Over the summer while spending time with friends and talking about the impending school year, I have realized that school lunches are quite a challenge for many families. I realized that they were hard for families with food allergies/intolerances like ours, but I had never really thought about the challenge for families with children who simply won’t eat what is considered the “typical” school lunch. I am a self professed health food nut. The joke remains that I made brownies with whole wheat flour for my roommates in university… it was absolutely out of the question in our family growing up to even have white flour in the house! That being said, I realize that not everyone eats the way I do – I’m okay with that. I do want to point out though that while on my daughter’s kindergarten field trip this past year, I was appalled at some of the lunches that I saw. Not a single fresh or unprocessed item to be seen, loads of sugar, food coloring, and preservatives. How is a child supposed to learn while their body is dealing with so many toxins???

My kids and I have collectively come up with some pretty stellar healthy lunches that are gluten, dairy, and of course nut free, and I thought I would spend a bit of time between now and when school starts in a week and a half sharing some of our favorites.

Our girls love dip. Who doesn’t? Even something tasteless slathered in some delicious creamy dip becomes a hit! That’s why we love hummus. I also love it because my girls will consume copious amounts of fresh veggies (carrot sticks, sweet peppers, celery, mushrooms, cucumber…) if they have hummus to dip into. Without the hummus there is some grumbling involved. Now, there are some seriously unhealthy dips out there that are loaded with bad fats, MSG, and preservatives – this easy-to-make dip is not one of those and is only filled with health-giving ingredients!!! Here is our recipe, which can be modified to your liking:

Hummus

1 can drained and rinsed chickpeas (from a BPA free can, or even better – soak dried beans overnight, and cook. Use approximately the equivalent amount that would be in a can)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp cumin

1 tsp olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic

juice of one lemon (1/4 cup) (or raw apple cider vinegar as a tangy alternative)

2-3 Tbsp tahini (this is sesame seed butter – found in the international section, or the natural section of the grocery store)

Puree in blender or food processor. Before serving drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil and paprika on top. Adjust amount of liquid (olive oil or water) as necessary to achieve desired consistency.

That’s it! Very easy and economical (way cheaper than the pre-made varieties) and SUPER healthy. Oh yeah, and sooooo yummy. We use this fairly often as a sandwich alternative. I’ll send it along with fresh veggies and some rice crackers to dip. For those that can have gluten, you could also send along some whole grain pita bread cut into triangles, or some yummy whole grain crackers. If your kids like bread, and you just want to add some pizazz to their lunches, try using hummus as a sandwich spread – put it on nice and thick with some sprouts or lettuce and some tomatoes.

I hope this school lunch idea finds a spot in your child’s lunch!