Lunch Made Simple: One Set of Ingredients, Three Different Lunches for Kids, Teens and Adults

Mediterranean Dipper Lunch

Cut pita bread into triangles and add a little container of hummus for dipping. Add cucumber slices…chickpeas…a few pieces of feta and some fruit. If your little one isn't quite ready to embrace chickpeas with open arms…you can mash a few into the hummus or simply add more of the things you know they will eat. There is absolutely no rule that says every compartment has to come home empty.

Loaded Mediterranean Pita

Stuff a pita with hummus…chickpeas…lettuce..

.cucumber…tomatoes and feta. Add fruit and maybe some pita chips or crackers on the side. It is filling…portable…and most importantly…it can be eaten fairly quickly. Because somehow teenagers can spend forty minutes getting ready in the morning but only have seven minutes to eat lunch.

Greek Chickpea Salad Bowl

Pile greens into a container and top them with chickpeas…cucumber…

tomatoes…feta and toasted pita pieces. Pack your dressing separately and pour it on when you are ready to eat. You can also add olives…pepperoncini…red onion or anything else you happen to love. One group of ingredients…three completely different lunches!

Easy Quesadilla Lunch

Sprinkle black beans and cheese onto half of a tortilla…fold it over and cook it in a skillet until the cheese melts. Cut it into little triangles and pack salsa or sour cream for dipping. Add corn…fruit and a few cucumber slices or another favorite veggie on the side. Simple…familiar…and very lunchbox friendly.

Big Bean and Cheese Burrito

Layer black beans…corn…cheese…

lettuce…tomatoes and avocado inside a large tortilla. Add salsa or Greek yogurt…roll it up tightly and wrap it so it travels well. You can make this one pretty substantial too…because teenage appetites are no joke!

Black Bean Taco Salad

Start with a big bowl of greens. Add black beans…corn…tomatoes…

avocado…cheese and crushed tortilla pieces. Finish with salsa and a spoonful of Greek yogurt or your favorite dressing. It feels like an entirely different meal…but you prepared almost nothing extra.

That is what we are looking for!

Mini Lunchbox Pizzas

Spread a little marinara over mini naan or pita…sprinkle with mozzarella and add any veggies they enjoy. Bake until the cheese melts…cool completely…then pack. Add fruit and cucumber slices or another favorite crunchy vegetable. These are also terrific to make ahead and keep in the refrigerator.

Loaded Pizza Flatbread

Now we simply make the same idea bigger! Use a full size naan or pita and load it with sauce…mozzarella…peppers..

.spinach…tomatoes and anything else they enjoy. Slice it into wedges and pack some fruit on the side. It is basically cold pizza's slightly more responsible cousin.

Pizza Salad Bowl

Here is where those same ingredients suddenly grow up. Start with a big bowl of greens and spinach. Add tomatoes…peppers…

mozzarella and toasted pieces of naan or pita. Warm a spoonful of marinara and drizzle it over the top or use your favorite Italian dressing. You get all those pizza flavors…but in a fresh lunch that doesn't leave you wanting a nap by 2:00!

Simple Pasta Lunch

Toss cooked pasta with just a touch of butter or olive oil…then add peas and a little mozzarella. Pack cucumbers and fruit alongside it. If your child likes pesto or dressing…wonderful. If they want their pasta plain…that is wonderful too. We are trying to get lunch eaten here…not win a cooking competition!

Big Pesto Pasta Salad

Mix pasta with pesto…peas…tomatoes…

mozzarella and spinach. It is easy to make the night before…travels beautifully and is filling enough for a teenager's lunch. Make an extra serving because there is an excellent chance someone will find it in the refrigerator before morning. Ask me how I know.

Italian Pasta and Greens Bowl

Fill your container mostly with greens and add a scoop of pasta salad on top. Add tomatoes…cucumbers…

mozzarella and a little extra dressing. Now you have all the comfort of pasta without having to eat an enormous bowl of it. Although…no judgment here if enormous bowl of pasta happens to be the lunch plan for the day!

Little Lunchbox Snack Plate

Add crackers…cheese…fruit…

cucumber slices and hummus. You can include pretzels or another favorite crunchy snack too. It feels fun and snacky to them…but you know they are actually getting a pretty nice little lunch. Everybody wins.

Big Snack Box

Teenagers need a little more staying power. Use larger portions of crackers…cheese…hummus…

chickpeas…veggies and fruit. Add pretzels and another hearty snack if needed. This is a wonderful option for teens who don't have much time to eat because everything is ready to grab.

Grown Up Grazing Box

Oh I love a good grazing lunch! Add crackers…cheese…hummus…

vegetables…fruit and seasoned chickpeas. Tuck in a few olives or pickles if you love them. Suddenly that same little lunchbox idea looks like something you would happily order at a café!