It’s that time of year for another installment in my School Lunch Roundup series! Sit down and look at these healthy school lunch ideas with your little ones so they can point out what they want you to make (and, more importantly, what they’ll actually eat!). And for older kids, don’t be scared to ask them to help or even make some of these all by themselves.
I also want to mention that my newest cookbook, 100 Days of Real Food: On a Budget (that was just released yesterday!!), has a dozen new packed lunch ideas for both school and work, so be sure to check that out as well!
Sponsor Shoutout: Handzies
I want to make sure you know about a “clean” product that we love and use ourselves, Handzies. Sometimes a sink is not available and a spray just won’t do. Great for giving your kids a good cleaning before (and after) they eat all these lovely lunches, Handzies was created by a mom who wanted to be able to clean hands on the go without the use of alcohol, BZK, and triclosan. So she created Handzies wipes, which are made of pure Castile (olive oil-based) soap and tea tree and tangerine oils. Always great to have on hand!
Here are some other resources to check out as well:
- School Lunch Photo Gallery
- Lunch Box Review
- Recipe Index (list) or Recipe Search (photos)
- My first cookbook and second cookbook – both with more lunch box ideas and recipes
- And, as I mentioned, my brand new cookbook above!
School Lunch Roundup
- Slow Cooker Potato Soup (from my 100 Days of Real Food cookbook), cheese (to go on top)
- Spinach Caesar salad
- Whole-Wheat Biscuit
- Grapes
- Hummus and cheese sandwich
- Orzo pasta salad (with tomatoes, Parmesan, and a simple vinaigrette)
- Diced mango
- Trail mix
- Grilled (defrosted) panini with cheese, spinach/basil pesto and roasted bell peppers
- Homemade Tomato Bisque (defrosted) with whole-wheat noodles
- Fresh kiwi
- Oranges (the Cara Cara variety – my favorite!)
- Taco Salad (with spinach, ground pork, cheese, cabbage, cilantro and sour cream)
- Whole Grain Pumpkin Muffin
- Blood oranges
- Homemade Quiche (with a whole-wheat crust)
- Pork tenderloin
- Salad
- Sliced apples
- Homemade Veggie Cream Cheese and cucumber sandwich (from my 100 Days of Real Food: Fast & Fabulous cookbook)
- Corn muffin (from my 100 Days of Real Food: Fast & Fabulous cookbook)
- Popcorn
- Grapes
- Frozen (defrosted) sandwich
- Mini bell peppers
- Plain yogurt mixed with homemade Berry Sauce & Homemade Granola
- Watermelon
- Leftover Veggie Corn Chowder (from my 100 Days of Real Food cookbook)
- Brown rice cake with peanut butter and raisins
- Apple and cheddar cubes
- Raspberries
- Dark chocolate
- Taco Salad with leftover ground pork/beans, lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream
- Apples
- Homemade Chicken Nuggets
- Apples
- Whole-wheat pretzels
- Veggie slices
- Tzatziki Sauce for dipping
- Homemade Breakfast Burrito
- Apples
- Plain yogurt mixed with a little pure maple syrup & frozen pomegranate seeds
- Homemade Granola
- Red pepper hummus, cheese, and lettuce sandwich on whole-wheat
- Grapes
- Apples
- Homemade White Bean Dip (from my 100 Days of Real Food cookbook) with blue tortilla chips (a treat) for dipping
- Egg salad lettuce wraps
- Apples
- Red bell pepper slices
- Cheese & (whole grain) crackers
- Homemade whole-wheat blueberry pancakes
- Oranges
- Plain yogurt mixed with a little pure maple syrup & frozen raspberries
- Homemade Granola
- Leftover meat (from Beef Bourguignon)
- Whole-wheat egg noodles
- Yogurt mixed with a little pure maple syrup & frozen raspberries
- Kiwi
- Carrots
- Dark chocolate
- Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Raisin and cream cheese sandwiches
- Sliced apple
- Deviled Eggs
- Strawberries
- Easy Chinese Chicken
- Coconut Rice
- Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Carrots
(All three recipes are in my new 100 Days of Real Food: On a Budget cookbook!) - Strawberries
- PB & honey on whole-wheat
- Apples
- Cucumbers
- Plain yogurt mixed with a little pure maple syrup & pomegranate seeds
- Homemade Granola
- Leftover sliced steak on an open-faced sandwich with melted cheese (grilled on the bottom)
- Caprese Salad
- Peaches and strawberries
- Homemade Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookie – a treat!
- Grilled Caprese Panini (from my 100 Days of Real Food cookbook)
- Apples
- Deviled Eggs
- A Health Warrior bar (not sponsored, my daughters are just loving the dark chocolate pumpkin seed flavor)
Behind the Scenes at GMA (+ a recipe from my new cookbook)
Are you able to find the ziploc containers for sale again? I had a bunch but my husband has lost them all… and I’m about to start packing lunches for my little guy who’s starting preschool!
I’ve seen them on Amazon and I just bought some at Target.
I’ll have to check Target– Amazon only has them from a third party seller for a ridiculous amount of money!
Hi Lisa.
I love looking at all of your posted suggestions… but struggle with supporting my 9 year old son’s food exploration.
At home he will try something new every now and then. But at school – no, never. He is also very particular about hot things being hot, and cold things being cold and most food items seem to end up about room temperature in the classroom. He has a pack-it insulated lunchbag too.
Any ideas on how to persuade him to eat more than hummus & crackers, with fruit and veg options in his YumBox?
Hi there. Have you seen Lisa’s “picky eater” posts? They may help: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/?s=picky+eater
Very useful. Thanks for sharing
How do you keep apples from turning brown?
Lisa doesn’t try to keep them from browning. I use lemon or various fruit juices.
I love your salad idea for the school lunch. We can add healthy vegetables and fruits in the salad. And kids love salad. I like the Taco Salad look delicious.
how do you serve things that are usually warm not in a thermos? for example – the pancakes, or left over roasted veggies (like sweet potato or carrots) or a panini or taco?
Hi there. They are kept cold in the lunch box.
Love your cookbooks and lunch ideas! I just started packing school lunches for my kindergartener. If you send a thermos with hot food, do you still include an icepack for the other food? Thanks!
I do still send an ice pack with the cold food, but try to keep them a little separated in the lunch box. Hope that helps!
I’m so grateful to you for this amazing school lunch ideas! It looks so tasty!
Soon my son will go to school, and I will do the same lunches for him :)