Back to school… even though I’ve been out of school for years, I still find myself getting anxious when the back to school season hits. While summer is a season of relaxing, fall feels more fast paced and before you know it, you have a million things on your plate. To help ease the back to school/fall stress, I’ve found that creating quick habits to make life easier really help.

For many, this starts with food. Let’s be real, packing a lunch is annoying – but for most of us, it’s inevitable. Before I fell into a good lunch routine, I used to just throw whatever leftovers I had lying around into a Tupperware. Then, when I took it out at lunch, I ended up going to buy something because what I brought really wasn’t that great. Sound like you? Trust me, I’ve been there. Since this time of year gets so busy so fast, it’s easy to put food on the back burner and not worry about it at the last second – UNTIL NOW.

With lunches that take under 20 minutes to make, are super healthy, kid-friendly, and inexpensive – I promise these meals will get you out of your lunchtime rut for good. Without a doubt, it always feels better knowing that you have a couple quick recipes up your sleeve to make lunch/dinner packing a breeze. Today I’m sharing my favorite 5 Easy Back to School Recipes. While some of these recipes are written out for 1 serving, simply double or quadruple the ingredients if you want to make a week’s worth at once. Let me know how you guys like these! Recipe #2 is my personal favorite.

5 Easy and Healthy Back to School Recipes

1. Smashed Avocado Hummus Sandwich

Smashed Avocado Hummus Sandwich

Serves: 1

• 2 pieces of wheat bread
• 1/2 of a ripe avocado
• 3 Tbsp hummus
• 4 tomato slices
• a handful of cilantro (optional)
• lettuce
• hot sauce

1. Grab your bread and lather one side with hummus. Slice up an avocado and put it on the other side.
2. Add a few splashes of hot sauce onto the side with the avocado.
3. Next, add thick tomato slices to the hummus, and lettuce & cilantro to the side with the avocado.
4. Lastly, pop the two sides of the bread together and your sandwich is ready to eat! Enjoy.

2. Peanut Butter Banana Sushi

Peanut Butter Banana Sushi

Serves: 1

• 1 whole wheat wrap
• 1 ripe banana
• 2 Tbsps peanut butter
• chocolate chips (optional)
• cinnamon (optional)

1. Lay the wrap out flat onto on a cutting board.
2. Smooth 2 Tbsps of peanut butter onto the top of the wrap (The way you would put sauce on a pizza) covering the entire thing evenly.
3. Place one ripe banana (peel off) at the end of one side. Wrap the wrap-up, rolling the banana further and further until it is covered in the wrap.
4. Lay the wrap out width wise, and cut it into 8 sections (the way you would cut sushi).
5. Top with chocolate chips and cinnamon. Enjoy!

3. Easy and Colorful Mediterranean Pasta Salad 

Easy and Colorful Mediterranean Pasta Salad 

Serves: 4

• Mediterranean Pasta Salad Ingredients:
  • 1 box of wheat penne pasta (about 12oz)
  • 1 large red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 red onion chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1/4th cup kalamata olives
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup of spinach (optional)
  • chopped basil

   

• Lemon-Herb Dressing:
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil
  • 2 T Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup red wine (or rice) vinegar
  • 1/4th cup of lemon juice
  • 1/4th cup of chopped basil (fresh – if using dried, use 1 tbsp)
  • 1/4th cup of chopped parsley (fresh – if using dried, use 1 tbsp)
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp minced garlic (or powder)
  • 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)

   

  1. First, cook your pasta according to the directions on the box. Once done, pop it in the fridge to cool.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, chop up all of your vegetables. Here, we are using red bell pepper, red onion, basil, kalamata olives, spinach, and cherry tomatoes.
  3. Once the pasta has cooled down a bit, toss your vegetables and pasta together. Throw the bowl back in the fridge.
  4. Grab your blender, and throw all of the “dressing†ingredients in. Pulse for a few minutes until everything is blended up and smooth. It’s okay if the herbs are still a bit chunky, you just want everything to be well mixed.
  5. Once your dressing is done blending, add it to the bowl with the pasta salad, and toss to combine. Use as much or as little as you’d like! I recommend adding about half of the dressing, then adding a bit more when serving.
  6. Taste & adjust! Add more salt + pepper if you feel it is needed, some cashew parm, garlic, or even a little more vinegar. Don’t be afraid to make this your own. ? Enjoy!

4. Vegan Avocado Chickpea Wraps with Sriracha Aioli

 Vegan Avocado Chickpea Wraps with Sriracha Aioli

Yields: 4 wraps

• • Tortillas (whole wheat is preferred)
  • 1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 cup of kale (massaged)
  • 2 ripe avocados
  • hummus

  Sriracha Aioli

  • 1/4th cup of vegan mayo (I like “Just” brand”)
  • 1-2 Tbsp or sriracha or hot sauce
  • salt & pepper to taste

1. First, grab your can of chickpeas, open it up, and rinse and drain the beans. Once they’re rinsed off, mash them in a bowl with a hand masher or a fork until they are mashed into small pieces.
2. Next, grab your cup of kale, cut it into small pieces (easy to do with kitchen scissors) and massage it with 1/2 tsp of oil. Make sure the oil gets in all of the crevices – this makes the kale easier to work with.
3. Last, chop of your avocados into small pieces.
4. Now that everything is chopped up and ready to go, assemble your wrap. Place the tortilla down, spread 1-2 Tbsps of hummus all the way around the tortilla, leaving room on the sides (like pizza crust). Next, add the chickpeas, avocado, carrots, and kale. It helps to place them in the wrap in this order so that it’s easier to fold up.
5. Now that everything is inside, you’re going to wrap your wrap. (If you have always been the type of person who just rolled it up and had everything fall out while eating like I was, take 30 seconds of your time to learn how to properly wrap a wrap here. It becomes a lot more fun to eat since it’s less messy when wrapped properly).
6. Lastly, make the sriracha aioli. Mix together the vegan mayo and sriracha in a small bowl, and use as a dipping sauce for your wrap. If you are serving these at a party, feel free to use a spoon to pre-drizzle some sauce into each wrap once they are assembled.
7. These will last in the fridge for 3-4 days. Enjoy!

5. Avocado Cucumber Simple Salad

Avocado Cucumber Simple Salad

Serves: 4

• 2 large avocado (ripe)
• 1/2 cup spinach or arugula
• 2 large Roma tomatoes
• 1 large cucumber
• 1 red onion
• 1/4th cup of cilantro (to taste)
• salt + pepper (to taste)
• 2 Tbsps olive oil
• 2 Tbsps lemon juice

1. Chop up your avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, and red onions, until they are all diced into bite sizes pieces. Throw them into a bowl.
2. Add the salt + pepper, as well as the olive oil and lemon juice.
3. Lastly, add the chopped cilantro.
4. Toss everything together until it is evenly combined. Serve as is.

I hope you guys enjoyed these super easy and healthy back to school recipes! Feel free to let me know in the comments below which was your favorite to try.