Healthy Lunchbox Ideas: Round 2

I do believe I’ve discovered something my oldest son absolutely LOVES! Not only does he love it, I’ve heard through the grapevine…ok scratch that, he told me himself that his friend tried to trade him his watermelon jello (naturally flavored and colored) for a pack of fruit snacks. AND HE DECLINED! Hello most wonderful and healthy version of a lunchbox favorite that is now a new staple in my house. 🙂

Truth is, it is so incredibly simple to make jello flavored with real fruit it is almost laughable that companies have ruined such a simple product with weird preservatives banned in other countries, artificial colors, and artificial flavors. Sure, the fake stuff may be slightly brighter and taste fake but, hey….IT IS! We know what comes along with that fake stuff and we aren’t havin’ it! Real fruit people.. because it is flavored and colored too. Ya diggg?

Fresh Watermelon Jello

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp unflavored gelatin (Grass-fed options are available! Check the jello isle to find these products)
3 cups watermelon juice
2 Tbsp honey (I use raw honey)
Juice of a lemon (optional for extra vitamin c goodness)

Directions: Take fresh watermelon (about 1/4 of a melon should give you the juice to do this. If you are short, no fear just add in some water!) and pulse it in a food processor. Pour watermelon through a mesh strainer to remove the pulp (there surprising isn’t a lot of pulp, hence the name watermelon). Take 1 cup cold watermelon juice and pour gelatin into cold juice. Allow to sit 5 minutes. Meanwhile, take the other 2 cups of watermelon juice and heat in a small saucepan on the stove just to the brink of a boil. Add honey. Pour hot juice over set gelatin. Mix until all gelatin is dissolved. Pour mixture into molds/glass baking dish and allow to set up for 2-3 hours.

Also featured in this lunchbox is my new favorite dip… White Bean Dip! Why is it my new favorite? Well because my oldest son thinks Hummus is too much for him to handle, and this dip is a little more subtle in flavor. It takes all of about 2 minutes to make if you used canned beans and it is packed with protein and nutrients to boot. Healthy? Check! Delish? Check! Customizable? Check. Would be awesome with cheese? Check. Would be awesome with veggies? Check. And that is all! Like I said, this is just like hummus but a little more subtle in flavor for those kids on the fence about bean dips.

White Bean Dip with Whole Wheat Pita Chips

Ingredients:

1 can white beans
squirt of lemon juice
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp paprika
whole white pitas (I use Food For Life brand. No weird ingredients, no preservatives.)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions: Drain and rinse beans. Put in food processor with spices, lemon juice, and a Tablespoon or 2 of water. Process until smooth. For pita: brush olive oil on pita. Add seasonings (I recommend adobo seasoning. My kids LOVE those and it kicks the dip up a notch.) Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until crisp.

Moving onto the DIY burrito bento…. can you tell my kids love beans? This is similar to my Chicken Nachos bento, but I switched out the chicken for some spiced black beans, and added lettuce and peppers to put in the pita as well. Kids love putting stuff together themselves, so this is the perfect solution to the “I want a Lunchable” problem! The best part is, this goes together super quick. It is one of those lunches that look like a lot of time was put into, but in reality it was all of about 5 minutes. On busy mornings this bento is a life saver!

Spiced Black Beans for Bento

Ingredients:

1 can black beans
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp adobo seasoning
1/2 tsp chili powder

Directions: Mix beans and seasonings. Voila!

Last but not least we have another favorite lunchbox meal from my oldest. I love sending hot lunches throughout the week because it makes packing lunches seem so much less mundane. PLUS who doesn’t love some soupy, creamy, mac n cheese?! Sometimes I’m on the fence about sending certain items in his thermos because I’ve heard the “Nobody else takes that” line so many times from him, but not the case here. I knew hands down this thermos lunch would come home empty and it did! Maybe, just maybe I wanted some soupy, creamy, mac n cheese too. But shhhh! I totally made it just for him!

In this recipe, I use my own Homemade Chicken Stock but if your not feeling that adventurous look for a low sodium stock that does not contain any forms of MSG (yeast extract, autolyzed yeast, “natural flavors”). If you use a boxed stock you will have to adjust the salt accordingly.

Soupy & Creamy Mac n Cheese (15 minutes to make on stovetop!)

ingredients:

8 ounces whole wheat shells or pasta of choice
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp whole wheat white flour (I use King Arthur’s brand)
3 cups milk (I use whole milk)
1 cup chicken stock
6-8 ounces cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp-1/2 tsp kosher salt
frozen peas to top

Directions: Cook pasta according to directions on box. In a small saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour to create a roux, then slowly add milk little by little, stirring continually. When milk is incorporated, slowly add chicken stock, then cheese and salt. To serve, top with frozen peas.

If you like my lunchbox gear here is what I’m using:

Lunchbots Quad, Lunchbots Bento Cinco, Lunchbots 8 ounce thermos all available here:

*By the way, I LOVE doing business with Lunchbots because they offer FREE shipping, which is always really speedy. Their products have far exceeded my expectations. They even have a new DOTS line that I’ve been eyeing up. Don’t tell my husand! 😉