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pita pizza, cucumber yogurt dip, berries, Mini Babybel cheese, apple chips, carrot and cucumber sticks
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School lunch. While summer is actually in sight (believe it or not) and I’m sure you can’t wait to not have to make and pack lunch every day, there’s still a few months of school to get through. As those of you who follow me on Facebook and Instagram know, I’ve been posting a picture of my kids’ school lunches every day for years there, and so to help you get through this last long stretch until summer, today I’m sharing a bunch of my favorite lunchbox combo ideas here on Weelicious.
You can pack these recipes in separate containers in a brown bag, or in reusable bento style containers like these from “Planet Box, Laptop Lunches or Get Yubo.
Scroll to the bottom to see some of my favorite tips for making school lunch unbelievably easy. And if you’re still in need of more inspiration, you can always pick up a copy of my book, Weelicious Lunches or leave a comment below telling me some of your favorite lunch box idea for a chance to win one of two signed copies. I love learning new tricks!
olive tapenade cream cheese sammies, yogurt w/ honey, kiwi, strawberries, broccoli salad, freeze dried strawberry
brown rice w/ sesame seeds, Mini Babybel cheese, mango, watermelon, rice crackers, vegwee dip w/ carrots
baked blueberry doughnut, chickpeas, grapes, roast vegetables, salami
crispy chicken nuggets, corn wheels, homemade potato chips, donut peach, figs
PB&J sushi sandwiches, shaved veggie salad, berries, rice crispy balls, edamame
faux nutella matzo sammie, green hummus, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, Asian pear, dried apricots
mexican fried rice, cheese cubes, Mini Babybel cheese, carrots, berries, olives
corn dog mini muffins, oatmeal raisin cookies, hearts of palm, cucumbers, passion fruit & mandarins
lentils, quinoa, sunflower butter bran muffins, grated carrots, pickles, strawberries, blueberries
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yogurt, salami, passion fruit, blackberries, avocado w/ lime, Way Better Snacks sweet potato tortilla chipsBob’s Red Mill Granola
cheesy meatloaf bites, strawberry fruit leather, corn w/parmesan cheese, pomegranate seeds & orange ginger cookies
black beans, rice, maple roast veggies, spelt pumpkin muffins, melon, berries, dried strawberries
BBQ chicken bites, figs, plums, tomatoes, dried cherries, whole grain fruit-filled bars from Weelicious Lunches
Time saving tips for the night before_
* Cut up veggies and serve alone or alongside hummus, salad dressing or your child’s favorite dip.
* Wash whole fruits
* Cut up apples or pears and toss the slices with a squeeze of lemon or orange juice to prevent browning.
* Go in your fridge and peek through leftover containers for_
– brown rice that can be tossed with black beans or sesame seeds (for added protein).
– cooked pasta that can be mixed with pesto or tomato sauce and a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.
– chicken that you can slice and put inside a wrap, sandwich or serve on it’s own with some BBQ sauce for dipping.
– baked sweet potatoes simply on their own make a fabulous hand held meal.
* When you bake cookies, freeze a few baked or unbaked cookies first on cookie sheets (so they don’t stick together) and then transfer them to labeled zipper bags. Pop a few out and quickly bake them whenever you need an easy sweet treat.
And no matter what, always try and make sure lunch is balanced by including a fruit, vegetable, protein and carbohydrate!
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If I put it in a wrap…she will eat it!
Fruit, cheese and crackers is my go to lunch for the whole family.
Love your ideas and inspiration. We pack lunches year round for school and summer day camp, so I can use all the ideas I can find. My son loves DIY fruit/veggie combo squeezie pouches.
I get tons of ideas from your two cookbooks which are fantastic! For my 7-year old’s school lunches I pack quiche made in muffin tins so they were hand-sized, many variations of hummus with veggies or pita, tortilla roll ups with almond or cashew butters and local, raw honey, plenty of fresh fruit( my 2-year old and 7-year old will eat an entire watermelon in a day if I let them!) I’ve also been introducing new foods native to our area like white or black sapote which honestly taste like custard,. They are absolutely delicious! My last tip in packing my daughter’s school lunches is to take her with me to our local farmers’ market each Saturday and let her pick out fruit and vegetables that she would like to eat. She’s tried sunchokes, prickly pear juice and numerous other wonderful items that way, and she looks forward to eating lunch because it consists of food she picked herself! Thanks so much!
Make extra dinner. Pack it for lunch the next day when cleaning up dinner the night before. Saves soooooo much time.
Yogurt for a morning snack and carrots and dip are always favorites. But could definitely use some new tricks for the main course!
I usually make extra dinner and put it into lunches the next day.
We like adding pepperonis to any meat sandwich, replacing bread with a Greek pita and rolling it up. Adding cream cheese is always a hit. Sometimes just cream cheese and jam. Any kind of fruit, usually a frozen yogurt tube (yeah, Chobani!)
Mainly whole wheat bread with butter and jam!
My daughter won’t be in school until next year so i don’t have any favourite lunches yet but I’m so excited to start making her lunches. Your ideas are so creative. I just love them and can’t wait to try everything out.
I’m not creative when it comes to school lunches, that’s why I need your book! 😉
lunch ideas – pita and hummus, tomato (or sundried tomato) avocado, prociutto sandwich, avocado sushi, cucumber sushi, fruit kabobs, melon and prosciutto or ham cubes or turkey cubes. cucumber sunomo, onigari.
Lots of fruit and veggies for my four year old twins. They are also big fans of homemade pizza.
We love almost any kind of leftover on a bed of lettuce with some yummy vinegarette! OH MY!
I cook rice with a drained can of chickpeas and add some Madras curry powder (and a little butter). The kids LOVE it, cold or warm and it’s SO easy!
Muffins and hard boiled eggs play a big role in school lunches. Thanks for the new ideas!