Whole Wheat Pasta Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Most children love to dip their chicken fingers into honey mustard sauce. A pasta salad with a honey mustard vinaigrette is a dish kids and adults can agree on. The pasta salad is made with whole wheat pasta and includes a bunch of vegetables. If you have picky eaters this pasta salad may be the thing try. It packs well for school lunches or can be a great after school snack.
Children need snacks that will sustain them throughout the day and support brain function. During my time as a school counselor I noticed a good portion of kids needed to eat better. Some kids were irritable or had trouble focusing. The bag of chips or sugary fruit punch they were eating at lunch was not helping the cause. Just simply making sure a child had breakfast changed their attitude and performance.
I included this recipe idea along with some other great back to school food ideas on my most recent segment on Good Day Philly. Other great snacks include chicken and apple quesadillas and blueberry yogurt bites. After you have spent all that time making these great recipes add in ready made snacks such as Pirate’s Booty to your lunchbox rotation. Pirate’s Booty is gluten free and baked, not fried! These are blended with aged cheddar cheese and come in fun packaging perfect for a lunchbox!
Whole Wheat Pasta Salad
with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Whole wheat pasta salad with honey mustard vinaigrette is great back to school dish.
Perfect for lunch boxes or after school snacks.
ingredients
1 lb whole wheat pasta (I used whole wheat bow ties)
1 c red bell pepper, chopped
1 c green bell pepper, chopped
1 c baby carrots, chopped
honey mustard vinaigrette
1 clove garlic minced (about 1/2 tablespoon full)
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp water
1/2 c olive oil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
instructions
In a large pot boil water and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette.
Add the pasta to a large bowl along with the carrots, peppers, and cheese. Pour over the vinaigrette and toss gently to incorporate. Adjust salt and pepper according to your taste. If you have time letting it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes helps develop the flavors.