School Lunches: Delicious and Nutritious!

Happy Sunday, everybody! School begins tomorrow in my necks of the woods, and I couldn't be more excited! Summer is fantastic, but after a while, it does get a little bit dull. Did you know that, according to the article "Time in school: How does the U.S. compare?", the majority of schools in the United States, "...require between 175 and 180 days of school..."? Translation: not only do we have about 175 to 180 days of homework and drama, but we also eat 175 to 180 school lunches per year! If each American student spends approximately 180 days in school for 13 years (Kindergarten through 12th Grade), they will eat 2,340 meals at school! Isn't that crazy? 

During my years of disordered eating, school lunch was a horrific part of my day. The sad thing is, I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that. I can't tell you how many people I've seen in the lunch room eating low-fat and low-calories meals to meet societal standards or for other reasons. I packed 1/2 of a small avocado, and usually didn't finish it, while most of my friends dined on sandwiches, chips, fruit cups, and cookies. About six ice pucks were also crammed into my little blue lunch box, in case my parents were to pick it up to see if I'd packed food. I found myself fatigued and starving in the late afternoon, unable to function efficiently or effectively in my classes. When I got home, I would cook dinner, and eat only half of my portion. Every meal was a battle, but lunch was the absolute worst. Surrounded by people laughing and talking and eating, I felt terribly out of place. I wanted someone to notice how little I was eating. I wanted someone to ask me if I was okay. Deep down, I wanted to get help. In hindsight, if someone had asked, I would have said that I was fine. But that would've been the eating disorder speaking. The very coping mechanism I had turned to for control was now controlling me; I had reached rock bottom.

After recovering, I realized that school lunch is vital for my mental and physical health alike. There was no way that I could get a good grade on my Algebra test if I was starving. This realization resulted in my packing school lunches that were both nutritious and delicious. Food is one of the great pleasures of life, and a pleasure I had denied myself for about a year and a half. It was important to me that the lunches I brought to school would be things I was interested in eating, but they also needed to be nutrient dense. My disordered eating had caused my to lose a massive amount of weight very rapidly, and had led to both early onset osteoporosis (which I reversed, thank goodness) and amenorrhea. I needed to get calories in my body, and quickly, but I wanted them to be the good kind.

Luncheon is now my favorite meal of the day. It's a time to sit back, chat with my friends, and enjoy a scrumptious meal. The word 'luncheon' also has a great ring to it. I get to be inventive with the food I pack, and have fun with a variety of menu options. Above all, I have succeeded in finding lunches that meet the criteria I set for myself when I decided to reestablish my health: delicious and nutritious.

Here are a few of my all-time favorite packed lunch ideas. I suggest meal prepping the majority of them the weekend before; this will save you a fair bit of hassle, and will make your lunches easily accessible. What are your favorite wholesome lunches? Let me know in the comments below!

• Arugula Salad. Arugula is one of my favorite leafy greens - it packs a nutritional punch with plenty of calcium, potassium, vitamins, and fiber (""What You Should Know About Arugula"). The veg also has this fantastic, bitter, peppery flavor. If you aren't partial to arugula, try substituting spinach, kale, or romaine lettuce. Place a handful of your leafy greens in a Tupperware, and top with 1/2 of a diced bell pepper and 1/2 of a diced zucchini. Wash up some cherry tomatoes, and add them to the mix. Next, you need to add a little bit of protein. If you have time to meal prep on the weekends, I suggest roasting chicken breasts. They should take about 20-30 minutes in an oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, or reach the internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice your chicken and put it on top of all the veggies. If you're short on time, try Wild Caught Lox. This can be found at your local grocery store, and is sooooo yummy! Salmon is also rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which is a major bonus. Finally, drizzle your salad in blue cheese dressing or oil and vinegar. I put the dressing on the night before I'm planning to eat the salad. If you want something a little extra, add some avocado or a sprinkling of chia seeds. Enjoy!

• Chocolate Spinach Protein Shake. This one is good if you don't have a lot of time for lunch the next day; simply put all of the ingredients in your blender the night before, and slurp it up when noon comes around. Pour 8 oz. of almond milk into your blender, along with a scoop of protein powder. I suggest Orgain Plant-Based Creamy Chocolate Fudge Protein Powder, or an unsweetened whey powder. Add 2 Tbsps of cocoa powder, 2 Tbsps of monk fruit or your choice sweetener, and 1 Tbsp of chia seeds. Round the smoothie out with a cup of frozen spinach and a few ice cubes. This one is delicious!
• Coconut Almond Chia Seed Pudding. I like chia seeds, if you haven't noticed. To make chia seed pudding, add 2 Tbsps of chia seeds to a Tupperware, along with 1 Tbsp of monk fruit or another sweetener. Pour 1/3 to 1/2 of a cup of almond milk onto your chia seeds, and stir. Let the pudding sit in the refrigerator overnight, so that the chia seeds have a chance to bloom and take on their gelatinous texture. When ready to eat, stir thoroughly! Top with a 1/4 of a cup of salted almonds and a handful of unsweetened, shredded coconut. Enjoy!

• Roasted Protein and Vegetables. This is the most versatile of all of my lunch ideas. You can pretty much grill or roast any protein your heart desires along with any vegetable! I suggest roasting chicken or salmon; preheat your oven to 425 degrees for the chicken, and bake it until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (20-30 minutes). If you select salmon, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Drizzle with olive, avocado, or coconut oil, and bake until it reaches the temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. I would only suggest roasting salmon if you are okay with eating it cold, or have a thermos to take it in. People will not appreciate it you warm up fish in the cafeteria microwave. As for the vegetables - go hog wild! With your oven at 425 degrees, try roasting asparagus with some olive oil and Parmesan cheese (18 minutes, add cheese for the last five), brussel sprouts with balsamic vinegar and Golden Fiber Syrup or honey (18-20 minutes), or green beans with sun dried tomatoes and garlic (15-18 minutes). Root vegetables can be great, too, although they will take a little longer. If you're looking for some extra carbs, roast cubed sweet potatoes or sliced carrots until tender.

• Bistro Box. Boil an egg or two, cut some aged white cheddar, put some pistachios in a snack bag, slice a bell pepper, or wash up some blackberries! My bistro boxes are kind of based on the Starbucks Protein Boxes, but with a Primal twist. If I'm short on ingredients, I can always turn snacks into a refreshing and yummy meal.
• Tuna Cucumber Boats. A recipe for Tuna Cucumber boats is on my blog. Essentially, you are going to make some killer tuna salad with avocado mayo and whole grain mustard. Then, you're going to slice a cucumber in half length-wise, and then cut each half in two horizontally. Hollow out the seeds in each of the four cucumber "boats," and place them in a sandwich bag. When you are ready to eat some lunch, spoon your tuna salad into the cucumber boats and enjoy! 

Well, there you are my friends. I hope you kick this school year off with mouthwatering lunches and a healthy mindset. As my friend Anastasia says, "Eat food. It's good for your brain."

Ciao!

- Maya

Photo by Sara Dubler on Unsplash, Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash, 

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash, Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash,

Photo by Sara Dubler on Unsplash, Photo by Lexie Barnhorn on Unsplash,

Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash