School is back in session, which means that it is time to think of lunches that are healthy and that the kids like. The kids aren’t so excited about peanut butter sandwiches, and even daily sandwiches made with lunchmeat tend to get boring. So, I try to vary the lunches by sending bagels and cream cheese, cheese and crackers, a trail mix with peanuts (or maybe homemade trail mix cookies for a treat), or banana bread.
A lunch that works especially well for my kids is pasta salad. I love that they enjoy this dish for many reasons. One, I easily can make it while preparing dinner. Two, this recipe makes enough salad for many lunches. Three, it is full of veggies, making it a very healthy lunch. Four, my kids never get tired of eating it. Five, it is much quicker to pack a container of pasta salad than to make a sandwich.
- 1 pound rotini
- 1 bottle balsamic salad dressing
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1/2 pound broccoli
- 15 baby carrots
- small can black olives
- Cook rotini according to package directions.
- Chop broccoli into bite-sized pieces.
- When only two minutes of cooking time are left, add broccoli to the pasta.
- Cut pepper into 1″ strips.
- Slice baby carrots.
- Drain olives.
- Drain pasta and broccoli, and place in a large salad bowl.
- Add peppers, carrots, and olives.
- Pour salad dressing, amount based on desired flavor, on top of all ingredients.
- Mix well.
- Chill for 4 or more hours.
- *For additional flavors, the following can be added: cucumber slices, feta cheese, small cubes of cheddar cheese, or cherry tomatoes.
sounds tasty. I love pasta salads, they make excellent left-overs and really pack in flavor while providing a fair amount of nutrients. I will add this to my repetoire of pasta salads, thanks for sharing.