Easy Lunch Box Ideas for Kids
Today I am sharing some easy lunch box ideas for kids.
It's almost May, and it feels like I've made about a million school lunches over the last seven months. It can be tiresome day after day, filling those little bento compartments and thermoses, and just hoping your kids will eat what you packed. However, sending my kids with a healthy lunch that they will eat, and that will fuel them through the day, is definitely a priority of mine.
I've discovered some hacks over the last few years, along with some helpful tips and fool-proof meal ideas, that make the job a bit easier. If you're feeling burnt out from making all those school lunches, or need some inspiration for all of those summer camp lunches you'll be packing soon, read on.
Here are some easy lunch box ideas for kids that are simple, healthy, and kid-approved.
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What are some tips for making school lunches?
Here are five tips for making school lunches quick and easy.
#1: Start with the right container. Having an idea how of much your child eats, and what types of food he or she likes, is important in determining the right lunch container. Maybe it's a bento box with small sections for a variety of foods, maybe it's a lunch box with a thermos for hot food or room for a sandwich. There are endless options. My first grade daughter loves this box, and it works well for the types of food/amount of food that she brings. My fourth grade son prefers a zippered bag with a thermos, or he also likes this Planet Box.
#2: Make a list. You may want to make a list of the foods you know your child will eat at school. Even if it's short, you can use the list to make sure you have those items on hand each week, and just rotate through them. Most kids don't seem to mind repeat meals if they like what they are eating. You don't need to be reinventing the school lunch each week. I tend to stick to the same 2 or 3 meals and just rotate through each week.
#3: Plan for leftovers. If you have meals that are surefire winners with your kids, make some extra to send as lunch. It could be pasta with meatballs, mac and cheese, chicken, ground beef, rice, vegetables. My son loves leftover taco bowls or chili and my daughter loves leftover pasta. Just warm it, put it in a thermos and off it goes.
#4: Do a little meal prep on the weekend. I know this might not sound appealing, especially if you are already meal-prepping your dinners, but a little planning on the weekend can go a long way in packing lunches during the week. Wash and cut veggies and fruit so they are ready to pop into lunchboxes, stock your fridge with easy-to-grab options like string cheese, yogurt pouches, or hardboiled eggs. You can even make and freeze peanut butter (or sunbutter) and jelly sandwiches, and take them out in the morning to pop into a lunchbox. Major timesaver!
#5: Have the kids help. Have easy to reach snacks in your fridge or pantry that your kids can grab and add to their lunch boxes!
What are some good, easy lunch ideas for school?
Here are six school lunch ideas that I have had success with.
#1: Try a snack box. My kids love this for home and at school, and I do this at least twice a week. I fill a bento box with a fruit, a veggie, a string cheese, meat stick, mini hummus or guacamole and some crackers. Quick and easy, and all things I usually have on hand. You could also add a hard boiled egg, trail mix (if you can have nuts at your school, and if your child is old enough), dried fruit, pretzels, veggie dip. The options are endless. I like this lunch because I can quickly throw it together in the morning or the night before.
#2: Quesadilla. This is another idea that is easy to customize and make ahead. You could just do cheese, or you could also try adding chicken, black beans, spinach, or bell peppers. My daughter is a bit picky so I make her a plain cheese quesadilla, cut it into small slices, and stick it in her bento box.
#3: Turkey & cheese rollups. My son loves these, and they are also very easy. I roll up some turkey and cheese together, cut into little rounds and that's it. You can put some mustard or other condiment in the middle, or even some greens if your child will eat them. A few pickles on the side - simple and easy and perfect for a bento box. You can use any cold cuts that your child likes.
#4: A good old PB&J - but make it easy! You can actually meal prep and freeze sandwiches - a time-saving tip I'd seen on Instagram and decided to try. Game changer! I can make a bunch of sandwiches, wrap them, freeze them, and just take one out in the morning. It will thaw by lunch! One trick I learned, is to put the peanut butter (or any nut butter or sun butter) on both pieces of bread, with jelly between them to prevent the bread getting soggy from the jelly.
*Healthy Mom Hack - sprinkle some ground flax seeds or chia seeds on the peanut butter for an extra nutritional boost!
#5: Breakfast for lunch. This is another winner in our house. Leftover pancakes (our favorite pancake mix), french toast sticks, turkey sausage links, and fruit all make great lunch foods. I worried about having to serve these foods warm at first, but my kids actually did not mind room temperature or chilled at all. Another idea is a yogurt parfait. I will put yogurt in a cooled thermos, add some chia seeds and berries on top, and then send a separate container with some granola. Yum.
#6: Leftovers. Simple, easy, and can be very filling depending on what you send. We use a thermos and I will send pasta with meatballs, mac and cheese, chili, taco bowls, chicken nuggets - basically anything we had the night before.
I hope this list of easy lunch box ideas for kids is helpful, and I hope that it gives you a bit of inspiration as we come to the home-stretch of the school year.
I'd love to hear your school lunch winners below. And if you are in need of some healthy snack ideas, check out my post on the best gluten free snacks and some easy and healthy school snacks. Whether you are gluten free or not, there are a lot of great options.
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