It's hard to believe that summer break is almost over. Most schools here in the south are starting back in less than 2 weeks, so today I'm sharing a few school lunch ideas that even the pickiest of eaters are sure to love. I will probably mix and match these kid favorites so that they don't feel like they're getting the same things every day.
If your kids are like mine, you can't throw just anything into a lunch box and expect it to get eaten. These lunches I'm sharing today are food items that my kids typically enjoy, but you can of course customize it however you see fit.
I used these Rubbermaid Take Alongs containers and they store everything perfectly. The only thing that doesn't fit in the container are the juice boxes and sometimes the yogurt or applesauce.
School Lunch Idea #1:
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Carrots with ranch
Grapes
Veggie chips
Applesauce
*You can also sub an Uncrustable for the PB&J on those days when
you just don't feel like making a sandwich 😉
School Lunch Idea #2:
Bologna (with a smiley face😃)
Individually packaged snack cheese
Banana
Veggie Straws
Yogurt
Fruit Snacks
School Lunch Idea #3:
Pepperonis
String cheese
Grapes
White cheddar popcorn
Yogurt tube
*All of this conveniently fits!
School Lunch Idea #4:
Ham and cheese wrap (or whatever lunch meat your child likes)
Individually wrapped snack cheese
Strawberries
Goldfish
Yogurt
Fruit snacks
School Lunch Idea #5:
Ham and cheese roll ups (roll up cheese inside of lunch meat)
Apple slices
Carrots and ranch
Scooby Snacks
Yogurt
*Mix it up with turkey, chicken and other lunch meats
Everything fits perfectly in Raley's lunchbox. We got this lunchbox from an Etsy shop over 3 years ago and it's still going strong. It's the perfect size for these Rubbermaid containers + a drink, squeeze yogurt, or applesauce.
I am actually planning to order one for Audrey before MMO starts back in September. This aqua color is not available on Etsy anymore, but there is a
pink and a
black (black is on clearance!) which can be monogrammed. They are also sold on
Amazon in a variety of colors, but they cannot be monogrammed.
A few other things:
- We typically get the Minute Maid 100% apple juice boxes or the Honest Company juice boxes.
- Mix it up with different fruits and veggies. My kids love fruit, but they only eat a few veggies. We tend to stick to carrots and broccoli (yes, my picky kids like broccoli! Or "trees" as they call it)
- My kids don't eat lunch meat on bread like a sandwich, but sometimes I will make a sandwich and they will pull it apart and eat the meat, cheese and bread separately, which is perfectly fine by me.
- I have high hopes for these neatly packed lunches, but realistically after about a month of being back in school I will probably be throwing Lunchables and pre-packaged Goldfish in their lunchboxes with no shame!
List of School Lunch Ideas:
Here's a comprehensive list of all of these school lunch ideas + a few more added in there! There are literally thousands of combinations you can make with these few kid favorite items! I hope this list can help when you're stumped as to what to send in your child's lunch.
Main items:
PB&J sandwich
Ham and cheese sandwich
Turkey and cheese sandwich
Bologna sandwich
Pepperonis
Deli lunch meat (ham, turkey, chicken)
Bologna
Uncrustables
Ham or turkey and cheese wrap
Cheese quesadilla
Fruits
Apples
Oranges
Bananas
Strawberries
Grapes
Pineapples
Blueberries
Veggies
Carrots
Broccoli
Celery
Cherry tomatoes
Snacks
Veggie Straws
Veggie Chips
Popcorn
Goldfish
Scooby Snacks
Cheez Its
Crackers
Graham crackers
Fruit snacks
Dried Fruit
Other
Yogurt
Applesauce
Cheese cubes/rectangles
String cheese
Yogurt smoothies
Let's Chat!
Got any other school lunch ideas for picky eaters? I'd love to hear your suggestions!
Let's get social!
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Labels: Back to school, family, meal prep, motherhood
