Easy Lunch Ideas for Busy Moms

We’re featuring easy lunch ideas for busy moms in partnership with Social Moms and Foster Farms. Read on for great lunch ideas to prep ahead and grab on the go! 

Easy Lunch Ideas for Busy Moms

Of all the things I struggle with as a work at home mom, actually finding the time to eat lunch is at the top of the list. I don’t know what it is about making sure I am covered come lunch time but if I don’t pack a lunch like I would if I were working outside of the home, I just don’t eat lunch. It may be the fact that my littlest always decides to take her nap on me when I realize I haven’t eaten in a while…

So I’ve started to pack my lunch in my Bentgo lunch box and am getting a little creative in what I put together. No sandwiches day after day. Though there’s nothing wrong with a good sandwich! I’ve stepped outside the box and have come up with 4 delicious lunch ideas that are easily prepared the night before for a delicious lunch. I’ve even been sharing them on Instagram each day and hope to continue sharing!

In addition to mixing up my lunches with leftovers, I also use my new favorite lunch meat. Foster Farms All Natural Lunchmeat is unique in that it uses high pressure pasteurization to eliminate bacteria and seal in PURE flavor INSTEAD of using natural preservatives like vinegar as an antimicrobial, which often results in a sour aftertaste. And it’s nitrate free with no hormones or steriods OR preservatives. Perfect for the whole family! 

Easy Lunch Ideas for Busy Moms

 

Easy Lunch Ideas for Busy Moms - turkey and cheese roll ups

Turkey and Havarti Wraps

Includes: 

  • Foster Farms Honey Roasted & Smoked Turkey Breast
  • Havarti cheese
  • dill pickle slices
  • baby carrots
  • 1/2 of a fuji apple
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter

Easy Lunch Ideas for Busy Moms - chicken ceaser salad

Chicken Ceaser Salad

Includes:

  • Foster Farms Simply Seasoned  Mediterranean Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cooked and diced
  • cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 an avocado
  • 1-2 cups romaine leaves
  • parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons ceaser dressing

Easy Lunch Ideas for Busy Moms - turkey wrap

Turkey Wraps

Includes:

For the wrap

  • 1 small tortilla
  • 1 tablespoon tomato basil hummus
  • Foster Farms Honey Roasted & Smoked Turkey Breast
  • spinach leaves

Sides

  • handful of spinach
  • sliced cucumbers
  • 1 tablespoon tomato basil hummus (for dipping cucumbers and to be used as dressing for spinach)
  • handful of blueberries

Easy Lunch Ideas for Busy Moms - chicken and broccoli

Chicken and Broccoli

Includes:

  • Foster Farms Simply Seasoned Mediterranean Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cooked and sliced
  • 1/2 cup broccoli, steamed
  • 1 bunch grapes
  • probiotic drink

 

Now that I’ve started preparing my lunches the night before, I haven’t forgotten to eat once in the past week. And I’m not as grumpy. Imagine that! While most of these meals are simple, they’re also a way tp guarantee that at least one meal a day is full of healthy choices.

Interested in trying Foster Farms Honey Roasted & Smoked Turkey Breast? Save up to a $1 now by downloading the coupon found here

Foster Farms

What is your go-to lunch on a busy day?

Disclosure: This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Foster Farms blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.

English Muffin Pizzas – Simple Toddler Meals

English Muffin Pizzas

Lunch time always proves to be a challenge when it comes to figuring out what to make. The kids either don’t want what your making, you’ve already served it 3 days out of the past 5, or it just doesn’t sound appealing.

So I created a cheat sheet of sorts. For lunches. You know, to take the guessing game out of the picture AND always have ingredients on hand for meals my kids will actually eat.

You can find all of my quick, easy toddler lunches here  but I thought I’d share an all-time favorite in our home, English Muffin Pizzas! And the best part is these take less than 10 minutes to make from start to finish (unless the kids are helping…).

Remember, the toppings listed below are just suggestions. There are countless other combos that would make this pizza just as tasty. These would probably make some tasty appetizers too if you’re looking for a quick fix.

This post contains affiliate links. 

English Muffin Pizzas

Preheat your toaster oven to 425 (or use your large oven if making many). Line a toaster oven safe tray or cookie sheet (for oven use) with foil.

Grab an english muffin and cut it in half. Add all of the ingredients into small, separate bowls in an assembly line. Move a stool over and let your child hop up to counter height, or assemble on the kitchen table.

Have your child spread about a spoonful of sauce onto each muffin half. Then have them take a small amount of each topping and add it to the sauce. Let them top each pizza with a pinch of cheese (careful not to over do it).

Before placing the pizzas in the oven, let your child sprinkle the top of each pizza with a little bit of Italian seasoning. Put pizzas on prepped tray and bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden. Let cool for a minute or so then serve and enjoy!

Tomato Zucchini Soup {Lunch Recipe}

 

I love simple lunches. Something I can whip up or reheat easily is key. So when I was figuring out what to do with all of the tomatoes we have coming in right now from our garden, I knew that a soup would be perfect. Now I normally roast my tomatoes with some other veggies to make the base for my marinara sauce so I thought why not roast up some tomatoes for a soup as well.

This recipe, from start to finish, takes 30 minutes and can easily be made in larger quantities to store for future lunches (or dinners!). It’d go great with a grilled cheese and a salad. The kids loved it as well!

Tomato Zucchini Soup

  • 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 2 medium zucchini, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 handful fresh basil, stems removed
  • Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line rimmed baking sheet with foil and lay tomatoes and zucchini on sheet.

Mix olive oil and garlic together in a small bowl. Drizzle over vegetables. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden.

Remove veggies from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Add to Magic Bullet, food processor, or blender (your choice!) and blend for a few seconds until just combined. Add basil and salt and pepper. Blend until it’s at the consistency you like.

Pour and serve. This soup can be served cold, lukewarm, or hot. It tastes good either way!

Serves 2-4 depending on portion size

What type of soup do you love? 

Quick Toddler Lunches: 5 Easy Solutions

5 Easy Solutions for Quick Toddler Lunches

One meal that I find the hardest to make for my children is lunch. I don’t know what it is but every time I go to fix lunch my mind draws a blank. So I’ve come up with 5 easy solutions for quick toddler lunches. That means that in less than 10-15 minutes your kids will have a healthy, delicious meal to eat for their mid-day meal.

Frozen Foods and Pasta

Grab a bag of whole grain pasta out of the cupboard. Or let the kids decide what pasta they want. Then go into the freezer and grab a few nitrate free hot dogs and some frozen (or fresh) veggies. Now you’re ready to make lunch in under 10 minutes!

  1. Boil water
  2. Add Pasta and set timer (cook for however long the bag says)
  3. 1/2 way through, add frozen hot dog. 
  4. When 2-3 minutes remain, add a handful of frozen veggies
  5. Drain, cut up hot dog, and serve!  – cutting up is optional for children over 3*

Usually takes less than 10 minutes and the kids love it!

Change it up! Don’t want to use hot dogs? Toss the noodles and veggies in some olive oil or butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Toss some pepperonis or deli meat in for a change in flavor or cube up some cheese.

Mmmm!

*If cutting up the hot dog, remember to cut up length wise first, then width wise to reduce the chance of choking.

Roll Ups and Fresh Fruit

Another lunch idea that takes less than 10 minutes. Simply pull out some lunch meats and cheeses and put them on a plate along with a few veggies. When your kids are deciding what to put in their roll ups, wash and cut up some fruit to go on the side!

Once they’ve decided it’s time to start building! Here’s what you do:

  1. Place a slice of meat down
  2. Add some mayo or mustard (or other spread)
  3. Add cheese on top
  4. Sprinkle with veggies (easier to slice up or shred)
  5. Roll up and eat!

Serve with some fruit on the side and enjoy.

Quesadillas 10 Ways

Quesadillas are super easy. The most work spent on them is the time prepping what goes into them. And that can be done in as little as 5 minutes. You just have to know what you want in them! Here are a few suggestions for what to put in your quesadilla:

Now it’s time to make your quesadilla!

  1. Heat up pan and butter one side of tortilla. 
  2. Put tortilla in heated pan, butter side down
  3. Sprinkle with cheese and other ingredients
  4. Fold over into a half moon and cook until golden brown
  5. Flip, cook other side, and serve!

I love serving my quesadillas with some left over rice and some ripe avocado and salsa. The kids love theirs with apple slices and tortilla chips.

Pizza Perfection

What kid doesn’t love pizza? In our home pizza comes in all shapes and sizes. Don’t have pizza dough? That’s ok! Grab one of the following to get started:

1. Base
Tortilla
Whole Wheat Pita
English Muffin

Then move on to the sauces. I love just grabbing whatever jarred pasta sauce we have in the pantry:

2. Sauce
Pesto
Marinara
Meat sauce
Alfredo sauce

And for the fun part!

3. Toppings! Toppings can range anywhere from veggies to meats to cheeses. And variety is key. When you give your kids a few options you’ll be surprised to find what they choose for their pizzas.

Simply go in this order: Base, Sauce, Toppings when creating your pizza pie masterpieces.

Then just use the oven (or a toaster oven) and cook at 400 degrees for a few minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden brown! Looking for a great pizza dough recipe? Check out this one here.

Salad Bar

Just because your two year old hates lettuce, don’t rule out the power of an awesome salad bar! And as always, get the kids involved. Ask your kids to pick 5 fun toppings to add to their salad. I suggest having fruit, veggies, nuts, and some sort of crunch for them to choose from.

Then give them a few lettuce options. Spinach is a favorite in our house with romaine coming in close second. But they also love the crunch of cabbage and the pretty shapes and colors in micro greens.

Here are a few great ideas for Salad Bar fixings:

Once the kids have chosen their 5 topping choices I give them dressing choices as well. From oil and vinegar to ranch dressing and everything in between, giving them 2-3 options makes our salad bar a success.

What’s your favorite lunch time fast fix?

Adventures in Toddler Food: Veggie Bites

My son has been pretty bad at eating his veggies lately. With the vast fluctuation day by day of his appetite we have had very little luck getting the greens in him. He’s much more interested in the colorful fruit we’ve been bringing home this summer. A little too interested…

So I went out in search of a good veggie bite recipe and found a lot online. I got bits and pieces from a lot of different recipes and kinda pieced them together to form this one. And I am quite happy to say that it was a recipe he loved.

Veggie Bites

Veggie Bites

  • 1 bag frozen broccoli & cauliflower, steamed & chopped
  • 1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  • 2/3 cup shredded cheddar
  • 2 eggs

[Read more…]



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