{"id":1426,"date":"2012-08-27T02:24:55","date_gmt":"2012-08-27T02:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/?p=1426"},"modified":"2017-11-08T16:03:46","modified_gmt":"2017-11-08T16:03:46","slug":"fast-lunches-for-big-kids-or-small","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/fast-lunches-for-big-kids-or-small\/","title":{"rendered":"Fast Lunches–for Big Kids or Small"},"content":{"rendered":"

School’s back and with it, the daily tedium of packing lunches.\u00a0 Even those without kids have to deal with this tedious task if the goal is to eat healthfully.\u00a0 Here’s an article I wrote for Boulder Weekly<\/a>‘s CU Student Guide<\/em>, for dorm students who want a homemade, healthy option on occasion.\u00a0 I realized this advice could be equally helpful for busy parents and others seeking fast but healthy lunch options.<\/p>\n

Quick Recipe:\u00a0 Microwave Thai Rice Bowl<\/span><\/h3>\n
\"\"
No fuss, no mess–frozen veggies are a boon to busy cooks, especially with nutritional values that are nearly, if not completely equal to fresh.
Picture courtesy of Jina Lee, Wikipedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Looking for quick lunches that are wholesome, too?\u00a0 The frozen foods aisle has a good selection of real, whole foods all washed, cut and ready to pop in the microwave.\u00a0 Combine with a few strategic deli purchases and ready made sauces for a meal that’s faster than fast food but still tasty, fresh and healthful.\u00a0 What’s more, it’s easy enough for older kids to make on their own.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • 1 bag frozen peas<\/li>\n
  • 1 bag frozen brown rice<\/li>\n
  • 1 cooked chicken breast from a deli or a couple portions of chicken from a leftover rotisserie chicken, cut or torn into small pieces<\/li>\n
  • 2-4 spoonfuls San-J Spicy Peanut Sauce, to taste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Step 1\u00a0<\/strong> Microwave peas in a big covered glass dish, as directed on the package.<\/p>\n

    Step 2\u00a0<\/strong> Microwave rice a second big, covered glass dish, as directed on the package.<\/p>\n

    Step 3\u00a0<\/strong> Combine the cooked peas with cooked rice.\u00a0 Stir in chicken and sauce to taste.\u00a0 Microwave 1-2 minutes, stir and taste.\u00a0 If not hot enough, microwave another 1-2 minutes.\u00a0 Eat and enjoy!<\/p>\n

    Notes:\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Enjoy some variety and have fun being creative with this dish<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Vegetables:\u00a0 Practically any frozen vegetable can work in this dish:\u00a0 green beans, chopped spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. Experiment with different brands for the best flavor.\u00a0 Stahlbush (at Vitamin Cottage) has reliably good taste, as does Safeway’s O brand of green beans<\/li>\n
    • Sauces:\u00a0 Teriyaki, Szechuan, Sweet and Sour, Hoisin and Sesame Ginger are just a few options.\u00a0 Or go Italian with Marinara or pesto.\u00a0 Just read the ingredient listing and stick to sauces made with real, whole ingredients you can pronounce!<\/li>\n
    • Protein:\u00a0 Scour the deli and salad bar for options like baked tofu, roasted turkey pork roast, and garbanzo beans.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Also, be sure to use brown rather than white rice–it has a lot more flavor and the natural nutrients haven’t been stripped away.\u00a0 Whole Foods sells it, or just freeze your own with extra leftover rice, so it’s all ready when you need it in a hurry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Looking for quick lunches that are wholesome, too? The frozen foods aisle has a good selection of real, whole foods all washed, cut and ready to pop in the microwave. Combine with a few strategic deli purchases and ready made sauces for a meal that’s faster than fast food but still tasty, fresh and healthful. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,20,26,1],"tags":[83,234,372,373,385,454,468],"class_list":["post-1426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-healthy-cooking-basics","category-recipes","category-time-saving-tips-for-healthy-cooking","category-uncategorized","tag-brown-rice","tag-frozen-vegetables","tag-lunch","tag-lunches-for-kids","tag-microwave-meals","tag-pot-of-brown-rice","tag-ready-made-sauces","masonry-post","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1426"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2773,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1426\/revisions\/2773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}