Lunch Recipes for the First Month of School
Happy Sunday, and, if this was your first week of school, congratulations for making it through! School is significantly less stressful if we take control of the things we have control over. For instance, if we set our outfits out, pack our backpacks, and prepare our lunch before the morning, then we can feel calmer in the morning and more confident about going into school. This is one of the reasons why I like to meal prep. Every Sunday I make my lunches for the first three to five days of school. I like to plan out what I’m going to make, cook a big batch of each item, and then assemble my lunch into individual containers. I highly recommend this because then you are only dealing with your lunch one time instead of five separate times.
In this weeks blog post I wanted to provide you guys with the lunches I will be making for my first month of school. Since I have already been at school for a week, I have already tried out the first recipe and it was so delicious. I’m not going to describe the exact quantities I used because I made this for my mom, dad, and I to eat for four days. Most of my cooking is just playing around with flavors and tasting until I get exactly what I want. These recipes have a lot of flexibility so you can add things, change things out, and do whatever you want.
Recipe #1: Shawarma chickpea bowls
Picture from https://upbeetkitchen.com/2020/05/26/moroccan-chickpea-bowls-with-herb-tahini-sauce/
Ingredients:
chickpeas
microwaveable quinoa
cauliflower
baby kale
lemon juice
olives
pickled shallots (shallots or onions, rice vinegar, water, salt, and sugar)
shawarma spice mix (store bought or can use a mix of cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, smoked paprika, coriander, and cayenne)
olive oil
salt/pepper
avocado herb tahini (1 cup of herbs (parsley, cilantro, mint), 1 avocado, 1/4 cup tahini, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper, 1/2 cup water, and a dash of maple syrup)
Recipe:
Preheat your oven to 425°F. Grab a sheet pan and place parchment paper on it. Divide the cauliflower into pieces the size of your choosing (I like to break my cauli into small pieces so that it gets super crispy). Then, place the cauliflower on the pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Put in the oven for ten minutes, turn the pan, cook for ten more, and continue until the cauliflower is the way you like it.
Prepare the chickpeas by putting them in a strainer and rinsing them. Sauté them with olive oil, your shawarma spices, and salt/pepper. The amount of each spice is completely up to you, just keep tasting! They are done when they are at your desired consistency.
Cook quinoa in the microwave as directed on the package.
Pickle the shallots. Cut the shallots into slivers and place them in a mason jar. In a sauce pan combine 1 cup rice vinegar, 1 cup water, around 1/2 tbsp salt, and around 1/2 tbsp sugar. Mix on high heat until combined. Pour mixture over the shallots.
Make the avocado herb tahini by putting all of the ingredients and blending until smooth.
Mix kale with lemon juice.
Cut olives.
Assemble! Take as much of each item as you please and add into a container. If you are preparing for school or work, you can make as many containers of this as you need for meal prepping purposes.
Recipe #2: Buddha Bowls
Picture from https://choosingchia.com/vegan-buddha-bowls-with-spicy-mango-sauce/
Ingredients:
frozen edamame
baby kale
shredded carrots
cucumbers
avocado
mango
purple cabbage
green onion
tofu or grilled chicken
coconut aminos or soy sauce
asian dressing of your choice
Recipe:
Prepare edamame, kale, carrots, cucumber, avocado, mango, purple cabbage, and green onion, and assemble in a bowl or container.
If using tofu, press with a napkin and cut into cubes or slices. Sauté in olive oil and add coconut aminos or soy sauce. If using chicken, I recommend getting grilled chicken from the grocery store to make things easier and you can keep it like that, or drizzle coconut aminos/ soy sauce on top.
Dress with asian dressing. I used Pacific Asian Dressing from Whole Foods.
Recipe #3: Falafel bowls
Picture from Feasting at Home
*Recipe from Feastingathome.com* (modified a little)
Ingredients:
2 cups chickpeas, soaked 10-24 hours
1 cup cilantro, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 large jalapeño, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons coriander
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tsp baking soda
1 ¼ tsp kosher salt
sliced tomatoes
quinoa
shredded carrots
cucumbers
purple cabbage
micro greens
baby arugula
pickled shallots (see recipe above)
homemade zhoug (1–3 whole jalapenos, sliced,1 bunch cilantro (take out stems),½ teaspoon ground cardamon, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon chili flakes)
Recipe:
Preheat oven to 375°F. In a blender or food processor, combine the cilantro, onion, and jalapeño and pulse until chopped finely. Add in strained and rinsed chickpeas, olive oil, baking soda, and spices. Blend until combined. Form into little balls. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for another 12-15.
Make the homemade zhoug by placing all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend/pulse until smooth.
Assemble bowl!
Recipe #4: Mexican bowls
Picture from https://playswellwithbutter.com/grilled-veggie-burrito-bowls/
Ingredients:
black beans
onions
cumin
cayenne
salt/pepper
paprika
chili powder
bell peppers
tomatoes
frozen corn
cilantro
jalapeño
guacamole
salsa
lettuce
lime juice
Recipe:
Chop the onions and rinse the black beans. Sauté them with the spices to taste.
Cut the bell peppers, tomatoes, and cilantro. Cook the corn.
Rip the lettuce and toss with lime juice.
Grab your container(s). Place the lettuce with salsa and guacamole on top. Then, add corn, peppers, tomatoes, and black beans. Finish with cilantro and jalapeño as desired.