August 20, 2013

25 Healthy Back-to-School Lunch Ideas & Quick Chocolate Pudding (Paleo, Grain-Free)

The kids started school this week, so we’ve been brainstorming ideas for school lunches. Now that my girls are older, they typed up a list for me (very helpful!). Our rule is that they have to take at least one vegetable each day and we limit sweets to once or twice a week. They’re happy with this rule and it’s worked well for our family.

Here are some lunch items we will be packing this year:

To Serve Room Temperature:
Prosciutto Wrapped Mini Frittata Muffins via Nom Nom Paleo
Blueberry or Pumpkin Muffins
Homemade Sausage Patties with dipping sauce
Grilled Zucchini Rolls via Cookin Canuck
Lemon Chia Seed Muffins via Slim Palate
Wraps with meat, veg and raw cheese using these Grain-Free Coconut Wraps

Cold:
Whole Yogurt with Berries, Seeds and Nuts
Deviled Eggs via Simply Recipes
Oven-Fried Chicken Drumsticks via Nourished Kitchen
Chopped Waldorf Salad
Organic, Grass-Fed Hot Dogs

To Pack in an Insulated Thermos:
“Tortilla” Soup
Chicken and “Rice” Casserole
Cheesy Green Hummus via Weelicious (I like to serve these with seed crackers)
Coconut, Berry and Spinach Smoothie
Chicken Salad
Cream of Vegetable Soup via Cultured Food Life
Pumpkin Pie Shake
Lentil, Carrot and Kale Soup

For the Occasional Sweet:
Coconut Cake (I prepare this without the lemon curd or whipped cream for a great sweet and nutritious cake)
Grain-Free Graham Crackers
No-Bake Grain-Free Chocolate Cookies
Apple Pie Balls via Paleo Parents
Coconut Panna Cotta (Pour the warm liquid into portable containers so they are cold and ready to go in the morning.)
Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

For more ideas, check out my previous posts on Back-to-School Lunches.

And what about the containers, bottles and bags to put everything in? Here’s a list of my favorite eco-friendly lunch containers:

Life Factory Water Bottles

Stainless Steel Small Containers

Stainless Steel Insulated Thermos (this is the best for anything hot or cold!)

Lunchbot Stainless Steel Divided Container

Insulated Lunch Bag

Din Din Stainless Steel Fork and Spoon Set

Glass Lock Lunch Cube Set

Hydroflask Insulated Beverage Container

Pudding cups are a fun dessert, but often loaded with processed ingredients, preservatives and additives. Homemade chocolate pudding can be made in about 15 minutes, stored in the fridge and spooned into a portable container for chocolaty lunch-time treat.

Serves 4

Quick Chocolate Pudding

If you'd like to use dairy for this recipe, then omit the coconut milk and substitute with 3/4 cup whole milk and 3/4 cup heavy cream. Adapted from Nigella Express.

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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1/4 cup maple syrup or raw honey
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons boiling water
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ounces dairy-free dark chocolate, broken into pieces (I used Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips)

Instructions

Pour the coconut milk into a small saucepan and heat over medium-low until just steaming.
While the milk is heating, whisk the maple syrup, arrowroot, cocoa powder, and boiling water together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time, followed by the heated milk mixture. Continue to whisk mixture until it turns very thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and chocolate. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and thoroughly combined. Pour the pudding into 4 small bowls (or portable containers if you'd like to pack these for lunch). Cool for 10 minutes and serve. Or, refrigerate for up to 4 days and serve cold.