Packed lunches for health conscious teen

[CallmeFP]

We’re aiming to eat less processed foods.

After reading about how much thickeners and emulsifiers even ‘healthy’ breads have I’ve been buying italian bread made with wheat and olive oil. However it’s still white flour. The fillings such as chicken breast are mostly healthy.

Any ideas on healthy teen friendly lunches not involving bread or pasta?

Organic pitta is healthy and satisfying with protein filling.
Add apple/cheese/oat cakes/crispbread for crunch factor?

How about hot foods in a food flask, Vegetable casserole, Chilli, lentil soup, that kind of thing.

Or a more hearty 'solid' kind of salad like green bean www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/green-bean-salad-recipes or quinoa, or couscous, or orzo.

Home made pita breads? You can experiment with flours etc but they're pretty easy.

For hot, you can do pretty much anything - soup, casseroles etc.

or cold would be hearty salads using new potatoes or lentils or beans. I tend to stick to salads that are a type of green salad to which I add new potatoes or a slice of bread/pita but a good lentil, goats cheese and beetroot salad would work well too. Or a roasted squash and sweet potato, pine nuts, feta and spinach.

Why not try making sourdough? It’s just water, flour and salt...

I really like tuna Niçoise salad or a Caesar style one with salmon, Buddha bowls, cold slices of frittata , roast chicken and avocado salad...

Frittata www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/asparagus-new-potato-frittata We put broccoli or peas in this instead.
Couscous salad

You could use a 100% chickpea or lentil flour pasta

Sushi made with brown rice

Once upon a chef website has a really yummy French lentil salad- sorry can’t do link

Soup in a thermos.

Fried rice in a thermos

BBC good food has a sweet potato and spinach Dahl which is super yummy.

Brown rice salad
Hummus and veges sticks
Are they allowed to take nuts?
Chia pudding with fruit

These suggestions are fabulous!!

I have just made a shopping list with all these recipes. It makes me realise how boring I’ve been with her lunches

Thank you all I love these

I’ll check about the nuts, will try the different flours for making our own breads. Don’t have a hot meal flask but I’ll get one for winter it’ll be perfect.

Hi OP
The flasks are also the best way to give them watermelon in summer - no leaks unlike plastic containers
Happy shopping

Thank you!! Flasks seem like good all rounders

Sainsbury's were discounting the small wide mouthed Thermos flasks the other week. Bought one last autumn and they work brilliantly for school lunches.

Thanks @maslinpan I’ll be having a look around on the weekend for them.

I made her brown rice with teriyaki salmon and broccoli today, she loved it. I’ll make lentil stew etc when I have the flask.