Leftovers to Lunch: Simple But Fun School Lunches

We'd gone to Red Robin over the weekend as a special treat (ie: Mama was feeling lazy and we were already out and about anyway.) So we had some burger patty, fries, and grilled chicken left over. Instant lunches!

BBQ Chicken Skewers

Z's lunch: Organic strawberries and carrots, leftover chicken w/vegan "gouda," organic ketchup w/BBQ sauce

 

Monday, 1/13/14 - I had a salad at Red Robin that comes with grilled chicken, but I don't really eat meat, so I asked for it on the side, and brought it home to feed to my carnivores. This idea is from my MOMables menu subscription, and a fun way to use leftover chicken or turkey!

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E's lunch: Leftover chicken w/vegan "gouda," organic carrots and grapes

Z looooves Gouda, so when I found some dairy-free vegan "Gouda" at Whole Foods I decided to give it a try. But it was a bust. Neither girl liked it. It didn't really taste like Gouda to me.

DIY Chicken Cracker Stackers

Z's lunch: Organic strawberries, GF Van's Everything crackers, leftover chicken, organic kale chips

 

Thursday, 1/16/14 - Usually Cracker Stackers (also from MOMables!) are done with sliced deli meat and cheese, but chunks work too! And no cheese, since I didn't have any sliced cheese laying around.

E's lunch: Organic grapes, GF Van's Everything crackers, leftover chicken; organic carrots, tomatoes, snap peas

Same thing for Little Sis, but with different fruits and veggies.

Mini Hamburger Sliders

Z's lunch: Crispy brown rice treat, organic apples, leftover fries, organic ketchup, GF mini sliders

 

Friday, 1/17/14 - I used a mini scalloped round cutter on the un-chewed parts of E's leftover hamburger patty and toasted up some rounds of gluten-free bread for the "buns." I dabbed a little ketchup inside each one, plus added more for dipping, if desired.

*Please note that Red Robin uses a fry oil that contains a petroleum-derived preservative. Many restaurants do, including McD's, Johnny Rockets, and other fast-food chains. We gave it a try, but noticed behavioral issues in Little Z after. So no more Red Robin fries for us. Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Arby's, Burger King, Wendy's are the only places I've found so far with petrochemical-free fry oil.  (Ingredients may vary by location, and can change before being updated online, so be sure to double check every so often!)

E's lunch: organic cauliflower, tomatoes, grapes; dye-free maraschino cherries, leftover fries, burger scraps, ketchup

Little Sis got the burger scraps, since she's not a big bread fan anyway. And the last few dye-free maraschino cherries from an event earlier in the week.

And since she actually likes cauliflower, I rewarded her by making a few florets into cute little trees. Squeee!

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