Let's face it - most kids love breakfast food any time of day! So why not send them off to school with breakfast for lunch? I'm excited to share some easy ideas with you today to help you think beyond the typical sandwich for school lunches this year.
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How to Pack Breakfast for Lunch
- Quiche: Believe it or not, quiche is really good leftover and holds up well in the fridge. My kids gobble it up cold all the time (and so do I!)
- Leftover quiche (served cold - it's good, I promise!)
- Whole grain banana bread
- Mixed berries
- Organic bacon (also served cold)
- - Cinnamon Raisin Bread Sandwich + Granola: If you pair granola with yogurt and berries in the lunch box it's your own portable parfait!
- Homemade granola
- Cinnamon raisin bread and cream cheese sandwich (from my book)
- Plain yogurt mixed with a little pure maple syrup and frozen pomegranate seeds
- Half a banana (in the peel)
- Watermelon
- Blueberries
- - Breakfast Tacos: My whole family loves breakfast tacos, and they are super easy to send to school with a thermos keeping the scrambled eggs warm until lunch time (up to 5 hours).
- Scrambled eggs (served warm)
- Corn tortillas (in foil)
- Sour cream (topped with cilantro)
- Grated cheese
- Lettuce
- - Overnight Oats: Overnight oats is one of my 10-year-old's favorite snacks, and if you have lunch boxes with leakproof compartments it's great to send to school on occasion as well!
- Overnight oats
- Frozen green smoothie pop
- Hard boiled egg
- Grapes
- Diced melon
- - Waffle Sandwich: The truth is it's easier to make homemade whole-wheat waffles than it is homemade bread ...so why not use them to make a sandwich in the lunch box? This is a big hit with little ones!
- Waffle sandwich with cream cheese and blueberry jam
- Applesauce
- Trail mix with whole grain cereal
- Oranges
- Grapes
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I hope these examples help keep you out of the PB&J rut this school year. I'd love to here your breakfast for lunch ideas in the comments below!
Enjoy!
Gmail Customer Service says
Nice techniques all are good i will must try once all of that!
Mohit JAJPURA says
Can i eat overnight oats in lunch box. I think at that time it won't be as cool as to eat....
So my question is can i eat overnight oats in lunch box? Is it as healthy as in cold?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi. Sure, you can. If you want it to stay cold, just throw in a couple ice pack.
Rebecca says
Would love some teen friendly ideas. My son would sooner die than bring quiche for lunch! Anything that smells or looks funny or child-like. Kids seem to tease other kids about. Used to be able to send hard boiled eggs and cottage cheese for instance...no more! Teen boys also eat a ton! Any ideas would be much appreciated as he pretty much brings roast beef on a bakery roll every day!
Neha says
This post is very nice.Good ways to pack lunch box for children.
Simran Kaur says
Hi Lisa There,
I can't Imagine that how much looks yummy lunch box, and be frank, pack of lunch box with enrich with good diet for our kids.. This idea very help for all mothers who take stress what she gives her child in the lunch box.. Being a Mother love your thought.. thanks
Regards
Simran Kaur
Deborah says
Looking for snacks that are sugarfree or low carb or low cal for my austitic grandson that had tastes and texture issues that make him picky also hyperactive
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi there. This list might give you some ideas: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/22/an-elementary-school-snack-list-%e2%80%93-nut-free/.
Talsie says
Love the website. It gives great ideas with a side of motivation! You've mentioned several lunch box options and talked about sending hot lunches. We recently discovered the Zojirushi lunch jar. Have you ever looked into using these products? Slightly cumberson compared to traditional boxes but they really work.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Nope, not familiar with those.
Sara says
You are darling! Thanks for the great ideas!
Melanie says
What a great idea, sending breakfast for lunch. Two of my kids almost always prefer breakfast food to lunch menu items. Thanks for sharing the great ideas.
Candi says
Yum- I want you to pack my lunch!
Dawn says
Loving all your compartmentalized lunch boxes. My daughter loves them! We eat a plant-based diet in our home but these could easily be plant-ified. Breakfast for lunch is so fun! Does the green smoothie pop get too squishy for lunch though? Where did you get the reusable push pop holder? Great idea!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Dawn. This gives you the down-low on the use of the molds and where to find them: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/03/19/real-food-tips-4-hints-for-using-freezie-pop-molds/.
FigMama says
What brands are the bento boxes in #1 and #2 above? Are they leak proof? Thanks!
Meg says
They are yumboxes and they are leak proof. We love our yumboxes and highly recommend them to all our friends.
Jolynn Lloyd says
Used my yumbox all week for my son (3rd grade) and he loves it! And I love having only 1 dish to wash :) Was well worth the money. Thanks for the tip.
Katie says
So creative! And, I can vouch for the yumminess of cold quiche. I've been working on recipes for broccoli cheddar and mushroom Swiss for my son's 1st birthday party, so we've been eating quiche for 2 weeks straight! I think it's even better the second day :)