As the summer winds down, students everywhere are gearing up for a new school year. Despite always enjoying my summer vacations to the fullest, I always looked forward to heading back to school in the fall; though I never put much thought into my packed lunches.

For the more sophisticated kids’ palates, (and for yours!) here’s a whole grain salad full of vibrant flavors that is perfect as part of a packed lunch.

Chewy wheat berries are paired with a bright citrus vinaigrette, crunchy toasted walnuts, sweet dates, creamy goat cheese, and peppery arugula in this hearty salad. If you haven’t tried wheat berries, you’re in for a treat. Although they take some time to cook, your time will be rewarded with little nuggets of a tender rice-like grain that soaks up anything you pour over it.

Grain salads – such as this one – are ideal for packed lunches as they tend to get even better when given some extra time to marinate. You could even keep this salad at room temperature for a few hours if you omit the goat cheese, negating the need for a cooler, refrigerator, or ice packs.

The sweet undertones of this salad definitely would have appealed to be back in middle and high school… it’s just too bad I wasn’t much into cooking back then!