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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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I like Tuna with cucumbers a fruit and baby carrots for my girl
Pop a frozen juice box in the lunch bag to keep the food cold till lunch and the juice will be drinkable by lunch time.
Soy sauce dipped baked Japanese rice cake with nori, cheese gougeres and in season fruit!
Thank you so much for these great ideas! I need all the help I can get with my daughter starting Kindergarten in the fall.
great ideas !
I like to cut smiley shapes of bread and apply peanut butter spread, or cut vegetables into different shapes every day. Sometimes I send with my little girl dates covered with a thin chocolate layer. other times I send her sliced bananas with a drizzle of chocolate. I keep searching for new Ideas and I get most of them from you !!
Love you !
I make lots of extra quinoa. It is super easy to make a custom quinoa salad with veggies, cheese, meat, and salad dressing.. I usually include some fruit, a yogurt, and a homemade granola bar and some water for a complete lunch.
We have been loving fresh berries, lately for snacks and at meals.
I’ve been on a muffin kick lately (the Lemon Raspberry muffins from 100 Days of Real Food are my current favorite). I also throw in carrot sticks, apple slices and almonds.
We are pretty basic with the food we pack but my husband who is quite artistic draws pictures on my son’s napkins and includes a sight word or two for practice reading.
Make extra dinners for leftover lunch!
In season fruit and steamed veggies with anything that is shaped like a muffin.
This is so inviting that I would finish it before packing their lunch 🙂
I like to make a big batch of vegetable soup and send it in a thermos throughout the week. Always a hit and a fun change to have a hot lunch.
One of my favorite simple lunches is just some double cream Brie cheese (from trader joes), ak-mak crackers and an organic apple. Delicious! For me, the key to a well balanced and creative lunch is definitely to prepare part of it the night before! Cuts out morning stress for sure.
My daughter loves hummus, with homemade bagel chips and whatever fruit we have on hand! A nice finger food lunch!
Peanut butter, honey, and banana on toast – yum!