This is a great vegetarian recipe for meat-free mondays, or if you have a teenager who is a vegetarian. The chickpeas are high in protein and the avocado is rich, creamy and packed with nutrients.
The lime juice adds a zingy flavor and the fresh cilantro makes the sandwich more vibrant. You can leave out the green onion if your teen prefers milder flavors, or switch it for some sweet pink pickled onions instead.
The recipe suggests using wholegrain bread as it is more nourishing, but you can use whatever bread your teen likes best. Try adding some sliced cucumber and berries or trail mix on the side.
Sushi is a great idea for lunch that makes a change from sandwiches. But what if you don’t have time to roll the sushi?
These jars contain all of the ingredients of a classic california roll but they are quicker to make and much easier to eat. You can make it up the night before to save time in the morning.
Edamame are low in fat but high in protein which makes them the perfect healthy lunch food. They also contain vitamin E which is really good for your skin – perfect for teens suffering with acne or pimples.
Along with the beans, this salad contains sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, avocado and bean sprouts. It is flavored with paprika, cumin, lime juice, salt and pepper.
This salad comes together really quickly which is perfect for those busy mornings when the whole family is in a rush to leave the house.
You could also include some pineapple and yogurt, and a handful of salted pretzels for your teen to snack on.
A grilled cheese sandwich makes a nice change to a normal sandwich and it is the perfect way to use up your leftovers!
If you have a little bit of steak left from the night before – whether it was steak fajitas or stew – it can be hard to know what to do with it. Make it go a bit further by using it as a sandwich filling.
You can add some mushrooms or bell peppers if you want to, and use whatever type of cheese you prefer. It only takes 12 minutes to put these sandwiches together.
Turkey is high in protein and is a very lean meat. This makes it ideal for a filling, healthy sandwich. You can make this sandwich with deli cuts of turkey, or thick slices of roast turkey.
The meat is layered up with sprouts, cranberry sauce, provolone cheese and mayonnaise. The sandwich is seasoned with salt and pepper to bring out the flavors of the meat.
You can use wholegrain bread, or a different type of bread if you prefer. This sandwich is perfect for using up Sunday Roast leftovers. You could also include some sugar snap peas with hummus dip to eat on the side.
These healthy pizza dippers are much better than anything your teen could get in the school canteen. They are also more nutritious!
This recipe tells you how to make your own dough using just two ingredients – greek non-fat yogurt and self-raising flour. One of the great things about this recipe is that you can customize the toppings.
Use whatever type of cheese you prefer and a low fat meat like ham or turkey pepperoni.
Wraps are lighter than sandwiches but still very filling. This wrap is packed with deli turkey, salty bacon, cheese, tomato, avocado, and crisp lettuce.
The sauce is a combination of mayonnaise and mustard – creamy but with a bit of a kick. The flavors come together perfectly in this refreshing and nourishing wrap.
You can use whatever wrap you want to – a corn tortilla, a flour tortilla, gluten free, or a low carb option.
Pork and peanut butter go together surprisingly well, and this sandwich is the perfect example. Use shredded cooked pork and smooth or crunchy peanut butter- whichever you prefer.
You can make this sandwich as spicy as you like as you can control the amount of jalapenos and sriracha sauce that you use. The addition of curry powder makes the sandwich even more flavorsome.
Flatbread is not as flat as pitta or a tortilla wrap, but not as fluffy as sliced bread. This recipe piles plenty of delicious greek flavors into a soft flatbread for the perfect healthy lunch.
The chicken has a smoky flavor, the lettuce is crisp, the feta is salty and creamy, the hummus is earthy and the olives have that unmistakable Greek flavor.
The tomato and cucumber salsa is so refreshing and the lime juice really lifts the flavors of the dish.
This copycat recipe teaches you how to make one of the tasty sandwich fillings from Chick-Fil-A. It is made up of breaded chicken, celery, eggs, mayonnaise and pickle relish.
What makes this recipe healthy is that the sandwich filling is used on whole grain bread, and has added lettuce leaves.
You can include as much salad as you want in your sandwich – tomatoes, cucumber, spinach leaves, onions – customize it as much as you like.
This Italian sub sandwich is totally irresistible. It is packed with Italian cured meats, mild provolone cheese, and punchy pesto. Instead of using normal bread, this recipe uses ciabatta which fits in with the Italian theme.
You can toast it or leave it untoasted depending on whether you like your bread soft or crunchy. You can use whatever combination of meat that you want, but salami and ham are great options.
Pinwheels are often included in a buffet table as easy finger food, but you can also use them as part of a school lunch. They are easy to make and easy to eat, so your teen won’t have to worry about making a mess.
You can use whatever fillings you want, but turkey and spinach are healthy and delicious. The cream cheese makes these pinwheels even more irresistible and the basil adds a lovely, herby flavor.
Hummus is a tasty and healthy ingredient to include in your teen’s school lunch.
You can use the hummus instead of mayonnaise or salad dressing on a wrap and then fill it with turkey and delicious salad like lettuce, grated carrot, tomatoes, cucumber and spinach leaves.
Sushi is a delicious lunch and is a great alternative to sandwiches or bread items. MAking the sushi in a muffin tin saves time and is very simple – much easier than trying to roll sushi in the morning before school!
You can adjust the ingredients to make whatever your favorite type of sushi is. This recipe is vegan and naturally gluten free, so is great for teens with different dietary requirements.
Keep hold of this recipe for parties and buffets as it makes for great finger food.
These no-bake peanut butter granola cups are great for lunch or breakfast. The peanut butter sits inside a crunchy peanut shell made with chopped nuts, peanut butter and honey.
It is topped with a disc of dark chocolate which acts as a lid, keeping the peanut butter inside the granola cup.
These wraps have all of the delicious flavors of a cobb salad but wrapped up inside a tortilla – eggs, lettuce, tomatoes, ham and cheese.
Once you know how to make a great egg salad you can use it for lots of different things – sandwich fillings, baked potato toppings, canapes and much more.
If you have a few teenagers that you need to prepare lunches for it can feel a bit hectic! This meal prep taco salad bowl recipe is ideal for preparing multiple lunches at once.
They have all the best flavors of tacos but in a healthy lunch that is perfect for school. With black beans, sweetcorn, cheese, lettuce, mince meat and spicy jalapenos it will feel just like eating nachos.
You can add extra toppings if you want to like olives or bacon, and sauces like sour cream, salsa or guacamole.
Caprese salad is a lovely, light Italian dish. Adding pasta makes it more hearty for a school lunch, keeping your teen full and satisfied until they come home for dinner. This salad is high in protein and is gluten free.
You can also make it vegan with a simple ingredient swap. It is colorful and appetizing, with white mozzarella cheese, red tomatoes and green spinach leaves.
If you are looking for a low carb lunch option then try these lettuce wraps. The deli turkey is used to fill up a lettuce leaf instead of a tortilla wrap.
The lettuce leaf holds all of the filling together but is light and low carb. It is also very refreshing. You can add whatever toppings you fancy to your deli turkey wraps.
This recipe uses creamy avocado and fresh, juicy tomatoes with some shredded cheese.
This Italian chicken salad recipe is a great one to learn as you can enjoy it on its own, use it as a sandwich filling, or use it as a topper for jacket potatoes.
The tasty salad is packed with lean chicken, black olive, juicy tomatoes and creamy mozzarella cheese. If you are using it to make a sandwich, add in some rocket or baby spinach.
These pepperoni pizza quesadillas are a fun but healthy lunch for your teen to take to school.
They only take 5 minutes to make and you can customize the filling with whatever you want – ham and mushroom, pineapple and peppers, chicken and sweetcorn – or whatever needs using up in the refrigerator.
The melted cheese makes these quesadillas even more irresistible.
A fried rice salad is a different take on a classic rice salad, and introduces a bit more flavor. It contains cabbage, carrots, celery, spring onions, cauliflower, and red peppers along with salty bacon and hard boiled eggs.
You can also switch up the ingredients to suit your taste – add in whatever is in season or what needs using up.
If your teen has a bit of a sweet tooth then this could be the perfect lunch for them. The red, white and blue colors of the fruit and yogurt make this a visually appealing meal and it is also very nutritious.
Use a thermos to keep the parfait cool until lunchtime.
Orzo is a type of pasta that is small in shape. It looks just like rice and is used in a lot of Mediterranean recipes, especially Greek cuisine. In this salad it is used as a source of carbohydrate.
It is served with vegetables like zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and onions. The salad is tossed in a vinaigrette and both mozzarella and smoky gouda cheeses are added.
You have probably tried deviled eggs, but have you tried deviled ham? This Cuban sandwich is unusual and very delicious, and will make a nice change from all of the usual sandwich fillings.
This dark chocolate pretzel bark is the perfect sweet snack to include in a school lunch as it is not too high in sugar. It is also the perfect blend of sweet and salty.
Smoked gouda and apple pair perfectly together in this recipe, and the grilled chicken adds an important source of lean protein to keep your teen full all afternoon.
Adding pasta to this caesar salad makes it even more satisfying and also helps the ingredients to go further. This is ideal if you have a larger family to feed.
Summary
These recipes are really easy to make and are healthy and nutritious, keeping your teen well nourished at school.
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