project lunch box - northeastern university box. some of these are little bites, others can be full...
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Project Lunch Box
www.familyfreshcooking.com ©Marla Meridith Do not distribute. Not for commercial use.
Be sure to stay in touch at the Family Fresh Cooking Facebook Page, Pinterest and Twitter for regular Project Lunch Box updates.
Project Lunch Box
www.familyfreshcooking.com ©Marla Meridith Do not distribute. Not for commercial use.
A few things before we get started:
Use your own judgement with ingredients. For example, if a recipe says gluten free be sure to use a certified GF ingredient. If a recipe is tagged with a * That means adaptations can easily be made to suit your needs. Consult a doctor or registered dietician for particular health concerns. If your are on a grain free diet and a recipe calls for rice or pasta, then use quinoa instead. Use your own intuitive thinking to find what works best for you and your family. I did not list kid specific meals. These lunch boxes are suitable for all ages. With 30 ideas you should find some that work for most. Portion sizes: This is determined by age & daily calorie needs. Individual concerns can be addressed with a doctor or dietician. All recipes are free of refined sugars. Here is a post about my sugar free lifestyle. Most of these meals are prepared a night or two before they are needed. Try to think ahead and use my Big Batch Method so you
have plenty for the next day and beyond. Pack all meals the night before you need them. The mornings are way too busy to deal with lunch packing. If you have nut allergies or your school or workplace is a nut free zone then read ingredients carefully as I love to use nuts in my
recipes. Make any adaptations. Sunflower seeds are a great option too. These recipes are from my blog Family Fresh Cooking with a few quick & easy new ones tossed in for variety. Please visit my blog
for weekly new recipes and lifestyle posts. Click the links provided to get the recipes. You can print them on my blog. These lunchbox meals can be eaten at any temperature. Be sure to ensure food safety with proper climate control (ice packs,
refrigeration, etc.) Check out our staple Shopping List ingredients list for fresh, pantry, refrigerator and freezer items.
For more lunch box packing tips, tricks and techniques please see these posts on www.familyfreshcooking.com
Project Lunch Box: 30 Day Challenge 10 Best Lunch Packing Tips 10 Secrets to Skinny DIY Lunchables
*The lunch boxes shown in this post are my favorite Easy LunchBoxes. You can purchase them at my Amazon Store.
Hi! Welcome to 30 days of Project Lunch Box!
Day Main Courses Ingredients Key (see below)
1 Pasta with Roasted Tomato & Pepper Sauce and Parmesan *GF VG, NF
2 Healthy BLT Sandwich Lettuce, Low fat Mayo, Turkey Bacon on Sprouted Grain Bread or your favorite gluten free one.
NG, GF NF *VG & *V with meatless bacon & soy mayo
3 DIY Lunchables A healthier and much more tasty option then the ones at the store. *GF
4 Quinoa with Grilled Vegetables and Feta Cheese Grill some chopped veggies & toss with quinoa & feta or your favorite cheese.
GF VG NF *V with non dairy cheese or add nuts
5 Sandwich with Cream Cheese, Sprouts and Olives My son’s favorite! *GF VG, NF
6 Grilled Hotdog Skewers with Creamy Avocado Dip Serve with cut veggies. *GF with wheat free corn tortillas, NF
7 BLT-A Quinoa Salad Serve with a leafy green salad or veggies and hummus. *VG & *V with meatless bacon, NG GF NF
8 Egg Battered Grilled Cheese Add in some bacon or turkey breast slices too *GF with certified GF pizza dough, NF
9 Scrambled Egg Stacks with Cheese and Mushrooms Serve with a side salad. VG *GF with corn tortillas, NF
10 Berries and Goat Cheese Mini Pizzas Serve with a side salad. VG NF
11 Cheesy Bacon and Spaghetti Squash Casserole Serve with a side salad. NG GF *V with soy bacon
12 Gravlax with Rice Crackers and Cream Cheese Serve with cut veggies. GF
13 Rustic Tomato and Cheese Tarts Serve with a side salad VG GF
14 Festive Holiday Salad Add any protein for a full meal VG GF NG
15 Sandwich with Nitrate Free Turkey and Homemade Pesto Serve with a side salad
16 Pasta with Toasted Walnut Spinach Pesto Sauce - add any protein if desired *GF use certified GF pasta
17 Gluten Free Chicken Skewers Serve with a side salad or cut veggies, or cut the chicken up and use in a salad.
*GF
Ingredients Key: GF Gluten Free NF Nut Free NG Grain Free V Vegan VG Vegetarian
Project Lunch Box
www.familyfreshcooking.com ©Marla Meridith Do not distribute. Not for commercial use.
Day Main Courses Ingredients Key (see below)
18 Green Beans with Toasted Walnuts and Quinoa Add some more protein if you wish. VG GF NG
19 Grilled Tofu with Summer Squash and Soba Noodles VG V
20 Orzo Pasta with Basil, Zucchini and Red Pepper Add some more protein if you wish. VG GF NG NF *V
21 Cheesy Bacon Apple Frittata Serve with a side salad and fresh fruit. GF NG NF
22 Asian Style Chicken Strips Great with a side salad and applesauce. GF NG NF
23 Quick and Easy Pinwheels: Tortillas, Cream Cheese, Sprouts, Lunch Meat. Roll ‘em up, slice and off you go!
*GF NF
24 Wild Salmon with Basil Aioli and Quinoa GF NG NF
25 Spaghetti Squash Noodles with Thai Peanut Sauce Bring along some extra sauce! VG GF NG
26 BLT Kebabs Salad, protein and carbs on a single skewer!
27 Baby Peas and Cheese Frittata Top with micro greens or sprouts. GF NG NF
28 Egg Battered Grilled Cheese Serve with fresh fruit and cut veggies. *GF VG NF
29 Chicken with Coconut Lime Peanut Sauce Serve with brown rice or quinoa. *GF
30 Extra Easy Day! Peanut Butter and Jelly on Whole Grain Bread If your school is a nut free zone then use sunflower seed butter instead.
VG V *GF *NF
Ingredients Key: GF Gluten Free NF Nut Free NG Grain Free V Vegan VG Vegetarian
Project Lunch Box
www.familyfreshcooking.com ©Marla Meridith Do not distribute. Not for commercial use.
Project Lunch Box
www.familyfreshcooking.com ©Marla Meridith Do not distribute. Not for commercial use.
Side Dishes
Project Lunch Box
www.familyfreshcooking.com ©Marla Meridith Do not distribute. Not for commercial use.
Ingredients Key: GF Gluten Free NF Nut Free NG Grain Free V Vegan VG Vegetarian
Side Dish Recipes
Here are a few side dishes to get you started. Most of our lunch boxes have a main course, a fruit, a handful of healthy whole grain chips and some simply chopped veggies.
Again, the goal is to keep things as simple, healthy and tasty as possible.Find more side dishes on my recipes page.
✴Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Herbed Olive Oil VG GF NG V NF✴Balsamic Grilled Vegetables VG GF NG V NF✴Brown Butter Coconut Mashed Sweet Potatoes VG GF *NF ✴Chopped Broccoli Salad with Tahini Soy Dressing VG GF NG V NF✴Curry Cauliflower Puree with Tahini VG GF NG NF V✴Easy Herbed Sugar Snap Peas VG GF NG NF✴Everyone's Favorite Teeny Tiny Potatoes VG GF NG NF✴Grilled Coconut Sweet Potato Kebabs VG GF NG V NF✴Grilled Potato Wedge French Fries VG GF NG V NF✴Kitchari-Rice and Lentils VG GF NF✴Indian Spiced Sweet Potato Fries with Curry Aioli VG GF NF NG *V✴Maple Bacon Sizzle Potatoes GF NG NF✴Mini Polenta Cakes with Feta & Wild Mushrooms VG GF NF NG *V✴Parmesan Hasselback Baked Potatoes VG GF NG NF✴Roasted Brussels Sprouts {with Bacon} VG GF NG NF *V use soy bacon for vegan✴Sesame-Soy Tofu Sauté VG GF NG V NF✴Skinny-Mini Baked Potatoes GF NG NF easily adapts to *VG *V✴Smoked Salmon Feta Couscous NF✴Spaghetti Squash Sesame Noodles with Edamame VG GF NG V NF✴Sprouted Wheat Stuffing Balls with Sausage NF✴Stuffing with Sweet Potatoes & Cranberries VG GF NG NF✴Sweet Potatoes & Edamame with Fall Spices VG GF NG✴Thai Spiced Baked French Fries VG GF NG NF
Snacks + Mini Meals
Project Lunch Box
www.familyfreshcooking.com ©Marla Meridith Do not distribute. Not for commercial use.
Project Lunch Box
www.familyfreshcooking.com ©Marla Meridith Do not distribute. Not for commercial use.
Snacks and Mini Meals + Breakfasts
Snacks and mini meals throughout the day are a great way to keep energy levels high. All of my recipes are naturally sweetened and are free from refined sugars. Sometimes we enjoy breakfast leftovers as snacks in our lunch box. Some of these are little bites, others can be full breakfast ideas. If you happen to leave the house without breakfast in your belly be sure to eat one as soon as you can. I am a firm believer in breakfast as the most important meal of the day. After an 8 hour fast (sleep) your body needs vital nutrients and energy to kickstart the day. Besides, breakfast tastes oh so good!
Here are a few options to choose from and there are many more on my Recipes Page
✴Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies GF VG✴ Avocado Scones GF VG NF *V ✴Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal GF✴Banana Almond Snack Cake ✴Blueberry Coconut Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal GF VG NG V✴Blueberry Lemon Muffins GF VG NG✴Cereal Topped Apple Date Crisp GF VG NG NF *V✴Chai Carrot Pear Muffins GF VG V✴Chai Carrot Pear Sauce Parfaits GF VG NG NF *V✴ Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Pizzas VG✴ Citrus Cranberry Chocolate Truffles GF VG NG V✴Citrus Roasted Strawberry Parfaits VG GF NF NG✴Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas GF NF VG NG V✴Dried Fruit and Nuts - Trail Mix✴Homemade Cinnamon Stick Applesauce GF NF VG NG V✴ Matcha Green Tea Pistachio Muffins GF✴Roasted Kale Chips GF NF VG NG V✴Strawberry Applesauce GF NF VG NG V✴Strawberry Banana Breakfast Bake NF✴Stuffed Apples with Walnuts and Dates GF NG V✴Sundried Tomato Hummus with Crispy Chips *GF VG NG NF V✴Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cookies NF
Ingredients Key: GF Gluten Free NF Nut Free NG Grain Free V Vegan VG Vegetarian
Ingredients Key: GF Gluten Free NF Nut Free NG Grain Free V Vegan VG Vegetarian
Project Lunch Box
www.familyfreshcooking.com ©Marla Meridith Do not distribute. Not for commercial use.