Lunch Box Challenge Day 5: Everyone has time to stuff it!

 Maybe you don’t have all the time in the world to make a fancy smancy sandwich ( who does? )  and perhaps the kids are yanking on your arms, pulling at your legs and you were supposed to be out the door five minutes earlier.  They could be all up in your face and talking all at once, the phone ringing the bus is honking it’s horn and you are in dire need of two extra hands. What ever will you do?
Stuff it. That’s what. Everyone has time to stuff it!
 Stuff a Pita anyways. It’s that grab and go kind of sandwich that you can even eat on the run! I love them and who every sand a  sandwich has to be between to slices of bread anyways? Be a rebel go beyond the bread and pick a Pita!

My kids adore pita sandwiches and once again possibility are endless. For some reason when my kids eat a pita sandwich they get full real fast, maybe it’s the extra’s within in the sandwich, either way you don’t want to over stuff this or even put too many sides in this lunch. Remember to keep portions small. My kids have 20 minutes to eat their lunch and about 10 minutes of that is spent talking to their friends and even unpacking the lunch itself so keep this in mind. Keep it simple, small portions but enough to choose from.

Marinated Chicken

* Make the chicken the night before 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
4  skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a zip-top plastic bag then add chicken breast halves. Marinate in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
 Remove chicken from bag and season with salt and pepper. Brush some more of the herb mixture over chicken.  Heat up a skillet on medium-high heat with a dab of oil.  Once the pan is fully heated add in the chicken. Cook the chicken anywhere from 7-10 minutes on each side depending on how thick it is. Cook till it’s no longer pink. Remove from heat and let cool completely if not using for dinner- otherwise set aside cool and refrigerate for the next day. Cut up for the sandwiches the night before.

Assemble the Pita

Ingredients to use

Chopped or shredded Marinated chicken
Choice of lettuce mix, I used spring mix
Choice of cheese
Vegetables to consider-
 tomatoes, cucumbers, sprouts, slices of squash, mushrooms etc.

Keep the sides light, I used celery with dip and banana chips!

You can either assemble the Pita yourself or set the ingredients into separate containers for the kids to put together at school themselves.

 Today’s Lunch Box Tip: Make sure your lettuce or greens and vegetables are not wet when you are assembling lunches. By the time the kids pull their lunches out that wet piece of lettuce has made the bread, or carb choice soggy and you know kids will not eat soggy lunches.
 You can easily separate ingredients you just washed if your in a rush or wash the night before and use paper towels while you are assembling to get any left over water off.