Ok mamas and all my teachers out there too! We have been back to school for a little bit now and are lunch options are probably getting pretty stale. I have a few ideas for you to jazz things up that you can enjoy as a teacher or easily pack for the kiddos the night before. Let’s face it, we all know school mornings are nutty, so help yourself out and get it done the night before. Less stress in the am when you are starting your day!
This first recipe is a great way to get a little protein into your day and these can be made from leftovers or you can easily make the chicken just for this and make a bigger batch and freeze. You can pull them out and heat them as you want to prep them.
[lt_recipe name=”Chicken Nugget Sliders” summary=”This recipe is great for adults and kids alike. It is super easy to make and you can even make a big batch of the nugget part and then freeze and pull out and heat as you need. Also, you can sneak in a little extra fiber by adding a little flaxseed into the breading. Nobody will know!” servings=”4-6″ total_time=”40M” print=”yes” image=”https://happychefmama.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Chicken-Nugget-Sliders-e1536680260520-300×153.jpg” ingredients=”4– 4 to 6 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts, (about 1lb);1 egg, beaten;1 cup breadcrumbs ;2 tsp ground flaxseed ;1 1/2 teaspoons flaky sea salt ;1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper ;4-6 slices Cheddar cheese, cut into halves ;1 head iceberg or butter lettuce ;2-4 Roma tomatoes, sliced- 1 slice per sandwich ;1/2 cup mayo;1 tablespoon lemon ;1 teaspoon lemon zest, optional ;1 package slider buns- I like the little Hawaiian rolls or a little buttery dinner roll” ]Preheat oven to 425°F. Lined a rimmed baking sheet with foil and drizzle a thin layer of oil on top.;;Cut chicken into nugget sized pieces. Toss with egg and in a gallon-sized zip top bag, combine the breadcrumbs, flaxseed, salt & pepper. ;;Add in the chicken, seal and shake well to coat the tenders all over. Put the breaded tenders on the prepared baking sheet and bake until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.;;In a small bowl add mayo, lemon, and zest. Combine well and refrigerate until ready to use. Chiffonade lettuce and get ready to assemble.;;Build sandwich with chicken, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. Add the desired amount of mayo on the bottom of the top bun. Wrap up your sandwiches for lunchtime.;;[/lt_recipe]
This next recipe is best made and then batched out and frozen. You can freeze them in the amounts you want to pack and they are super fun, versatile and easy. You can customize these any way you want and make them more adult or kid friendly. They are great alongside a side salad for my teacher friends.
[lt_recipe name=”Pizza Buns” summary=”This recipes is great as you can make ahead and freeze and pop out of the freezer as you need them. They are great with healthy options for the kids, such as fruits and veggies. Also, they are great with a side salad for my teacher friends and mamas!” total_time=”1H 30M” print=”yes” image=”https://happychefmama.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Pizza-buns-e1537804388901-300×200.jpg” ingredients=”Dough;1½ cups warm water;1 Tbsp sugar;1 Tbsp yeast;½ tsp salt;3-4½ cups flour;” ]In a bowl combine water, sugar and yeast. Let stand for about 10 minutes.;;Add salt. Stir. Add half your flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour until dough pulls away from edges of the bowl when mixing and it isn’t sticky.;;Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise for 45 minutes or until double in size. Remove dough from bowl. Separate into three equal parts.;;Prepare your pizza ingredients. For the pizza buns pictured we used pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and pizza sauce, but anything goes! This is going to be just like making cinnamon buns from here on out – only with pizza fixings!;;Take one portion of the dough and roll out on a lightly greased or floured surface. I typically spray my working surface with a little cooking spray or use a small amount of oil to keep the dough from sticking. Roll dough into a long skinny rectangle as you would for cinnamon rolls.;;Once your dough is rolled, you can begin layering your pizza ingredients starting with the sauce. Spread sauce over the dough leaving the very edge of one of the long sides of the rectangle free from sauce so the edge will seal when rolled up. Layer meat, cheese and/or any other pizza toppings you’d like.;;After all your pizza toppings have been added, begin rolling up the dough starting at the long side of the rectangle where the sauce is all the way to the edge – you want to leave that sauce free edge to be rolled up last. Roll all the way up and then pinch the edges to seal. Now using a small length of dental floss, slice off equal sized rolls.;;Place rolls in a greased baking dish.;;Cover and allow buns to rise 30 minutes.;;Bake in the oven at 350 for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden brown.;[/lt_recipe]
Our last idea is not a recipe, but a concept. It is so popular to pack these Bento style lunches now and I can see why. You can get so much variety into these boxes which is awesome. These are great for kids and adults, obviously in different boxes. But they have some awesome bento lunch box options at Target, Walmart, Amazon and even Home Depot. You can pack all kinds of fun stuff in them from veggies and fruits to chips and dips and everything in between. Here are some pics of my favorite options.
Here are some Adult Boxes that have salads, fruits, veggies, dips such as hummus and more.
 
Here are some more kid-friendly options that can give you some ideas to get you started. You can pack these with whatever you have and whatever your kids love. There is no end to the possibilities and variety is the best way to eat. So, make them fun, colorful and packed with yummy treats.
I hope that you will use these fun new ideas to spice up your week and let me know what ideas you have to help make school lunches easier and more fun!
