or whole wheat)

⅔ cup of shredded cheese (we recommend cheddar, but you can’t really go wrong with the classics here)

2 stalks of broccoli, chopped (optional)

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

1. Lay out a tortilla and sprinkle the cheese on it. If you’re adding broccoli to make sure that your kid is getting their veggies, also add that. Fold the tortilla over. Do the same thing for the other tortilla.
2. Get your skillet heated up, and add a tablespoon of oil on it. 
3. Lay both tortillas in and let them heat up. As the cheese melts, you’ll also get a delicious browning of the tortilla. Wait a few minutes, then flip it over.
4. There you have it, a cheese quesadilla!

Leftovers:

This one might be a bit of copout, but we really think that the easiest way to prep for tomorrow’s lunch is making a little more of tonight’s dinner. This makes it a lot easier for you: it’s a lot less work to make a little more of whatever you’re making that day then it is to create something entirely new.