Back-to-School Lunch

As a child of teachers, I grew up getting ready for school the same time as my parents. It wasn’t easy for my mom to prepare breakfast and lunch for everyone in the house in the morning. When my sisters and I became old enough, my mom gave us the responsibility to prepare our own lunches. This independence made us feel grown up. The responsibility was fun for us because we were able to choose what we packed in our lunchboxes. Because my mom always prepared healthy meals for my family and I, us girls naturally prepared healthy lunches for ourselves. Now as a grown woman, I appreciate my mom’s healthy cooking and the influence she had on the healthy choices I made when I was young. It definitely established the healthy lifestyle I continue to have today. 

As a mom of a young child, I know the difficulty of sometimes getting your child to eat his or her veggies and fruits. So, I have created some fun and interactive foods for your kids’ school lunches. My older sister shared with me how my nephew likes hummus; so naturally I prepared a homemade version that is easy to whip up and cheaper to make than the store-bought version. My son loves it too. To add a punch of flavor, I incorporated garlic and smoked paprika. This delicious protein packed dip will have your kids scooping their veggie sticks in it nonstop. 

For the main meal, I prepared a tzatziki chicken salad. I remember the days of turkey and cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They were good but I grew bored of them. This flavor packed tzatziki chicken salad is a healthier version of chicken salad made with a tzatziki sauce of Greek yogurt, a little mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice and fresh dill. The kids can make it into a sandwich with mini naan bread. Adults can enjoy it over mixed greens or follow the kid’s direction and wrap yours in a naan as well.