The Nourishing Home

living healthier lives in service to the King!

Healthy Homemade “Lunchables”

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Why purchase a lunch that not only has zero nutritional value, but actually contains ingredients that are detrimental to your children’s health? Of course, the lure of this product is its convenience, but that’s the whole problem with processed foods – you trade convenience for quality nutrition.

Believe me, I’m not trying to be a lunchbox killjoy here – in fact, the more fun lunch is, the more likely it is that your child will eat it. So that’s what inspired me to create a few Healthy Homemade Lunchables ideas that are as nutritious as they are fun to create and eat. The following three lunchable-makeover recipes are my boys’ personal favorites. I hope your children enjoy them too!

The fun-colored *reusable BPA-free storage containers come from Laptop Lunches, which is also where you can find even more healthy lunch ideas. Another fun site for getting more healthy lunchable ideas is MOMables, see *note below.

Here’s to making lunch healthy and FUN!  🙂

Lunchbox Love CollageP.S. I’ve got a fun way to say I Love You! These little Lunchbox Love Notes are absolutely precious, and are such a heartfelt way to let your kids know how much you love and care about them.

Whether you have preschoolers, elementary age kids or teens, SayPlease.com has an amazing line of “love notes” for kids of all ages, even adults. The notes include an inspiring message along with cool trivia and funny jokes.

I love putting these thoughtful little notes into my boys’ lunchboxes, because I know it makes them feel loved and special!

 


Grilled Chicken Dunkers
Wrap individually (or place in reusable separate containers) the following items:
• Leftover grilled chicken, cut into bite-size chunks
• Homemade ranch dressing for dipping
• Raw zucchini sticks
• Fresh melon
• Grain-free fruit muffin


Turkey & Cheese Cracker Stackers
Wrap individually (or place in reusable separate containers) the following items:
• Grain-free crackers
• Nitrate-free turkey slices, cut into squares
• Raw cheese, cut into squares
• Cultured dill pickle (cultured pickles contain beneficial probiotics, we like Bubbies brand)
• Organic grapes
• Crispy nut mix with dried cherries and fair-trade dark chocolate chips


Make-Your-Own-Pizza
Wrap individually (or place in reusable separate containers) the following items:
• GF bagel, cut in half (for little ones or light eaters, just pack one half)
• Organic pizza sauce
• Organic shredded mozzarella cheese
• Organic apple slices
• Healthy cookies

Rainbow Bean Dip Lunchable2
From Leftovers to Lunchables
And be sure to check out “From Leftovers to Lunch” for a few of our favorite ways to transform leftovers into healthy, delicious and FUN “lunchables” the whole family will love!

Three cheers for healthy “lunchables” that are just as nutritious as they are delicious!

Looking for more great lunch ideas and recipes?
MomablesFinal_wtagBe sure to check out my friend Laura at MOMables for lots of whole food based recipes and ideas for making lunch delicious, nutritious and FUN! (P.S. Laura offers a weekly lunch meal plan subscription program. There is no obligation, but if you opt to sign up via the link here, a small portion of the proceeds helps to support The Nourishing Home at no additional cost to you. Thank you!)

Happy lunch packing! Joyfully Serving HIM, Kelly

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Make Your Own Pizza

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Personal pizzas make a great quick lunch or dinner! We make ours by using leftover homemade soaked tortillas. But you can easily make these using your favorite wholesome tortillas.

These little pizzas are so quick and easy to assemble – they’re a great way to get your Kids in the Kitchen with you!

The options are endless when you make your own homemade personal pizza! Shown above: Chicken Sausage, Marvelous Mushroom and my personal favorite, No Sauce Veggie!

Print
Just Cheese, Please!

Just Cheese, Please!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tortilla on ungreased baking sheet.
  2. Spread evenly with organic pizza sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
  3. Bake approximately 8 minutes. Yum!
https://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/make-your-own-pizza/

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No Sauce Veggie Pizza

No Sauce Veggie Pizza

Ingredients

  • 1 homemade tortilla
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/8 tsp dried Italian seasoning mix
  • 1/8 tsp dried basil
  • Dash of garlic powder
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • Your favorite organic veggies
  • Organic feta and mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, seasonings and salt. Brush oil mixture evenly across top of tortilla.
  2. Crumble some feta cheese and sprinkle with a little shredded mozzarella.
  3. Top with your favorite organic veggies (spinach, zucchini, broccoli, etc.) and another small sprinkling of mozzarella cheese.
  4. Bake for approximately 8 minutes. Veggilicious!
https://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/make-your-own-pizza/

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BBQ Chicken Pizza

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients

  • 1 homemade tortilla
  • 1 1/2 tbsp wholesome BBQ sauce
  • 1/2 cup leftover grilled organic chicken, diced
  • Organic mozzarella cheese
  • Your favorite organic veggies (sliced zucchini, mushroom and spinach are great with this pizza!)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Evenly distribute BBQ sauce on top of tortilla and sprinkle with some shredded mozzarella.
  2. Top with diced grilled chicken, your favorite veggies and another small sprinkling of mozzarella cheese.
  3. Bake for approximately 9 minutes. A BBQ-lover’s delight!
https://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/make-your-own-pizza/

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Philly Cheese Steak Pizza

Philly Cheese Steak Pizza

Ingredients

  • 1 homemade tortilla
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • Dash of freshly ground pepper and sea salt
  • Leftover precooked, pasture-fed steak, thinly sliced
  • Sautéed onion and green/red bell pepper
  • Sliced mushroom
  • Organic mozarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush olive oil evenly across top of tortilla and add a dash of freshly ground pepper and salt. Then sprinkle with some mozzarella cheese.
  2. Thinly slice leftover steak and lay across top of cheese.
  3. Sauté some sliced onion with some sliced organic green and/or red bell peppers in a little olive oil, until al dente. Add to top of steak.
  4. Top with some sliced mushrooms and another small sprinkling of mozzarella cheese.
  5. Bake for approximately 8 minutes. A steak lover’s dream!
https://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/make-your-own-pizza/

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Healthier French Fries (GF)

By · 16 Comments

The single most important step to improving your health and your family’s health (both therapeutically and preventively) is to stop eating fast food.

It’s especially sad to see an entire generation of children being raised on fast food, with French fries being a staple in their diet. Am I saying I’m anti-French fry? No, not when they’re homemade using healthy ingredients and are served on occasion.

My boys love these fries, as do most kids, which is why they’re one of my favorite recipes to make in conjunction with the Healthy Chicken Nuggets for kid-parties. It really opens the door to talk about healthy eating when Moms see their kids devouring real food with a big smile on their faces! We hope you enjoy this recipe too!

P.S. You can also follow this same recipe using yummy sweet potatoes to create delicious Sweet Potato Fries, see photo and note below!


Slice fries and place on clean dish towel. Be sure to pat dry with clean paper towels.


Making fries together is a fun way to get your kids in the kitchen with you and talk about why it’s so much better for us to eat real food!

sweet potato fries

Encourage your kiddos to try something new! Replace the white potatoes with sweet potatoes for an extra yummy boost in nutrition. See recipe notes below for details!

Print
Healthier French Fries (GF)

3-4 servings

Healthier French Fries (GF)

Ingredients

  • 3 medium-to-large organic Russet potatoes (or sweet potatoes)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
  • 1/8 tsp rosemary
  • 1/8 tsp thyme
  • 1/8 tsp paprika
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper (or more if you like ‘em really spicy!)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to *425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Peel and slice potatoes into fries and place on a clean dishtowel. Pat potato slices with clean paper towels until completely dry.
  3. Using a gallon-size ziplock baggie, add olive oil and seasonings to the bag. Mash and combine the oil and seasonings, while evenly distributing the mixture throughout baggie.
  4. Place slice potatoes into the baggie, seal and shake until potatoes are well coated.
  5. Immediately transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, making sure that potatoes are evenly spaced for best results.
  6. Bake 20-25 minutes until lightly browned around edges. (If making sweet potato fries, check them at about 15-20 minutes, as they often take less time, depending on how thick they're cut.)
  7. Serve with a turkey-veggie burger or healthy chicken nuggets.

Notes

*If you have convection, that’s best. It's important to have high heat when baking fries and not to use too much oil, which is why you do not want to oil your baking sheet. These fries will be softer than "fried" fries, but should not be soggy. If they are, reduce the oil and try up-ing your oven temp to 450 degrees, as ovens do vary in actual temperature (some run hotter, some not so much).

https://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/healthier-french-fries-gf/

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