Homemade Lunchables
Cut your favorite flavor beef or pork sticks in half. Put in baggie or reusable container.
Cut your favorite cheese sticks in halves or thirds. Put in baggie or reusable container.
Add favorite fruit, fruit cup, cut veggies, and dip. I love to mix ranch dressing mix with plain greek yogurt. No one knows it's really yogurt dip!
Add favorite crackers, pita chips, if desired.
So much cheaper and healthier than store-bought lunchables!
Chicken Salad
Put a whole chicken in the crockpot on low for 8 hours, and filled about half full of water. After 8 hours put on 'keep warm' setting until ready to shred. OR purchase an already cooked rotisserie chicken at your favorite grocery store.
Once cooked, pull chicken out and set on a jelly roll pan to cool. Pull all meat off of bones and chop. I pull meat off when chicken is still warm, it pulls off easier.
In a large bowl combine:
1 cup mayo ( prefer real mayo, not Miracle Whip)
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds (optional)
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots (optional)
1 -2 tsp. curry powder
1 cup grapes, halved. I prefer red-
3 cups of cooked shredded chicken
salt and pepper to taste
Mix well, and add mayo, veggies, and curry powder to suit your personal taste. Great in a pita, large romaine lettuce leaf, plain, on a bagel or other fancy bread.
Quick Taco Soup
My kids don't love school lunch so one of our staples is a good quality thermos to keep hot things hot. I put boiling water in the thermos about 10 minutes (or more) before I put hot things in it to have it preheated.
1 lb hamburger
1 packet taco seasoning
1, 16 oz jar favorite salsa (I use my homemade canned salsa)
1, 16 oz can tomato sauce
1, 32 oz can diced tomatoes
1 , 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1, 15 oz can corn
1 onion, diced
Brown hamburger then add taco seasoning as directed. Add all other ingredients and simmer for 15-20 minutes. I add chili powder, cumin, and a bit of seasoned salt to taste. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and crackers.
Walking Taco
This is another 'home lunch' I would have stuff on hand for when my kids didn't want school lunch. It's actually pretty easy to pack up the items in a lunch bag!
Leftover taco meat (hamburger, chicken, turkey, fajita meat, your choice!)
1-2 individual bags of Doritos
Shredded cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream-
I would put cheese and lettuce in the snack-size baggies for easy dumping. I use the small Rubbermaid rectangle 'tupperware' for the salsa and sour cream. Don't forget a fork or spoon!
