How often does lunch time become boring that same old sandwich time after time. Here are some nutritious and easy lunch suggestions to put the pizazz back in your lunch!

• Pasta, vegetables and smoked salmon – simply boil pasta till, al dente with some mixed frozen veggies, mix in mayonnaise and some smoked salmon!

• Baba Ganoush and Pita bread - baba ganoush is actually very easy to make simply roast eggplant in the oven then blend with tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, cumin and salt. Its a wonderful Middle Eastern dip.
• A Ham Pesto and cheese panini
• Cous Cous – this wonderful North African pasta literally takes minutes to cook and can be eaten hot and cold.
• Artisan crackers, with Brie and fresh fruit
• Beans on Toast – this is a staple snack meal in the UK, you can even find British Heinz baked beans in many American Grocery stores, high in protein and satisfying.
• Ham, Cheese and Spinach Crepes or Galette a crepe made with buckwheat flour from Brittany in France

• Tuna and a baked potato
• Homemade carrot and coriander soup
  
• Fried rice
• Homemade Guacamole
  
• Chapati and channa dal

On Friday we will be talking to Jen from SavorTheThyme about yummy healthy foods for Back-to-School lunch boxes. My hubby and I have recently launched a campaign against incessant snacking in our home. We emptied our pantry of all the pre-packaged snacks and my children are irate! They’ve tried every guilt tactic there is. We are horrible horrible parents. Their friends tell them that their house is a horrible place to live and that it is no longer fun. Their friends will never come over because not only do we not allow them to watch TV or play Wii during playdates, we only eat fruits and vegetables and healthy snacks. THE HORROR!

Yes my friends, I have staged my own Crappy Snack Boycott. My kids would eat one 100 calorie bag of cookies after the other all afternoon if I let them. Their friends’ lunch box may look sweeter, but I’m making an effort to keep the crap out. Now, I should note that my son has informed me that his BFF is incredibly generous and always shares a few of his cookies because he can’t eat ALL SIX of them. Nice. Not much I can do, but I’m sending a message and setting an example and guess what? When they come home STARVING and the only thing available is a healthy wholesome snack… well, you’d never guess it but, they actually eat it! Go Figure!

So what do I put in their lunch boxes? Ok, it takes a bit more effort than just heading to the pantry and throwing an individually wrapped bag of crap in, but this morning I smiled to myself because I really truly feel good about this boycott! I cut up veggies ahead of time and put them into individual snack bags. I did the same with popcorn, nuts, and fruits, dried cereal, and whole wheat crackers (which they love) – I could use a few ideas so I’m glad that Jen will be on the show Friday to help us out there!

Be sure to join us HERE on MomActive with Leah and Fiona Friday at 2pm EST and call in and let us know what your ideas for healthy lunch box are!