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When my son started school, I was determined to pack him healthy, nutritious and satisfying lunches. Without me hovering over him while he ate, he brought his fancy sandwiches right back home, sometimes untouched. I could see he wasn’t really into what I packed for him.
After he brought several lunches back, I resorted to ordering food at school, but that never sat well with me since they weren’t very balanced meals – very little fruit or veggies. And, I could never tell if he actually ate his lunch.
Then I got creative. Read on for great (easy) lunch ideas for cold and hot school lunches your kids will actually eat and you’ll feel good about. Thank you to Shamrock Farms for sponsoring this post!
One of our favorite easy lunches to pack (and make ahead) are tortilla pinwheels and I’ve included the print-friendly recipe for those below!).
P.S. Don’t miss our new lunch ideas post for 2017!
Update on the Lunchbox:
For first grade, my son started using this Planet Box lunchbox (affiliate link).
Start with the drink:
1. Milk: my son’s drink of choice so I always make sure he has milk for lunch.
2. Juice – select a juice box that has reduced sugar and real fruit juice
School Lunch Main Course (Grains & Meats):
1. DIY “lunchables”: crackers, deli turkey or salami, sliced cheese
2. Sandwich or sandwich kabobs: disguise their sandwich by threading turkey, cubed string cheese, and squares of bread on skewers.
3. Mini bagels and cream cheese
4. Easy chicken sliders (canned chicken – drained well and mixed with mayo and black pepper to taste, place filling between lettuce and cheese to keep the bun from getting soggy)
5. Tortilla pinwheels (cream cheese, sliced cheese, deli turkey, thinly sliced tomatoes, shredded lettuce or spinach – roll tightly and slice into rounds). Get the print-friendly recipe for tortilla pinwheels below.
School Lunch Fruit:
1. Small banana
2. Grapes
3. Blueberries, strawberries or other berries
4. Fruit kabobs
5. Apricot, apple,.. whatever your kids love
6. Applesauce 7. Peeled clementines
School Lunch Veggies:
1. Baby carrots with ranch in mini cups
2. Cucumber slices
3. Snap peas
4. Salad (romaine, cheese, croutons, side of ranch)
5. Avocado slices (to prevent browning: slice flesh into bite-sized pieces inside the skin, scoop out flesh and replace into shell, drizzle with lemon juice, cover tightly with plastic wrap)
School Lunch Snacks and Treats:
1. Banana bread (Here is my husbands perfect banana bread)
2. Yogurt
3. Pudding
4. String cheese
5. Pretzels, or gold fish crackers
6. Fruit snacks or fruit leather
7. Dried fruit (raisins, craisins, banana or apple chips)
8. Z-Bar or fruit bars
9. Muffin
10. Chocolate chip cookie (click for soft homemade cookies)
12. DIY trail mix
Here are some winning lunch combinations:
[DIY “lunchables”, cucumber slices, grapes, yogurt]
[chicken slider, salad with ranch, trail mix, banana]
[turkey sandwich kabobs, carrots & ranch, apricot, pudding]
[mini bagel with cream cheese, snap peas, strawberries, fruit leather, string cheese]
[tortilla pinwheels, sliced avocado, blueberries, banana chips]
Hot Lunch Ideas (with a Thermos):
Tips for using a thermos: *We recommend the Thermos Foogo 10 oz or Thermos Funtainer 10 oz: *Pack hot thermos in the morning (5 hours before it’s eaten) *Heat the thermos first: add boiling water, cover and let sit 5 min then drain. Heat food until it’s hot. Place into heated thermos and close tightly with lid. Food will be warm at lunchtime.
What to put in a hot lunch thermos:
1. Soup (try: chicken noodle soup or Mom’s meatball soup)
2. Pasta (try: chicken alfredo or spaghetti with shrimp)
3. Pilaf/rice, or stir fry (try: creamy chicken and rice, or shrimp fried rice)
4. Leftovers! You can really get creative with a thermos. Just avoid foods with overwhelming aromas (i.e. broccoli and cabbage).
Tortilla Pinwheels Recipe (School Lunch Idea)
Ingredients
Tortilla Pinwheels
- 1 flour tortilla
- 2 Tbsp cream cheese
- 1 slice mozarella cheese, (or your favorite cheese)
- 1 oz turkey deli meat , (2 slices)
- 1/4 cup shredded lettuce, (or spinach leaves)
- 1/4 tomato, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Spread cream cheese over tortilla.
- Add sliced mozzarella and deli meat over the top half of the tortilla followed by shredded lettuce and sliced tomato.
- Tightly roll the tortilla from the top downward then slice the roll into rings.
Nutrition Per Serving
Can you tell by the look in his eye that I promised him candy for this photo? 😉
https://twitter.com/willgriesmer/status/625777711940808704
Little Debbie Snacks
I like to pack mac and cheese in thermos- My sons favorite!!!!
I like to pack a cheese sandwich, a box of raisins and some fresh veggies with a dip.
I like to pack a sandwich, pretzels or cheese and crackers for my son.
tweet-
I like to pack a sandwich, granola bar, fruit, yogurt, chips and some type of dessert.
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/625757827215265792
Besides a sandwich, yogurt, and fruit, I like to add little notes of encouragement along with a Hershey’s kiss.
PBJ or grilled cheese (yep) sandwich, fried rice or noodles , fruits, string cheese, yogurt cups, raisin and/or some sorts of nuts. These are the items I normally put in my daughter’s lunch box.
I love to pack my kids homemade pizza!!!
Love this post! Sometimes its hard to think of what to put in there lunches without having to go to the grocery store. When i make lunches for my son on Monday I would make a Russian sandwich (bread,kielbasa,cucumber)with some veggies(cauliflower,grape tomatoes,cucumbers,snap peas,carrots etc.) and fruits(blueberries, strawberries, raspberries,apples,grapes, etc.) Then on Tuesday ham or turkey pinwheels with veggies and fruits, on Wednesday smoked salmon sandwiches with veggies and fruits. On Thursday he gets a school lunch because its his favorite (cheeseburger or hotdog) and on Friday I make a typical sandwich (ham or turkey with lettuce tomatoes and cheese in between two slices of bread) with veggies and fruits.
https://twitter.com/yarbr012/status/625725526754201600
My favorite things to pack in my daughter’s lunch box are a chicken, turkey or veggie wrap, carrots with ranch dressing, apples and crackers. I occasionally pack cookies for an extra treat, and don’t forget the chocolate milk!!
I like to pack tortilla wraps, veggies and fruits
tweet-https://twitter.com/JewelWood/status/625710513293385728
My favorite thing to pack in my son’s lunch is slices of turkey, cheese, green pepper, and bread or crackers in Ziploc® brand Snack Bags with mayo on the side—so he can self-stack his own sandwich! He just loves it! He also loves it when I put in a dip with veges and a fruit cup!
Married 4 years here. My husband, without a fail, has eaten the EXACT same lunch EVERY SINGLE day. 1 banana, 1 Strawberry yogurt (Yoplait only) 1 Nature Valley granola bar. But last week I threw in some beef Jerky and he ate it. Miracles happen.
tweet-https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/625708067733262336
I like to pack a sandwich, piece of fruit or raisins, a juice box, milk, or water, cheese crackers or cheerios, maybe nuts or pretzel sticks.
Cheerios is a favorite of mine as well. My FIL actually worked at the cheerios factory here in Buffalo. They still make cheerios there and they smell sooooo good! Like cake roasting. There’s a little boat ride too. ANyhow, I would probably wet my pants if I won this contest, $100 would be awesome right now. Thanks for so many nutritious options as my daughter is heading to Kingdergarden in a few weeks!!!