Clean Eating Lunch Box Ideas

Want to keep you are your families lunch meals clean but think it may1) Be too expensive

2) Think they may notice

3) Don't know where to start

Stop buying your lunch. It gets expensive and you can't track your calorie or salt intake. Take a few minutes the night before to pack your lunch. If your children are old enough, get them to help pack their lunches.

Here are some quick and easy ideas 

Quick Breakfast Ideas:

• Burrito wraps with last nights leftovers
• A mix of low-fat cottage cheese and clean yogurt
• Cottage cheese and fruit with nuts and seeds
• Toast with clean nut butter such as Smuckers all natural peanut butter (only ingredient is dry roasted peanuts).
• Rice crackers with cheese or clean nut butter
• Kasha Oatmeal
• Quesadilla 
• Scrambled eggs (add some spinach and salsa)
• Clean Eating Granola (Make on the weekend, enjoy during the week!)
• Clean, low calorie breakfast sandwich- you can add in some turkey bacon and some low fat shredded cheese for the kids. Even adding in a few yolks for them!!! These are so easy to grab and go on the way out the door. 

Snack Ideas:

• Clean Eating Yogurt- plain greek yogurt with frozen or fresh berries and drizzle of honey or agave nectar.
• Raw veggies with clean eating ranch dip- ranch seasoning mixed with greek yogurt.
• Grapes
• Apples
• Oranges
• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Kiwi
• Plums
• Edamame beans
• Nuts
• Clean eating crackers – Yes, they do exist. But it takes some searching.
• Clean eating granola bars
• Dried fruit such as craisins, blueberries, cherries, raisins (look for low or natural sugar options)
• Hard boiled eggs
• Cheese chunks
• DIY Granola
• Greek yogurt blended with any fruit of choice
• Pita pocket sandwiches stuffed with things your kids like and you’re comfy with
• Cheese sticks
• Cucumbers
• Whole wheat pretzels
• Raisins
• Mandarin oranges
• Cucumber slices

Lunch Ideas:

• Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (clean jelly like use Smuckers Natural – and make sure your school doesn’t have an anti-peanut rule)
• Fruit salad
• Chicken Salad Sandwich
• Macaroni salad
• Rice salad
• Quinoa salad
• Whole wheat couscous salad
• Whole wheat tortilla wraps
• Clean Eating Wedding Soup
• Whole wheat or sprouted wheat bagels (cream cheese is usually okay for kids unless they are overweight. It’s clean, and under normal circumstances, they will burn off the calories just being kids. Especially if they have a bunch of other healthy options in their lunch box)

Tired-Mom (or Dad!) Dinner Ideas:

• Quesadillas
• Pizzadillas
• Salads
• Pizza – if you have a clean pizza dough already in the freezer. Just top and bake.
• Pre-made casseroles out of the freezer (make them on the weekend)
• Sandwiches (real meats please)
• Cheese and tomato sandwiches (toast the bread then melt the cheese in the microwave, then add tomatoes.)
• Burritos
• Crock Pot Mexican Dinner
• Pita pizzas
• Pasta
• Quiché – Yes, it’s quick to make!
• Chicken Bake

Is this you?
Many parents complain about their kids eating processed and “un-clean” foods. But here’s the thing. Most food items have healthy alternatives. So take the time to find the healthy versions of the processed foods they eat now. You’ll feel so much better about packing their lunches!