Back to School: Brown bag* lunches for the high school set

by Marisa McClellan, Posted Sep 6th 2007 @ 10:50AM

By the time I got to high school, I was totally responsible for my own lunch. I got $20 a week for allowance and any movies, outings with friends, cafeteria lunches and after school treats had to come from that twenty. I brought my lunch a lot to save my pennies for the other, more fun, activities. Because I didn't want to eat the same thing, day after day, I learned to think creatively when it came to packing my lunch. Here were some of my favorites.

We almost always had tortillas in the fridge. I'd squirt a strip of honey mustard down the center and lay down a couple of slices of turkey and a lettuce leaf. Rolled up and cut in half, it made a quick sandwich that was tasty and fairly squish-resistant.

I'd throw together an assortment of baby carrots, sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes to dip into a container of hummus (we typically had the large container from Trader Joe's in the fridge, and I'd put some in a smaller tupperware to take along).

Yogurt and granola. In fifth grade, I ate this every single day. By high school I had learned to mix it up my lunches, but this was still a tried and true favorite. Just make sure to pack the granola separately from the yogurt, combining just before eating. Otherwise the granola loses all its crunch.

My mother was always apprehensive about packing anything with mayo in lunches, so there wasn't much tuna salad to be had during my school years. However, we would often mix a little chopped chicken (canned or leftover from the previous night's dinner) with a little cream cheese in order to create a sandwich spread. It might sound little funky, but it was really delicious.

In addition to these "main courses," I'd always bring along a couple of pieces of fruit, a small container of nuts and a big bottle of water.

*Please reuse, recycle or get yourself a nifty insulated lunch bag.

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Filed Under: Back to School, Ingredients, How To
Tags: back to school, brown bag lunches, BrownBagLunches, cream cheese and chicken, dairy, fruit, grains, nuts, poultry, reusable bags, turkey tortilla wraps, vegetables, veggies and hummus, yogurt and granola

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

9-06-2007 @12:14PM Amanda said... My high school had several microwaves in the cafeteria, which was really nice. They weren't the cleanest things, but the got the food hot. I would bring leftover dinner and pack it with an ice pack. I had a different meal all the time- it was great.
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