Could you use some help feeding your family healthy meals? This week’s meal plan will focus on healthy, quick, and easy meals; most of which are great for lunchboxes.

Breakfast

I can make a hot breakfast pretty quickly in the microwave but having something ready to go is even easier, especially for those of you with older kids. These options can be made the night before and reheated for a savory breakfast.

• Breakfast Tacos
• Savory Breakfast Muffins
• Baked Oatmeal
• Chocolate Covered Cherry Oatmeal (Recipe coming this week!)
• Breakfast Quinoa

Lunch

Some days I think life would be if I packed a lunch even though I’m home during the day. These lunch ideas are mostly Lunchbox friendly but it way depend on your situation, variations can be made to accommodate food restrictions, access to microwave, or length of lunch time. My older kids when through a period where they only had 15 minutes to eat (and socialize) and a phase where lunch boxes (or bags) weren’t cool so they would only take a sandwich.

• Faux Cheezy Black Bean Quesadillas and a Fresh Fruit Parfait (use an icepack with this one)
• Unfried Pinto Beans or Unfried Black Beans, tortilla chips, salsa, and guacamole (squirt with lime and cover air tight with plastic wrap to prevent browning)
• Chickpea Salad (sweet or savory version) with crackers or as a sandwich and applesauce
• Baked Potato, green salad (or raw veggies) and fruit
• Peanut Butter Sandwich or Sunflower seed butter for nut-free families (like us), sliced apples and a banana

Snack

I like to stick to fresh fruit for snacks but I also use snack time to experiment with different recipe ideas to see how well received they will be.

• Fresh Strawberries dipped in a Chocolate-Sunflower Seed Dip
• Apples
• Mixed Fresh Berries
• Raw Veggies with hummus

Dinner

I cook dinner with leftovers in mind; my husband often takes leftovers to work for lunch. Dinner is definitely the most time consuming meal of the day but only because I’ll use that time to prep other meals.

• Gluten-free Lasagna, mixed green & fresh fruit salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette
• Portobello Fajitas, Unfried Beans, Mexican Rice (using quinoa) and fresh salsa
• Chickpea Quinoa Stir Fry I like to add diced nectarine instead of pineapple this time of year
• Three Bean Chili, Baked Potatoes, Gluten-Free Brownies
• Breakfast for Dinner! Gluten-Free Pancakes, Fresh Berries and diced potatoes

How to Make this Meal Plan Quick and Easy

These meals may seem labor intensive but they use many of the same ingredients so you can save time by cooking large amounts instead of just enough for one day. Here are a few tips to make it easier:

• “Bake” potatoes in the crockpot overnight for the Breakfast Tacos, Savory Breakfast Muffins, and lunch and dinner baked potatoes.
• Cook beans in the crockpot while you are at work. Make a double or triple batch of unfried beans in your food processor.
• Cook a large batch of quinoa but don’t use any seasoning, then it can be eaten for breakfast, added to Breakfast Tacos, seasoned like Mexican Rice or use in the stir fry.
• Add a side salad or raw veggies to any meal.

What is your best tip for quick and healthy meals?