Tangy and full of nutrition, these veggie-packed rainbow pinwheels are a fun way to brighten up your kiddos’ lunches! Wrapped in lettuce or a grain-free tortilla, they’re a delicious grain-free meal.
Kid-Friendly Lunches
As a mama of many, I’m always on the lookout for more delicious and healthy ways to feed my kiddos. They have their favorites – quesadillas, sourdough pb & j, chips and salsa (yes, sometimes that’s lunch ’cause I’m fancy), etc. Every now and again, though, they ask for something new and exciting.
Enter the Little Lunchbox Cookbook by Renee Kohley from Raising Generation Nourished. It’s packed with fun and nourishing lunches that kids get excited about! When Renee sent me a copy of her new cookbook, my kids grabbed it up before I even got a chance. In no time I was getting orders…
Little Lunchbox Cookbook
Truth be told, I am not a fancy cook. I will bake up a paleo cake for breakfast like nobody’s business, but if my kids as what’s for lunch I’m not about to take a boat-load of time prepping it, just for them to devour it in 20 seconds.
But thankfully the recipes in the Little Lunchbox Cookbook aren’t complicated. Crispy fish sticks, 5-ingredient chicken nuggets, spaghetti with veggie-monster meatballs, dairy-free mac ‘n cheese, or garden party quesadillas… these are all super simple recipes that don’t take a bunch of time. And kids gobble them down!
The Little Lunchbox Cookbook is packed with allergy-friendly, gluten-free sandwiches, thermos lunches, kid-approved salads, nuggets & bites, and copycat Lunchables things. There’s even sections with delicious snacks, treats, and condiments! This cookbook pretty much has everything a parent needs to give their kids happy, healthy food.
Veggie-Packed Rainbow Pinwheels
These fun little veggie-packed rainbow pinwheels are in the ‘Beyond PB&J’s’ section of Renee’s book. They caught my eye right away when I opened the book. Like the name suggests, they’re literally packed with veggies. Cabbage, carrots, peppers… you could probably put anything in there. I threw in an apple, just for fun. All that mixed in to a base of cream cheese and creamy chickpeas!
While you think pinwheels should be wrapped in a wrap – you’re right. But just for fun (and because I love lettuce), I wrapped them in some fresh romaine. It works just as well as a wrap. Not only did my kids love them, my husband did too. 😉
If you want to wrap yours not in lettuce, I would suggest trying out Calm Eat‘s paleo cassava flour tortillas, almond flour tortillas from Neurons & Nourishment, or these tigernut flour tortillas from Eat Beautiful. They’re all great options for grain-free wraps for these veggie-packed rainbow pinwheels.
If you want to get your hands on more delicious kid-friendly lunches, check out the Little Lunchbox Cookbook! You won’t regret it – and neither will your kids. 😉
And while you’re checkin’ out things, here are a couple more of my kids’ favorite lunches…
- Easy Instant Pot Fried Rice or Quinoa
- Paleo Meatloaf Sliders
- 3-Ingredient Butternut Pizzas
- Easy, Creamy Dairy-Free Mac ‘N Cheese
- Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole
- Beef & Kale Soup in the Instant Pot
- Cheese Triangles
In the recipe card I’ve linked to some of the products from my affiliate partners that I like to use. Purchasing through these links won’t cost you anything extra. Thanks!
Veggie-Packed Rainbow Pinwheels
Free from grain, gluten, eggs, and sugar.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked, drained chickpeas (I actually just used my homemade hummus)
- 8 ounces organic full-fat cream cheese (I used milk kefir cheese*)
- 1 heaping cup diced or shredded veggies (I used red cabbage, bell peppers, carrots, and a Gala apple)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder (I left this out)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used Himalayan)
- pinch of black pepper
- 4-5 grain-free tortillas, or pieces of romaine lettuce*
Instructions
In a bowl, smash the chickpeas (or puree them in a food processor). Stir in the cream cheese until creamy. Add in the veggies (and apple if you want) and herbs/spices and mix.
Spread mixture into a wrap or piece of lettuce in an even layer and roll tightly in to a cylinder.
Cover the wraps with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge to chill for about 1/2 an hour. You can do this the night before or a couple days in advance.
After the wraps have chilled, cut the wraps into 1- to 2-inch long pinwheels. Store leftover pinwheels in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days.
Notes
To make your own milk kefir cheese, take a batch of milk kefir and strain it through a t-shirt or cheesecloth. When all the whey has been removed (usually about 8 hours) you’ll be left with a soft, cream cheese-like product. This works great for bagels, cheesecakes, and this pinwheel filling. Just note that it will be much more tart than store-bought cream cheese. 😉
For my ideas for wraps other than lettuce, see the last paragraph under the ‘veggie-packed rainbow pinwheels’ heading above.
Renee puts her pinwheels in cute little lunchboxes like Bento Boxes for her kids. My kids are actually homeschooled, so we don’t have lunchboxes. Ergo my fancy Glad plastic container from Walmart…. 😉
Also, this recipe was taken from the Little Lunchbox Cookbook and used with permission from Renee Kohley.
This looks so delicious! And I have to try that strained kefir cream cheese. Sounds amazing!
Thanks, Jean! It’s super easy to make and tastes great in the filling for these pinwheels!
These are so healthy and perfect for lunch. I love all the veggies and apple in these.
Thanks so much, Stacey!
Love the ease of this recipe. Can adapt it to make a dip as well. Love the mix of flavours.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Sunrita!
I love this idea! Perfect to have on had for a quick snack and easy to make too!
Thanks, Anne!
These are so cute! I’d have a hard time not eating all of them before the kiddos get to them.
Haha! Yeah, I definitely had to control myself while making them. 😉