Healthy Tips & Recipes for School Lunches

Wow–the school lunch.  These have certainly been the topic of hot debate ever since Congress in its infinite wisdom declared that pizza counts as a ‘vegetable’ for school lunches.  (Ostensibly because it has a tablespoon of tomato sauce on it—Let’s Get REAL!  In reality, it’s because they get bribed with big bucks from big food manufacturers.)

You’re  a busy mother, & making breakfast for yourself & your children is already almost an impossibility.  Now, you add MORE time & effort in the crazy mornings?  No way, you think. Yes, there IS a way, with a little pre-planning, an inexpensive tool you probably have collecting dust in your kitchen, & just a few minutes of time you can have lunches ready for a week in advance.  The advantages to this are not only that your children will be eating healthy, wholesome FOOD, but also that it relieves so much stress & removes many decision-making problems from your life.  You will find that you won’t want to go back to the ‘normal’ mode of  “Well, what am I going to feed them today?”

First of all—-dig into your pantry & dust off your trusty CROCK POT!  Yes, this is about to become your best friend!  Clean it up & spray it with some organic olive oil cooking spray.

Now, cut open a couple packs of minimally-processed chicken (without that ‘natural 15% solution that is in reality a bunch of chlorine!).  Dump the chicken in the crock pot.  Add the ingredients (see recipes below).  Turn it on low & forget it until done.  Then, take 20 minutes to shred the chicken with two forks, mixing in the yummy ingredients, & then separate into individual serving portions using snack-size sandwich baggies.  Done!  DAYS worth of meals ready in a total of about 22 minutes!

Your kids will love these chicken recipes, & it’s so versatile!  Send them to school with healthy tortillas for wraps or tacos, or better yet with big romaine lettuce leaves so they can make lettuce wraps like you pay a fortune for at P.F. Chang’s!  Or use a couple of slices of Ezekiel or Julian Bread.  Add a piece of fruit, a bag of fresh veggies like carrots, cherry tomatoes, etc.  Voila!  An awesome, healthy, FUN lunch at a great price & ridiculously short prep time!  Just store in the fridge, grab, & GO!

Here’s the details:

Super Easy Crock Pot Chicken Ideas:

Basic:  1.5 to 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 TBS Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar

1 tbs minced garlic

Main instructions:

Spray crock pot with cooking spray.  Pour in vinegar.  Place chicken in pot.  Proceed with any of the additions described below.  Cook on low overnight or on high for 2 to 3 hours, depending on doneness desired.  Chicken should shred easily with two forks.

If making large amounts of bulk chicken, simply divide the pounds you are using by the basic recipe, then multiply the amounts of additives by the same number.  Example:  6 pounds of chicken, divided by 2 = 3.  So use 3 times as much for the flavorings, adjusting to taste, of course.

On the recipes that call for packets of mix, such as ranch or chili, use organic ONLY.  Very important to use organic, as the commercial varieties ALL have MSG & other yucky stuff in them!  You can find the organic mixes in most grocery stores now, & definitely in your local health food stores.  I like the Simply Organic brand.

Ranch Chicken:

Add:  1 packet of ORGANIC ranch dressing mix

Optional: 4 oz (112 g) Plain non-fat Greek yogurt

Sprinkle 1 packet of ORGANIC ranch dressing mix over the chicken.  Toss to combine.  Cook until chicken shreds easily with 2 forks.  Mix shredded chicken with the broth created by cooking, until broth is absorbed.  For really creamy chicken, mix in the Greek yogurt.  This is by FAR my husband’s favorite—& good enough to serve to guests, who will give you rave reviews!

Kickin’ Chicken:

Add:  ½ regular-sized jar of salsa

Pour salsa over the chicken.  Toss to combine.  Cook until chicken shreds easily with 2 forks.  Mix shredded chicken with the broth created by cooking, until broth is absorbed.

 Chicken ‘Chili’:

 Add:  1 packet of ORGANIC spicy chili mix

½ cup fire-roasted tomatoes OR small can organic tomato paste

Optional:  Tabasco Chipotle flavor to taste, 1 tsp chipotle powder

Sprinkle 1 packet of ORGANIC chili mix over the chicken.  Add tomatoes or paste & optional flavorings.  Toss to combine.  Cook until chicken shreds easily with 2 forks.  Mix shredded chicken with the broth created by cooking, until broth is absorbed.

Barbeque Chicken:

Add:   ½-cup (or to taste) low-sugar BBQ sauce  (I love Williamson Bros. Chipotle!)

2 Tbs good coarse stone-ground brown mustard

1 tsp liquid smoke

Optional but awesome:  1 small onion, diced

Optional:  1 packet stevia, additional spices to taste

Pour all ingredients over the chicken.  Add diced onion if using.  Toss to combine.  Cook until chicken shreds easily with 2 forks.  Mix shredded chicken with the broth created by cooking, until broth is absorbed.

Buffalo Chicken:

Add:   2/3 cup Original Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

2-3 stalks diced celery

2 Tbs REAL butter or olive oil

Pour Frank’s Red Hot Sauce over the chicken.  Add celery & butter or oil.  Toss to combine.  Cook until chicken shreds easily with 2 forks.  Mix shredded chicken with the broth created by cooking, until broth is absorbed.   Serve with carrot & celery sticks & healthy bleu cheese or ranch dressing.

ENJOY!

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