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After years of sharing the school lunches I pack for my kids on Facebook, I decided to combine all the pictures together below in one easy-to-reference place for inspiration.
I know some readers love to sit down and look at these pics with their kids so they can point out what they want (and, more importantly, what they’ll actually eat!), which I think is a great idea.
If you find it helpful as well, please consider bookmarking this page, sharing it using the social buttons, or leaving a comment with star rating (at the bottom of the page) to help others find this guide. 🙂
Check out these Easy Lunch Ideas and these High Protein Lunch Ideas too!
Table of Contents
360+ Healthy School Lunch Ideas
Narrow results with the drop down filter or search box. Note some of these lunch ideas incorporate real food leftovers, which can be a real time saver. Most recipes can be found here on the blog via the included links, but a few are from my best-selling cookbooks.
- Homemade White Bean Dip (from #100dayscookbook ) with blue tortilla chips
- Apple sandwiches
- Oatmeal Cookie Energy Bites (from #100daysonabudget cookbook)
School Lunch Ideas Packing Chart
See my School Lunch Packing Chart post for more details and how to get your free printable copy (a reusable version is also included in my Meal Planner Workbook). Basically you have your kids fill out the chart with all the ingredients they'd like in their lunches for the week, and then take the chart with you on your grocery run so you know what to buy. You'll have all the fixings on hand, plus buy-in from your kids!
School Lunch Ideas "Recipe"
This is similar to the packing chart in that you can get inspiration and buy-in from kids for new lunch combinations.
School Lunch Ideas
Ingredients
Main
- Sandwich (☐Whole wheat bread ☐Whole wheat pita ☐PB & J ☐PB & honey ☐Cheese ☐Hummus ☐Organic ham ☐Organic turkey ☐Lettuce ☐Sliced pickle ☐Sliced cucumber ☐Mustard ☐Mayo )
- Bagel and cream cheese (☐With cucumber slices)
- Cheese and crackers
- Cheese quesadilla (Cold)
- Deviled eggs
- Egg salad
- Grilled cheese (Cold)
- Oatmeal (☐Hot ☐Cold)
- Pasta salad
- Smoothie
- Waffle and cream cheese sandwich
- Whole wheat pita pizza
- Whole wheat pita triangles and hummus
- Other (Write in:_________________________ )
Fruits and Veggies
- Apple (Red)
- Apple (Green)
- Applesauce
- Avocado half
- Bananan half (☐With peanut butter or other nut butter)
- Bell peppers (Sliced)
- Blueberries
- Broccoli (Raw or cooked)
- Cantaloupe
- Carrots
- Celery (☐With peanut or other nut butter ☐With raisins)
- Cherries*
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Dried fruit (Raisins, apricots, apple, or other)
- Frozen peas
- Grapefruit
- Grapes*
- Honeydew melon
- Kiwi
- Mango*
- Olives
- Oranges (☐Big ☐Small)
- Papaya*
- Peach*
- Pear
- Pickles
- Pineapple
- Plum*
- Pomegranate seeds (Fresh or frozen)
- Radish slices
- Raspberries
- Star fruit*
- Strawberries*
- Sugar snap peas
- Watermelon*
- Other (Write in:_________________________ )
Grain or Snack
- Brown Rice Cakes (☐With peanut or other nut butter ☐With raisins)
- Cheese cubes/slices
- Chickpeas
- Crackers
- Dip (☐White bean ☐Other, write in:____________________)
- Edamame
- Granola chunks
- Hard-boiled egg
- Muffin
- Popcorn
- Powerballs (homemade)
- Snack bar
- String cheese
- Trail mix
- Whole wheat noodles
- Whole wheat pretzels
- Yogurt
Instructions
- Choose an ingredient from each category to create new lunch combinations (I recommend doing this with your kids).
- Jot your ideas down as you go for a quick school lunch meal plan.
Notes
School Lunch Meal Plans
Get our uber-popular packed lunch meal plans! Our Real Lunches, Real Easy ebooks are each a complete system that tells you what to buy, what to prep, and what to pack (including colorful pictures) so you're not stressing out at the last minute. Grab one version, or all four, and even have your kiddos help pack their new wholesome, hearty, real food lunches. See samples of each week and learn more here.
More School Lunch Resources
To learn more about the lunches I pack, here are some helpful links…
- Our favorite school lunch supplies including the commonly pictured plastic Ziploc divided containers (each compartment is leak-proof).
- Everything you could ever want to know about those colorful smoothie pop molds used in some lunches.
- Why we don’t track protein or worry about getting “enough.”
- My cookbooks all contain more lunch box ideas as well.
- You can also find more school lunch resources (among others) in our free member’s area.
School Lunch Ideas FAQ
I've get a lot of comments/questions/etc. when I share my kids' lunches on Facebook, so I’d like to address a few of the more common questions below. Read more in the full FAQ.
I’ve written a post that includes everything you could ever want to know about the colorful “freezie pop molds” that I use frequently to add smoothies to their lunches.
Many of the school lunch supplies we use, including the divided lunchbox containers, thermos cups, and freezie pop molds, are detailed in the My Favorite School Lunch Supplies post and my Amazon Favorites page. The lunchbox containers fit nicely (with a drink cup) in both Lands End and Old Navy cloth rectangular lunch boxes.
Some readers ask if these lunches provide enough food for my children, and while I am probably not spot-on with portion size 100% of the time, the short answer is “yes.” First of all, “real food” is a lot more filling than highly processed food (especially the refined grain stuff like white flour). Secondly, portion sizes are getting out of control in America and have unfortunately skewed the public’s view of what is appropriate. Thirdly, my children were 7 and almost 5 when I started photographing their lunches. Lastly, both my children eat after-school snacks. Okay, got that off my chest. :)
A few occasionally ask if these lunches have enough protein. First of all, part of eating a “real food” diet means you no longer have to count calories, fat grams, protein, carbs, etc. You simply eat a variety of whole foods (including lots of veggies) without “overeating” and the rest will just fall into place. It’s kind of nice not to have to worry about that stuff anymore. But, if you aren’t quite ready to forget about your daily protein intake please know there are MANY sources high in protein aside from just meat products such as yogurt, eggs, cheese, cream cheese, nuts (including peanut butter), seeds (including sunflower butter), and beans. When we switched to a "real food" diet we purposely reduced our meat consumption.
My daughters used to go to a peanut/tree nut-free school, so I often used sunflower butter and cream cheese as an alternative to peanut butter. You can filter the lunches above or visit my Nut-Free Lunch Ideas post for more ideas.
What Do Packed Lunches Look Like by Lunchtime?
I've gotten quite a few questions asking what these carefully prepared lunches actually look like come lunchtime—especially after they've been tossed all around while in my kids' backpacks and since "liquidy" foods like yogurt or applesauce are involved. Let's face it, no child keeps their lunch bag or box in one perfect position all day, and that is certainly something I would never expect of my own children.
So when I was having lunch with my daughter at school (and risking looking like a lunatic), I took a bunch of pictures for you! :)
So that's all there is to it! And since I know some will be wondering :) ....
- Those are Ziploc brand divided lunch containers - super cheap, lightweight, BPA-free, and available online. I have no relationship with Ziploc whatsoever. We just really like these lunch boxes.
- I got the muffin cups here. Here are the Thermos cup, the flexible ice blanket, and the fun character ice pack.
- I bought the fun toothpicks at Party City, although I've found cute ones at several different places including Martha Stewart Crafts, and cute Meri Meri Toot Sweet Cupcake Picks.
- The lunch bag is by Lands End and we have the matching backpack that goes with it. This is the brand my older daughter has been using for almost 3 years now and it is still holding up great.
I hope these lunch ideas have been helpful. Please feel free to share your “real food” school lunch ideas in the comments below…
Karen says
Awesome ideas:) Looking forward to trying out a bunch for my daughter:)
Brandy says
Asking out of curiosity more than anything else...does your kids ever want/have a hot lunch? My kids tend to want to take leftovers in a thermos vs. a cold lunch.
Brandy says
Okay, after thinking about this a few minutes more, I remembered you are in the South! Although a Floridian, I now live in Maine (HUSBAND!) so the hot lunch vs. cold lunch makes more sense to me now! :-)
100 Days of Real Food says
I actually sent a hot lunch today (leftovers) and yesterday (oatmeal) so I guess it all depends on what food we have or what the kids ask for...my first grader has been asking for the smoothie pops A LOT lately. I suppose it was also 90 degrees here today :)
Julie says
I cannot find cute kebab sticks like what you pictured here with pinwheels or anything else fun! I tried Amazon and Oriental Trading - help!
100 Days of Real Food says
I got the pinwheel ones from Crate & Barrel (bar section)
Casey says
Thank you so much for all of your wonderful ideas and info! I discovered your site about two weeks ago and I cannot stop reading all of your past posts! I'm addicted! We ate mostly healthy before, but now I am taking it to the next level by getting rid of most if not all of the processed food & food dyes or at least not buying it again. I am so excited to be making my meals,, bread, etc from scratch! Thank you so much! I couldn't do it without your site!
Jen says
I cannot locate the cinnamon raisen bagel recipe. Only one for bread. Is there a way to adapt the bread recipe for bagels? Thanks for this website...wonderful!
100 Days of Real Food says
I actually did adapt the cinnamon raisin bread recipe to make bagels. I let the bread machine do the kneading and then I formed them into 9 bagels, let them rise, boiled them and then baked them. They are not perfect, but my kids like them. The recipe needs more work/practice before I can post it!
Andrea @ No Doubt Learning says
I love all these ideas! It really inspires me to get out of the rut of serving the same ol' lunches.
~Andrea :)
Maria says
These are great ideas for lunches! My boys aren't old enough to stay at school for lunch yet. I just need to figure something else to use instead of toothpicks. I could totally see my 4 yr old using a toothpick as a light saber and poking someone with it;)
Jaime's Journeys says
Thank you for all of these wonderful ideas. I have been experimenting with a few of your recipes. Not only are they easy and affordable to make, they are delicious! My 7 year old has loved everything I have made so far. I try so hard to eat healthy and unprocessed food and your website is such a wonderful wealth of information.
LNUNES says
Thanks for the inspiration!
Malia J says
I really like your lunch box ideas. I also have a 7 and 5 year old. I'm curious though how they keep their food cold until they eat it. the apple sandwich would turn brown and my 7 year old I'm sure would turn his nose up at it. Do you have any suggestions?
100 Days of Real Food says
I put their lunches in an insulated lunch bag with several frozen ice packs. Also a little lemon (or other citrus) will help prevent the apples from turning brown...although I've found they love the apple sandwiches so much they'll eat it no matter what (the same is not true for apple slices though...they won't eat those if they are brown).
Amber says
Hello there! Thanks for the inspiration. What kind of insulated bag do you use? I want to make sure I pick one that will comfortably accommodate the ziplock container and ice packs. Thanks again.
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Amber. I have the lunch boxes from Lands End (the larger ones) and they fit them just fine, with a drink too. Jill
April says
Do the apples brown you by lunchtime if you cut them up like you have them in the pictures? When I cut an organic apple here at home for my toddler to eat, it browns very quickly on my counter when he is snacking.
April says
*not brown you...LOL. Not sure how that happened.
100 Days of Real Food says
If you squirt lemon juice (or other citrus) onto the cut apples it helps prevent browning.
Cady says
This couldn't be more perfect timing, Lisa. Thanks for sharing your lunch ideas yet again.
I am going to stop using the provided food and start sending my own to daycare with my toddler on Monday (our whole, local, mostly organic food diet is so different from what's provided at daycare that I've finally had enough and am going to make everything myself). My mind is spinning with how to get prepared for this endeavor! I have to pack breakfast, lunch, and a snack daily. Your ideas are going to come in very handy. Thank you!
Virginia says
Be sure to check with the daycare. As a former DC worker this is fronted upon and very difficult unless all children get home lunches. All the other children want what the other child is having.
Cady says
Yes, that was of course the first thing we did, check with the daycare. We already knew of one family who sends all organic food so knew it was possible, but I was concerned with what requirements the daycare had for us to bring food ourselves (just need a written letter), where and how the food will be stored (in the fridge and it must be labeled with name and date), and whether there were allergens to avoid (nope).
My biggest concern that still remains is the fact that my son might want what others are having (or others will want what he's having) and that it will be difficult on the teachers. However, that is not enough of a deterrent to keep me from following through with what I know in my heart/gut/soul is the right thing to do.
Kelly says
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Staci says
I agree with Kelly!! Thank you!!!!!!
Jennifer says
Love this post! What a great guide with tons of ideas. The smoothie pops were a big hit at our house as well!
Twinkle Teacher says
This. Is. Amazing. A fan suggested I check out your site and it's such an inspiration. My oldest goes off to full-day school next year and I've already been thinking about how to get her out of the food line and excited about lunches like she eats here. PLEASE keep this all coming. I call "real food" grown grub food and it makes me happy. And I'm all about the happy. Look for twinkles, follow the winks, find your happy.
Marcie says
I seem to remember reading that you were gifted a food dehydrator for Christmas last year, but I have not heard anything since! What's the skinny? Do tell about your experience with it so far. I just found an old one at a garage sale last weekend. Its looks very old, but hopefully in working condition. I am excited and scared to try it!
100 Days of Real Food says
Honestly I've just been too busy - blogging!! :) - to use it as much as I would like to. I have made fruit leathers and beef jerky and they were both hits...thanks for the reminder to get it out again!
bobbi schmidt says
What do you use to core and cut your apples like that for the apple sandwich? Also, what is the brand of your jelly, where do you buy it? Thanks!!!
100 Days of Real Food says
I just sliced them with a knife, but then I used a small round cookie cutter to get out the middle/core (after it was sliced). I have this set of round cookie cutters that goes from big to small: http://tinyurl.com/d4lqoyy
Also, we use Crofters Organic "jelly" but it's more like an all fruit spread.
Sarah says
When you send the hard boiled eggs do you remove the shell? do you daughters ever complain about all their food smelling like eggs?
100 Days of Real Food says
I do remove the shell (mainly b/c they don't have much time to eat lunch). And they haven't said anything about the smell to me...those compartments are air tight so I doubt it affects the other food in there.
Susan says
What a great post! Thanks so much for taking the time to compile this info and photos. And I must say... I can't believe people would question whether or not these lunches provide enough food for a 1st grader! Seriously?? These are terrific lunches! I think they would be plenty for me too, and I'm a lot older than 7. ;-)
Kristen says
I wish you would pack my lunch for work! Thanks for the great ideas :)
Reagan says
Hello,
I was wondering what you thought about the Applegate Farms ham? I tried the turkey about a week ago, and my kids wouldn't eat it. It had some clear jelly-like goo in different parts of it. Do you know what that is? Does the ham have that?
100 Days of Real Food says
I've never tried the turkey...I would recommend calling Applegate directly and asking them what that was about. I don't recall seeing it in the ham, which is what we buy on the rare occasion we buy sandwich meat.
kristen says
Thank you so much for all the lunch ideas! School lunches seem to just stress me out!!! And, thank you for taking the time to do this blog! It has helped me tremendously! You are a great wife and mother to put so much care into your family's meals!
Andrea says
I think I may start making some of these to take for my lunch! It's hard to find new things to take to work for lunch and I get bored eating the same things. These lunches have variety and look yummy.
Deanna says
Great suggestions! You are an inspiration. I think I do pretty well health wise with lunch for my 7, 4 and 2 year old but you make it look appetizing. I had a quick question. My 4 and 2 year old can't tolerate dairy. We are a real food family but miss out on many recipes because of the dairy content. What do you suggest? My husband and older child love dairy so I don't know what to do and imitation cheeses and milks are just that, imitation. Thanks!
100 Days of Real Food says
Try subbing unsweetened coconut or almond milk for milk...I am not sure about cheese though. Sorry I am definitely not a food allergy expert!
Stephanie says
For something close texture wise to cheese, try rice cheese. It melts great too! Everyone in my family, including my parents, will eat it.
skeeta says
Thank you ,these lunches are great and they look so delicious.
My grandkids would love them.
Cheers skeeta
mandy hoeft says
I would love it if you could e-mail me the link or name of where you found the smoothie freezer pop containers... those are PERFECT!!! I make meals very similar to yours for my 3 daughters ages 4, 6, and 8..... we are a mostly vegan/ and whole food eatting family so I love your ideas :) Thank you
Mandy
Anna says
Here's a link to an article that Lisa did on the smoothie pop molds. The article includes a link to buy them. Hope this helps! https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/03/19/real-food-tips-4-hints-for-using-freezie-pop-molds/
100 Days of Real Food says
Mandy - All our lunch supplies (including the smoothie pop holders) are on this page: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/my-kitchen-essentials/#kids
mom2Dolly says
Thank you so much for such great ideas. My daughter is not a picky eater but I needed some new, fresh ideas.
Jan says
So cute and yummy looking!
padmaja says
Thank you very much for sharing this....
Deb says
Oh man, these look awesome! Thanks for the great ideas:)
Alissabeth says
Honestly, the hardest part (ironically) about eating whole foods is NOT counting the protein and calories, etc. We've always been taught the food chart, how much protein we need, see all the media - we're not getting enough Vitamin D or Calcium, etc. It's kind of a twist for your brain! It is nice not to have to worry about things like that though, because we know that we are feeding our families what we were intended to eat!
Candy says
These lunches look terrific! Will you come and pack my lunch? I've beentrying to get on the real food band wagon but just can't seem to climb up there. :-(
Laura says
My 7 year old son is a very picky eater. (I think it's related to his Sensory Processing Disorder). But his lunches look similar to these in portion size and protein amounts. He eats lunch early, so he's usually ready for a snack when he gets home. However, he says he gets plenty to eat at lunch time. There are some of these ideas I'm going to try, tough. I think he would like the fruit kabobs and apple sandwiches especially.
Whitney says
When lunches start getting boring, my first grader asks if we can look at the photos of the lunches you have on Facebook. Now we will be able to reference this post! She will be so excited :-). Thanks!! Also, we have been using those containers for the past 2 months and they are absolutely perfect for her lunch.
Veronica says
How awesome! Your children will always remember these lunches, I am certain. They will appreciate the hard work and love that went into these!
Thanks for the wonderful variety of ideas you gave! I homeschool, so wouldn't need to pack lunch but what an inspiration for their lnches anyway. :-)
Anna says
One of the most useful posts I've ever seen! Thank you a hundred times!
Marcy says
So many great ideas and lunches! I usually don't make anything very elaborate, but this was a bento lunch I made:
http://www.tootimidandsqueamish.com/2011/09/meatless-bento/
Margo, Thrift at Home says
thank you thank you thank you for this post!!! My daughter started kindergarten this year and I have been so LOST in regard to school lunches. My food philosophy is very close to yours as you explained it in this post, so I know I will be able to use your menus. Thank you so much! I am so excited to read each one and get some new ideas! Genevieve had homemade sushi in her lunch yesterday, and sesame noodles and strawberry sauce in her lunch today. My fallback is homemade muffin, cheese stick, and cut up apple.
Michele says
I saw a question about apples turning brown and thought I'd share my experience. I read an experiment someone did dipping cut apples in apple juice, lemon juice and something else. If my memory is correct the apple juice worked best. I tried that for a while, but realized if I put the apples in a container with a good seal (airtight) right away they didn't brown very much if at all. So I no longer dunk - saves a little bit of time.
Michele says
Thanks for the pictures and ideas. It always helps as I tend to fall into ruts. Other ideas that my girls like are: chili, organic mac & cheese, tuna salad. I discovered my picky eater likes berries so I've been sending a lot more of those lately. We occasionally have homemade granola bars.