Back to school means back to packing lunches. Whether you’re already tired of your restaurant options or have spent all of your cash-money on eating out, cute T-shirts or school supplies, here’s a quick and budget-friendly lunch to try.

If you’re tired of the simple PB&J or haven’t mastered the art of a grilled cheese yet, check out this recipe for an easy Southern staple.

Chicken salad sandwich 

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken meat (If you’re on a budget or time constraint or just not very nifty in the kitchen, you can buy a whole cooked rotisserie chicken at the store and tear the meat off)
• 1 stalk celery, chopped (Getting your veggies in, am I right?)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Bread of choice (I like croissants but sliced bread works just as great)

In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients except for the bread. Once mixed, put a generous scoop of the chicken salad on your choice of bread. Voila! A simple chicken salad sandwich in fewer than 10 minutes. You can store whatever leftovers you have in the fridge.

What’s a meal without a drink? Infused water is all the rage. Not only does it look pretty, but it tastes great, too. I’m sharing my favorite combination of ingredients, but you can really use most any fruit and a fresh herb like mint.

Strawberry cucumber lime infused water

• 3 strawberries
• 1 small lime
• 1/4 a cucumber
• A liter of water

Slice all of your produce into pieces small enough to fit into the water bottle. You can muddle the ingredients together but that’s totally optional. Add the fruit (muddled or non-muddled) into the water. For the most “infused” flavor, let the water sit in the refrigerator for a few hours, but if you’re impatient (or thirsty) it can be ready as soon as you’ve mixed all of the ingredients. Take a sip and enjoy.

Dessert is the most important part of any meal, especially lunch. Here’s a quick recipe for a quick batch of cookies and it’s a simple fix for the sweet tooth. Plus, it only needs three ingredients.

Simple peanut butter cookies

• 1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy, depends on the texture you want your cookies)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it with cookie spray so the cookies don’t get stuck to the pan. In a medium bowl, mix all three ingredients – you can use a spoon or even your hands if you’re feeling crazy. Once the mixture is smooth, drop spoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes. I like them best when they’re barely brown on the edges and still doughy and soft in the center.

– Lana Ferguson