Quick and Healthy Lunch Ideas
If you've ever forgotten to bring your lunch with you to school, you know what a pain it is to try and find something to eat. The easiest thing is to grab a bag of chips and a soft drink, right? While that might be okay once in awhile, eating that much junk food on a daily basis can really affect your body (and not in a good way either). You probably think it's easier to chow down on junk food instead of trying to eat something healthy. Well, we've compiled a list of quick and healthy alternatives that are so easy to put together that you have no excuse not to try out one or two of them this school year!
Vegetables
Most people think veggies are gross, and who can blame them? Our parents are always forcing us to eat them, and they're usually steamed and soggy. But there are plenty of alternatives that are surprisingly tasty and (this is the important part) require hardly any preparation.
What You Need:
- The first thing you're going to need is a tupperware container that has two compartments. Fill up the bigger side with a crunchy vegetable of your choosing. If you're in a hurry, those baby carrots that come in small bags are the easiest (they're already peeled and everything)! But if you're feeling a bit more creative, why not fill it up with green peppers, cauliflower, broccoli and celery?
- Next, the smaller compartment is going to contain a dipping sauce of some kind - salad dressing is the easiest, but if you're feeling creative enough to make your own sauce, then you can try one of the following recipes.
Low Fat Hummus Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas) drained. Set juice aside.
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons sesame tahini
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Preperation:
Have an adult help you throw all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add juice from the chick peas to get desired texture.
Jimmy Neutron's Retroville Ranch Dip
Ingredients:
- 2 cups low-fat sour cream
- 1 packet dry ranch dressing mix
- 3/4 cup diced tomato
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup chopped olives
- 1 cup grated cheese
Preparation:
Mix the sour cream and packet of ranch dressing together in a medium-sized bowl. Next, throw in the tomatoes, onions, olives and cheese and mix well. Chill the dip in the fridge for at least 20-30 minutes before eating (if you make it the night before, it'll be perfect).
For more quick and healthy lunch ideas, from sandwiches to desserts, click here!
