School's back in session or will be soon for most of the country. Are you dreading having to figure out months and months of lunch ideas to pack in those new lunch bags and boxes so lunch boredom doesn't set in after just a few weeks? PB&J burnout can be easily avoided by filling in a few days with these fun, non-traditional packed lunches.
6 Scrumptious School Lunch Ideas
Chicken Salad Croissant - Utilizing leftovers to make a quick chicken salad saves time and has lots of possibilities for flavor options depending on what you put in it! Fresh and dried fruit adds sweetness to your chicken salad, and toasted nuts add a protein packed crunch. Pick a seasonal fresh fruit as a side along with their favorite crunchy sandwich sidekick.
BBQ Chicken Sliders - Grab a bag of Springer Mountain Farms Fully Cooked Fresh Oven Roasted Chicken Breast Strips for easy BBQ sliders. Dice or shred the strips and toss with a prepared BBQ sauce to your preferred sauciness. Cut the Hawaiian rolls in half and spoon the BBQ chicken onto the bottom slice of roll, top with a pickle slice or 2 and the other half of the roll. Want to make your own BBQ chicken and add a little more umph to your BBQ sliders? Try this recipe from Ansley @tidal_tastes for her BBQ Chicken Sliders.
Ranch Chicken Wrap - Use any of the Springer Mountain Farms Ready-to-Eat, Fully Cooked products to make a chicken wrap. We mixed a little ranch dressing with a garlic herb cheese and spread that combo on a low carb tortilla, added a handful of Spring lettuce mix, strips of the fully cooked, Springer Mountain Farms Oven Roasted Chicken Breast Strips, and shredded carrot. You can get really creative with this option and use whatever you have on hand in the fridge with fresh veggies, cheese, spreads and condiments.
Chicken Nugget Bento Box - Crisp up the Fully Cooked Chicken Breast Chunks or Nuggets or make your own from ground chicken using Slice of Jess' Scratch-Made Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets. Send a portion cup of their fave dipping sauce, mini carrots and apple slices for a well balanced meal they will love.
Meal Prepping To Save Time
When you are planning a grilled chicken dinner, throw a few extra boneless skinless breasts on the grill for easy lunches the rest of the week for salads, chicken bowls, quesadillas, wraps, etc., like these tasty options:
Greek Chicken Bowl - Pre-cook rice and grill up chicken breasts (or use Springer Mountain Farms Ready-to-Eat, Fully cooked fresh or frozen grilled chicken) for a delicious Greek Chicken Bowl. Add quartered cucumbers, grape tomatoes, hummus, and tzatziki dressing for a fulfilling and tasty lunch served with a side of fresh fruit and pita chips.
Grilled Buffalo Chicken Salad - An easy salad to build with grilled chicken that is tossed in buffalo sauce and served over a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and croutons. Fill a portion cup with their favorite ranch or blue cheese dressing that can be drizzled over the salad right before eating so that the lettuce doesn't get soggy.
Make It A Family Affair
Get the kids involved in choosing the menu options and helping to prepare the lunches. This all goes a long way in developing healthy food habits as they grow older.
For even more ideas, check out these other FUN BACK TO SCHOOL LUNCH IDEAS!
