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Wednesday

Get Back To School Ready Tips and To Go Lunch Box Meals!

Back to school time is cray-cray! No matter how much you prepare, things will be crazy in the morning or lunch prep or after school snacking and even at dinner time! Besides food time crazy you are also trying to balance supplies, money, time, schedules and more! Feeling stressed, yet?

Thanks to years of experience and now no longer having little ones to get ready, I can look back and be grateful that we survived all of it! There are so many resources to help you get lunchbox meals planned, meal plans for dinner and even containers to choose from to help you easily do meal prep.

Here are a few recipes from Pasta Fits. You will find a lot of yummy and easy lunch recipes your family will LOVE! I'm also sharing some of my favorite links where I go to for easy meals and meal plans! You can do this!


ABC (Apple, Broccoli, Cheddar) Alphabet Pasta Salad

With all the flavors that kids love, this simple salad is definitely a lunch and
dinner lifesaver.

Makes: 6 servings
Categories: Kid Friendly, Vegetarian
Type of Dish: Lunch, Dinner
Total Time (Prep + Cook): 20 minutes
Season: Any Season

Ingredients:
4 oz alphabet pasta
4 cups small broccoli florets
1/4 cup light ranch dressing
1 apple, cored and diced
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat mild Cheddar cheese
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives

Directions:
1. In large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package
directions, adding broccoli in the last 3 minutes of cooking. Rinse with
cold water; drain.
2. Toss together pasta, broccoli and dressing. Stir in apple, Cheddar and
chives.
Tip: Add chopped almonds and raisins for added texture.

Nutrition Facts
Per 1/6 recipe
Calories 150
Fat 4g
Saturated Fat 1.5g
Cholesterol 10mg
Sodium 210mg
Carbohydrate 23g
Fiber 3g
Sugars 5g
Protein 6g
Meets Pasta Fits nutrition guidelines.


Power Crunch Pasta Salad

Makes: 6 servings
Categories: Kid Friendly, Vegetarian
Type of Dish: Lunch, Dinner
Total Time (Prep + Cook): 20 minutes
Season: Any Season

Ingredients:
8 oz whole wheat penne
2 cups/1 1/4 oz. shredded kale, ribs removed
2 cups/4 oz. thinly sliced red cabbage
1 red apple, cored and finely sliced
1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup/1 oz. dried cranberries
1/4 cup/1 oz. natural sliced almonds
2 tbsp. pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp. chia seeds

Creamy Yogurt-Herb Dressing:
1/2 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Cook penne according to package directions. Rinse in cold water
and drain.
2. Toss together pasta, kale, cabbage, apple, carrot and
cranberries.
3. Creamy Yogurt-Herb Dressing: Whisk together yogurt, olive oil,
parsley, chives, vinegar, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper.
4. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well to coat. Sprinkle
almonds, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds over salad before
serving.
Tips:
Add crumbled goat cheese if desired.
For added protein, add tofu, cooked shredded chicken or tuna.

Nutrition Facts
Per 1/8 recipe
Calories 250
Fat 9g
Saturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 115mg
Carbohydrate 34g
Fiber 5g
Sugars 8g
Protein 7g

With a mix of healthy carbs and protein, these unique egg muffins are the ideal solution to busy mornings, afternoon snack cravings, or for spicing up a boring lunch. Make them ahead of time and then grab a few when you’re on the go!
Makes: 6 servings
Categories: Kid Friendly, Vegetarian
Type of Dish: Lunch, Dinner
Total Time (Prep + Cook): 20 minutes
Season: Any Season

Ingredients:

3 oz. tubetti*
1 ½ cups/6 oz. zucchini, small dice
1 ½ cups/6 oz. red pepper, small dice
12 eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup/¾ oz. shredded basil
1 ½ cups/6 oz. shredded cheddar
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bring a medium pot of salted water to the boil. Cook the tubetti according to package directions. Drain and reserve.
  2. Distribute the zucchini, red pepper and tubetti evenly between the cups of a non-stick muffin pan.
  3. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Pour the eggs over the vegetables then sprinkle with basil and cheddar.
  4. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Cool then wrap for lunch!
*This recipe can be made gluten-free simply by substituting gluten-free tubetti.
Makes 12 muffins. 
Per muffin: 161 calories, 10 g total fat, 5 g saturated fat, 7 g carbohydrate, 11 g protein, 1 g dietary fiber, 1 gm sugar, 160 mg sodium, 201 mg cholesterol.

MORE Back To School Resources!
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