By Melissa Gardner – Nutritionist

Using the Movara Plate Method as a foundation makes planning balanced lunches quick and easy.  Adequate protein, healthy fats and fiber will ensure kids have balanced energy throughout the day.

1

• Turkey & Cheese Wrap (w/ ranch dressing and lettuce for crunch)

• Cherry Tomatoes

• Sliced Apple

Wraps are quick and easy! Almost anything can be wrapped up in a tortilla.  I often wrap last night’s dinner leftovers, or leftover scrambled eggs from breakfast, and create an entirely new meal.

2

• Pita w/ Hummus 

• Sliced Cucumber 

• Olives

Hummus is perfectly balanced between Carbs/Fats/Protein and makes an easy meatless option.  Cut Pita into triangles. For increased protein, simply add some cut-up rotisserie chicken.

3

• Pasta Salad 

• Fresh Berries

• Carrot Sticks

Pasta salad loaded with veggies is easy and filling.  I use Tinkyada brown rice pasta spirals with an easy vinaigrette of olive oil and white balsamic vinegar.  Add cubed cheese, olives and nitrate-free hard salami sliced thin.

4

• Meat and Cheese Kabob

• Baby Bell Peppers

• Green or Purple Grapes

Kabobs are such an easy way to make ordinary ingredients look fun and interesting.  Anything goes!

5

• Chicken Salad w/ Sandwich Thin

• Celery Sticks

• Almonds

Making a batch of Chicken Salad with your weekly meal prep makes an easy balance, high protein option.  Swap out half of the mayo with Greek yogurt to reduce calories and add extra protein.  You can use rotisserie chicken with the skin removed or cook up some extra chicken with dinner and use the leftovers to make this easy, convenient salad!

6

• Protein Waffles w/ Peanutbutter & Honey

• Hard-Boiled Egg

• Banana

Pancakes and waffles are such a fun treat for kids (and adults).  Try Kodiak protein pancake mix and freeze them for quick easy options to pull out for school lunch. There are also good options in the freezer section. Read the labels!  Look for low added sugar and high protein.

Drink Options: 

For healthy, low sugar drink options try Body Armour LYTE (no sugar added). They can be frozen beforehand for a slushy afternoon treat.  Adding True Lemon crystallized fruit packets to a bottle of water makes for a very low-sugar lemonade.  Reduced sugar yogurt drinks can also be fun and add a little extra protein to a meal.  Experiment to find what your child enjoys.  Water is always a great option!

Come to Movara Fitness Resort and change your life for the better!

Share this article!