This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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? 😉
Natalka, I’ll call you by your Ukrainian name. Mолодець! I have to tell you how proud I am of a Ukrainian woman that is so awesome at “doing it right”! I just posted this on Facebook. Got your recipe for a salmon from my niece, a dentist in Chicago, Bohdanna. I started to check out your recipes and was very impressed with them. Most of all your presentation of your recipes. The pictures and videos are really, really good. You should be on FoodTV. Your so much better than some of those worthless food shows. If you could do more kids lunch box meals that would be great. I would totally appreciate this. Be Well. Z Bohom. BTW – My husband, Mykola, made your Creamy Broccoli Salad and it was great. I made the cheesy mashed potato pancakes. Very nice. 🙂
Thank you so much Anna! It’s so nice to hear from my fans. I will keep your request in mind! Thanks for sharing 😀
Thank you! This is great! Helps to move away from the standard sammy and chips lunch.
You’re welcome Michelle! I am glad you found it helpful!
plz plz plz post more lunch ideas.. specially Asian type.. for pakistani kids
Love these ideas! I really struggle to find easy, practical lunch ideas for my three kids. I especially like the tortilla pinwheels – they are going on my list! Thank you, Natasha!
You’re welcome Carolyn! I am so glad you found it helpful!
I have scoured the internet trying to find kid lunch ideas that are actually reasonable. There are so many websites listing ridiculous recipes that I do not have the time to make…nor would my children eat them!
Then I found this post! Thanks for helping me get my kids out of their lunch rut! These ideas were all very useful and work with my time sensitive schedule!
I am so glad you find them helpful Olivia! 🙂
Thanks for these- I like them all but I would warn not to pack “kabobs” for little ones. I work in a kindergarten class and I am in the lunchroom with them. Hazardous to kids at that age and probably at least the next several grades up. Kids get so wild and silly at lunch :).
Thanks for the tip! 🙂
I thought about the kabob sticks might be an issue (my son could easily get himself in some trouble if I packed them for him haha!) and my first thought was maybe use a straw to poke a hole through the center, then maybe use a pretzel rod in place of the kabob? I don’t know how or if that would work but it might be worth trying at least! Thank you Natasha for helping me love my kitchen again!
I am surprised by the amount of sugar in the milk products (yogurt & milk) that you would recommend. There is more sugar in these products than a candy bar. Kids really need to drink water in their lunchbox.
Hi Anna, I agree and my son always takes a bottle of water to school. He still loves plain whole milk when he comes home though and yes even that has naturally occurring sugar in it but not so much that it’s concerning to me. I do wish the yo-kids yogurts had less sugar though. I haven’t found a better alternative with less sugar though – their baby yogurt line has has the sugar that the toddler/big kids line does. Do you have any yogurt suggestions?
I am getting ready to start packing lunches (thanks for the great list!).
Not sure if this would help you, but I am buying reusable food pouches to cut down on cost and fill with whatever I want. I can make a batch of pudding and fill, or buy a big jar of applesauce for a few dollars. My son wastes a lot of yogurt, so I stopped buying it for him – but I’m sure you could buy low/no sugar yogurt in a bigger container and put them in a reusable squeeze pouch.
That’s a great suggestion Rachel! Thanks for sharing your tip with other readers!
You could buy Greek Yogurt and add fresh fruit to cut down on the sugar products! Or the already prepackaged Greek yogurt with fruit on the bottom. We only eat that type of yogurt in our home and my daughter (5 years) loves it and it is the only type of yogurt she knows! Hope this helps!
Great suggestions Ashley, thanks for sharing!
A thought ..perhaps plain yogurt with fresh fruit or even a wee bit of jam or preserves mixed in..works for us
Heyyy
Can you do a post for ADULT lunches?
Im out of ideas of what to put in my husbands lunch box 🙁 Please include both hot and cold and recommendations for thermoses and such. Thanks a bunch!
That’s a great suggestion! It may not be until after the holidays but I will definitely keep it in mind! 🙂 Has you check out the sandwiches I have posted?
Hello Natasha! Thank you for the lunch ideas! My daughter strated school and I was anxious what should I pack for lunch for her and now I have a good source to rely on 🙂
You’re welcome Katrina! I’m so happy you find the post beneficial 😀.
Hello there. I love it your ideas with kids lunch. It’s fantastic.
I just try to find some plastic box for lunch, with 2 or 3 section (like yours)
Maybe you can give me link where did you buying them?
Big thanks. .
Hi Simona, It came in a lunch box that I purchased at Costco. They usually have them before school starts. It’s called the “Arctic Zone Ultra Lunch Pack” They also sell it on Amazon but I’m not sure why it’s so expensive on Amazon. The one we use currently is really nice and I think a good investment. Check it out here.
Natasha you have the cutest kids. Your boy is so handsome and baby girl is just a doll. What a beautiful family you have. How do u find the time to run a family, cook, post, etc? Blessings to you on this motherhood journey. “Hello!” from souther California.
Hi Val, thank you so much for your sweet words 🙂 It’s not easy and without an amazing husband and God’s blessings, I don’t think I would be able to do it 🙂
When using the thermos for hot food, will the contents stay warm on the inside if using an ice pack for juice/milk/fruit?
Hi Trina, it is recommended not to place it in a cool lunch box. I always pack it outside of his lunchbox (there is a strap or pocket that I loop it through), but I don’t put it next to an ice pack.
Thanks for the tip.
Thank you so much for this post finally a realistic approach to lunch and snack time. God Bless!
Thank you Yuri, blessings to you as well 😀.
I had squarely put a thermos in the liquid/soup box and never considered it for leftovers. Thanks, this opens up a lot of options.
You are welcome Evelyn 😀.
How do you pack the milk to make sure it stays cold until lunch time?
His lunch box came with the ice pack so it keeps the milk cold for the entire time he is at school 😄.
I make milk ice cubes and put several in the drink container before I fill it with milk. The frozen milk cubes melt during morning classes and the milk is cold at lunch.
That is so smart!! Thank you for sharing that great tip! 🙂
Thankfully my kids aren’t picky eaters! They love whatever they get typically but a favorite is a wrap vs a sandwich
My son’s favorite is a good old PB&J.
This really works.
This is the best school lunch prep post I have ever read. SO Helpful! the lunches are things my son will actually eat, he’s a bit picky, and the step by step, choose a drink, choose a main, choose a snack, Takes the stress right out of making lunches!
Ange, thank you for such a nice review 😀.
Ok, Natasha. Now you had me in complete crocodile tears when I read this post. My firstborn will be going to Kindergarten this Fall and the thought of him not being home with me is heartwrenching. But thinking about what to give him to eat everyday for lunch is also a struggle. This is such a fantastic post that I cannot thank you enough. I know you are super busy with your schedule but if you could do more of these posts – wow, that would be so helpful for us mommies! You are truly a blessing.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me. It is bittersweet when they start Kindergarten. I’m so happy you enjoyed this post. 🙂
Hey Natasha,
Can you tell me where you bought the blue sectioned tupperware from? Thank you!
Hi 🙂 It came in a lunch box that I purchased at Costco. They usually have them before school starts. It’s called the “Arctic Zone Ultra Lunch Pack” They also sell it on Amazon
Thank you so much : ) I’ll keep an eye out for it. I’ve really enjoyed the recipes on your blog, thank you!