Does it seem like your teen never stops eating? If you find your teen constantly reaching for less nutritious snacks instead of healthy meals, you’re not alone. Teens may love to scarf down chips and other junk food, but you know they need proper nutrition to keep growing and powering their brains for school. These healthy lunch ideas for teens are so easy your teen can make them themself in minutes.
Learning to cook is an important life skill, and starting teens off with the basics, like toast and pasta, is a good place to start. It’s also important to lay a foundation of health from the start by teaching about nutritious meals and how they can be easy to make and delicious to taste. These seven healthy lunch ideas for teens will make both you and them happy.
Easy lunch ideas for teens
Avocado toast
It doesn’t get much easier than toast, right? Slice up some avocado with healthy fats, vitamin C, and potassium, and put it on top of some toasted whole grain bread. It’s extremely simple and fast and you can add some olive oil, feta cheese, hard-boiled egg, basil leaves, or tomato slices to liven it up.
Black bean burger
Cooking a hamburger patty takes some time but heating up a frozen veggie burger is much quicker. Black beans still pack a protein punch and the burger will also have vegetables in the mix. Black beans also help grow healthy bones and contain fiber, which is good for digestion. Stick the burger on a bun with favorites like tomato, cheese, lettuce, and ketchup.
Burrito bowl
If you have some leftover rice or microwaveable rice, this lunch can be put together pretty easily. Get a can of black beans or pinto beans and pour over the cooked rice in a bowl. Add some shredded cheese and whatever else you’d like and microwave it. Garnish with salsa and some greens. You can even pack it to-go in a lunchbox.
Egg salad
Hard boil some eggs and cut them up with some mayo, but don’t stop there. Add in some spices or herbs and seasoning and serve over spinach for a salad or spread them on bread for a sandwich. Eggs contain choline, which is an important nutrient for brain development.
Peanut butter banana sandwich
Plenty of sandwiches are easy and healthy and we like this one because there is zero cooking involved but still includes protein. Bananas have several important nutrients, like vitamins B6 and C, and peanuts have iron and protein. Both are ready to go right out of the peel or jar. They also both have lots of potassium, which is heart healthy. Serve sandwiches with sides of carrot sticks, cucumber slices, or other easy raw vegetables to keep things really simple and healthy. You could add hummus as a dip for the veggies.
Southwest scrambled eggs
Toss some ground meat, cheese, salsa, greens, onions, peppers, corn, and whatever else you want into some eggs in the frying pan for a scramble. This is an easy one to just throw in all together at once and let cook in a heap. All teens have to do is occasionally stir and the vegetables can even be pre-chopped from the freezer. Almost any spices will work with these veggies and eggs, but paprika is a good bet.
Turkey sandwich
You might not have time to fully cook chicken or other meat but deli slices are made just for this moment. Liven up a turkey sandwich with sun-dried tomatoes, Swiss cheese, and mayo. Turkey is a high-protein meat with B vitamins and zinc along with many other nutrients. Coleslaw, fruit salad, canned veggie soup, baked beans, or sweet potato fries are all simple sides to go with a sandwich.
How to encourage your teen to make healthy choices
Despite encouraging your teen to make healthy food choices, there are times they’ll reach for junk food instead. Model healthy eating and set a good example for your teen by eating a variety of nutritious foods yourself. Involving them in meal planning can also encourage them to make healthier choices as it gives them a sense of ownership and makes them more likely to try new things.
Don’t hesitate to educate your teen about nutrition by sharing information about the benefits of healthy foods. Help them understand how nutrition affects their energy, mood, and overall health. Make it easy for them to make healthy choices by keeping fruits, vegetables, and healthy snacks readily available at home. Creating a positive, open dialogue about food and health will help them develop lifelong healthy habits.
Lunch made easy
While your teen may gravitate toward opening up a bag of something processed or using a microwave for anything premade, these recipes are sure to help them see that cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. Throw some ingredients together, even just eyeballing the amounts, and you can have a quick and easy lunch and that’s delicious and nutritious.
These seven ideas are all easy to modify as well, so you could make an egg scramble with different flavors, sandwiches with different ingredients, or toast with different toppings. Once you get your mind going with these recommendations, you’ll never run out of healthy lunches.
