Healthy Lunchbox Ideas

Does the idea of packing lunches overwhelm you or just plain bore you? Well here are some ideas of lunches my kids and I have come up with lately that made the 'remake-able meal' category and will hopefully help inspire you to launch your lunchtime in a healthy way! 

We take a picture of what we pack and tweek (that's tweek, not twerk, lol) to our liking, then print the pictures, hole punch and keep on a ring to refer to for ideas and planning. Hope this makes packing a healthy lunch much more appealing- both for your waistline as well as your finances! 

The key is to BE PREPARED:

• Take a little time each time you grocery shop or designate a specific day to bag up snacks. We have them for both the refrigerator and the pantry- quick and easy to grab is what we are shooting for here.
• You are more likely to eat healthy and save money when you can grab a healthy, conveniently packed snack to go- so keep this in mind when it seems to be a headache to set up. Also- get those kids to help. Mine actually enjoy measuring out a serving size and bagging! Good family time to prep and teaches the importance of planning and making healthy choices. 
• Separate snack bags in organizer baskets in the fridge and pantry

We 'Snack/Lunch Prep' once a week to save time through the week- grab and go has never been so do-able! 

Easy snack ideas to pre-package/prep include: 

• Celery with cream cheese, peanut butter or hummus (use the 2 oz mini cups with lids- pic below)
• Cheese sticks with almonds 
• Carrots with ranch or hummus (carrot chips work well too if you want to mix it up a bit)
• Cucumbers cut length wise with ranch or hummus
• Trail mix (we make different kinds every week or two)
• Almonds in serving size bags
• Cliff bars
• Fiber one bars
• Red grapes
• Green grapes
• Any fresh fruit (we love the little cutie clementines right now) 
• Greek yogurt tubes (freeze them too and they stay cold until afternoon snack)

Here are the 2oz cups with lids that I purchase- Line them up and fill several at a time and then throw them in the zip lock baggie with the item being paired

Fresh greens with feta and sunflower seeds with italian dressing in 2 oz cup, clementine, apple, Simply Nature brand (comparable to the Cliff Brand) bar and almonds

Chicken chunks to dip in yummy Chik-Fil-A sauce (use up those left over sauces), celery with organic peanut butter, carrots with hummus, greek yogurt, cheese stick, orange wedge-sliced, and apple
NOTE: This was a lunch, school snack and after school snack

Ham and cheese wrap (we use the Boar's head lunch meat for no preservatives or nitrates), Greek yogurt tube, carrots with ranch, celery with cream cheese, and blueberries

Grilled chicken chunks, celery with cream cheese, carrots with ranch, cheese stick, clementine, apple and edemame- shelled (you can buy these in the freezer section already shelled and they make a GREAT snack and loaded with protein) 

Hope this helps inspire you to think about lunch- and planning lunch in a new way! What other healthy ideas has your family tried? Comment below! Feel free to share on Facebook, Twitter and as always, pin away! I love Pinterest for this type of stuff!

Make your own tasty vitamin water- quick and easy ideas!

It the new year and at least half the world seems to be on board with eating healthier and getting fit! I have been asked a lot recently, about how my kids and I make our real vitamin water. We have several that we like and make often. These are meant to be EASY- so don't over think it!  

A Few Pointers Before You Begin:
* Be sure to wash your fruit and veggies thoroughly before tossing them into your water
* Shoot for the 12-24 hour range in the refrigerator before drinking- easy to make before you go to bed, then take with you the next morning (12-18hrs after making) or drink that evening (18-24 hrs after making)
* Drink within the first 48 hours to get the most benefits of the infused water and avoid the fruit and vegetables to break down.
* It not necessary to squeeze your fruit into the water- just slice in circles (not wedges) and let it soak in the water.
* Stir gently and strain as desired before drinking, or just stick a straw in it!
* Whenever possible buy organic fruits and vegetables


***Each of these recipes is designed for 2 quarts of water***

Raspberry-Lemon Water- Immune Booster

1/2 - 1 cup Raspberries
1 Lemon Sliced (or a lemon cut in half works too)

Citrus Water- Vitamin C Kicker

1 Orange Sliced
1 Lemon Sliced
1 Lime Sliced

Cucumber-Mint Water- Detox/Fat Flush

1/2-1 Cucumber Sliced 

Several Mint Leaves

A Few Basil leaves- optional

Apple-Cinnamon Water- Metabolism Motivator 

1-2 Apple(s) Sliced (Gala or Red Delicious work best, but feel free to use others as well)

1 Cinnamon Stick

Strawberry-Orange-Mint Water- Energy Punch 

1 cup Strawberries Sliced in Half
1 Orange Sliced
Several Mint Leaves

So, which one of these is your favorite? What are some of the others you have tried? Tell me in the comments below! I would love to hear from you! Be sure to share these with you friends on facebook, twitter and as always- PIN AWAY! 

Raspberry-Lemon Water- Immue Booster (pictured)

1/2 - 1 cup Raspberries
1 Lemon Sliced (or a lemon cut in half works too)

Meal Planning by Theme

Meal planning is easier when a theme is assigned to each day of the week. Keeping it general, knowing there is always room to deviate when needed, will keep this fun and helpful! There are many advantages to planning your meals each week:

• Save money by sticking with a list and having a map of what items are needed to execute the plan in the grocery store, along with not eating out because you are down to the wire on time each evening. 
• Get in shape and save a little waistline if you know what I mean. It's a lot easier to eat healthy when you have prepped your meals and snacks. 
• Save time by preparing everything once a week. Over a week's time this will add up to more time to do other (more exciting) things throughout the week... or just grab a few more relaxing moments in the evening. 

The biggest thing is to KEEP IT SIMPLE! You can always add as you go through the weeks to come, but for planning purposes, stick with just one new recipe each week so you will stick with the planning part... you don't have to be Betty Crocker to pull this off.

Here is an example of the Theme Schedule I use:

Day	Main Theme	Side	Vegetable	Extra
Monday	Mexican/Turkey	Tortilla/Salad	Green Beans/Corn
Tuesday	Asian/Chicken	CousCous/Quinoa	Edamame/Broccoli
Wednesday	Crockpot		Potatoes/Carrots
Thursday	Pizza/Pasta/Grain	Salad/	Green Beans/Edamame
Friday	Vegetarian/fish	Brown Rice/Quinoa	Asparagus/Broccoli
Saturday	Soup/Salad/Leftovers
Sunday	Traditional/Special	New Recipe- Try Out

Assigning each day a 'Mexican Monday' or 'Soup and Salad Saturday' will narrow in on the choices while maintaining a good nutritional balance each week. I see it as a helpful outline to an otherwise daunting task.

Make a list of the most used meals each week and start there. Use the easiest meals on the busiest nights. consider all activities and family obligations while doing this. I have a summer meal plan which is different than my school year meal plan due to different schedules. 

I also leave Sunday's wide open to try any new recipe I may have found through the week. This keeps recipe shopping to a manageable task and not as overwhelming. I encourage each of my 3 kids to find one new recipe to try each month... then I, myself, am only really having to find ONE recipe each MONTH! Pretty cool!!

They each get a chance to cook with me weekly but can not weasel out of the one recipe each month. So even if cooking is not their 'thing' they still have to do it once a month. Let's face it, I'm not always going to be there to cook for them so they need to figure it out :-)

Here is a copy of my month at a glance meals:

Week 1

Day	Main Theme	Side	Vegetable	Extra
Monday	Southwestern Chicken Chili	Blue Corn Tortilla Chips	Tomatoes, corn	Cheese, Sour Cream
Tuesday	Mediterranean Turkey Burgers	Whole Grain Bun	Lettuce, Pickles	Cheese,
Wednesday	Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken	Brown Rice	Honey Glazed Carrots	Taco and chili seasoning
Thursday	White Pizza with Tomato and Basil	Chopped Salad	Cherry Tomatoes and edemame	Parm cheese
Friday	Pesto Grilled Shrimp	CousCous	Spinach
Saturday	Black Bean-Quinoa Salad w Basil/Lemon Dressing	Quinoa	Lima beans, carrots, tomatoes
Sunday	Traditional/Special	New Recipe	Try Out

Week 2

Day	Main Theme	Side	Vegetable	Extra
Monday	Turkey Meatloaf	Potatoes	Green Beans
Tuesday	Alfredo Chicken	CousCous	Spinach	Pine Nuts
Wednesday	Chili Crockpot- Lean Ground Turkey	Tortilla Chips, Beans	Corn, Diced Tomatoes	Sour Cream
Thursday	Whole Wheat Penne with Marinara	Poppyseed Salad	Broccoli	Parm Cheese
Friday	Peach Mango Tilapia	Quinoa	Asparagus
Saturday	Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup	Noodles (in soup)	Carrots, Celery, Onion	Broth
Sunday	Traditional/Special	New Recipe	Try Out

Week 3

Day	Main Theme	Side	Vegetable	Extra
Monday	Pulled Turkey Lettuce Wraps	Shredded cheese, tomatoes, black beans	Corn, lettuce- shredded and large leaves for wraps	Sour Cream
Tuesday	Grilled Chicken Stir-Fry	Quinoa	Stir Fry Veggies	Waterchesnuts
Wednesday	Crock Pot BBQ Cranberry Chicken	Brown Rice	Honey Glazed Carrots	Taco and chili seasoning
Thursday	Whole Wheat Pasta Primavera	Cranberry/Almond Salad	Cherry Tomatoes, Asparagus	Parm cheese
Friday	Pan Seared Halibut	CousCous	Broccoli
Saturday	Grilled Veggie and Hummus wraps	(Wraps)	Grilled Veggies	Hummus
Sunday	Traditional/Special	New Recipe	Try Out

Week 4

Day	Main Theme	Side	Vegetable	Extra
Monday	Tacos with lean ground turkey	Lettuce, Cheese, Blue Corn Tortilla Chips,	Corn	Sour cream
Tuesday	Grilled Chicken Teriyaki	CousCous	Broccoli
Wednesday	Chuck Roast	Potatoes	Carrots, Celery, Onion	seasoning
Thursday	Whole Grain Pizza	Salad-	Edamame
Friday	Maple Glazed Salmon	Quinoa	Asparagus
Saturday	Tomato Soup with Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches	Multi-grain Crackers	Green Beans
Sunday	Traditional/Special	New Recipe	Try Out

This is a whole month of fairly balanced meals! I also have a master grocery list based on the items assigned to each week. I check off the items I already have on hand and take the rest of the list to the grocery store! 

Now try your own:

Day	Main Theme	Side	Vegetable	Extra
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Hopefully this is a helpful tool to reduce the stress in your busy week!