Our first “School Lunch Roundup” post quickly became one of the most popular pages on the blog so I thought I’d put together another one for you (2018 update: there are so many of these now that I’ve put together a School Lunch Roundup Series page where you can see them all)! For those who are newer to our site be sure to check out “My Favorite School Lunch Supplies” to see the details on all our containers, lunch boxes, thermos cups, etc. Also, if you see a recipe below that you may be interested in (like quesadillas, apple sandwich, refried beans, chicken noodle soup, etc.) just search for it using the search box at the top, right of the page. Most are on the blog, but unfortunately I’m not able to put a live link in photo captions.
Also, I’d like to make sure everyone knows about our meal planning sponsor, Plan to Eat. The start of school means getting back on a schedule and they can definitely help when it comes to the kitchen and grocery shopping. Plan to Eat is a web application that creates a categorized grocery list from recipes that you drag into an interactive meal planning calendar. You can easily import recipes from any website using their handy bookmark (similar to “pinning” in Pinterest), which helps to keep all of your favorite recipes in one place. They are currently offering a completely free 30-day trial, so you should definitely give it a try!
So without further ado, here is a summary of the school lunches that I’ve been sharing on my Facebook page:
Leftover whole-wheat vegetable quesadillas (with sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo on the side), an apple/peanut butter sandwich, and a homemade cashew/pistachio/raisin trail mix
Leftover spaghetti, banana and peanut butter packet
Leftover frozen smoothies in freezie pop molds (plain yogurt/berry/milk/banana and local Swiss chard smoothies), baked whole-wheat pita chips, hummus, apples/cantaloupe and popcorn
Warm refried beans with metled cheese, cold sour cream and green tomato relish (to go on beans), oranges, AND a treat…homemade (baked) whole-wheat donuts
Cream cheese and homemade jam on whole-grain Ak-Mak crackers (one cracker had been made with sunflower butter and jam when she requested cream cheese on the rest), a hard boiled egg, and cantaloupe/kiwi mix
Oatmeal made with milk/cinnamon/vanilla/raisins/honey, whole-wheat zucchini muffin, apples & kiwi
PB&J whole-wheat pitas, mozzarella cheese stick, frozen peas, and a diced apple/cantaloupe mix
Potato/vegetable soup (premade and frozen in individual portions) topped with cheese, sour cream, bacon and a homemade whole-wheat strawberry jam pop tart on the side
Whole-wheat waffle sandwich with cream cheese and cinnamon in the middle, a cheese stick, diced papaya, some leftover crock pot chicken
A variety of sandwiches (hummus/cheese/spinach, PB&J, leftover panini), popcorn, and fruit
Leftover homemade chicken noodle soup, a whole-wheat zucchini muffin (from the freezer), and a plum
Field Day Lunch (had to be disposable): Sunflower butter & “jelly” (an organic all fruit spread) on a whole-wheat pita (from Trader Joe’s), strawberries/blueberries, grapefruit slices, Kettle baked chips and a Clif twisted fruit leather (some very rare “treats”).
Whole-wheat banana/walnut muffin, apples, deviled eggs, and a frozen smoothie pop (made with plain yogurt, berries, bananas and swiss chard leaves)
Apple/PB sandwich, leftover whole-grain cornbread, TJs raw nut/raisin packet, and fruit (mango/kiwi/strawberry)
Leftover whole-wheat cheese pizza (from dinner), a fresh organic apricot, 2 carrots, and some grapes
Triple-decker waffle/cream cheese sandwich, fruit (mango/grapes/blueberries), and a little homemade trail mix (sunflower seeds/pumpkin seeds/dried apple rings/dried mango)
Homemade tomato bisque soup (defrosted from freezer – it’s her fav), whole-grain zucchini muffin (from freezer as well), and an apple/sunflower butter sandwich
Cream cheese and strawberry jam whole-wheat waffle sandwich, oranges, and leftover spinach salad topped with cheddar cheese, sunflower seeds, and homemade ranch dressing
My lunch on a roadtrip (not a school lunch!)… caprese salad with pesto, popcorn, and a whole-wheat banana walnut muffin
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Please feel free to share your lunch packing ideas in the comments below!
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Food Allergies: Dairy (including recipes)
Great ideas! Most of these look like something my kids would eat or at least try.
Sabrina, I hear ya! My son is 14 months old and would devour this yummy lunches and expect 3 more. Boys really eat a lot. My question is, how do you keep sliced apples from turning brown?
Hi Angelique. Lemon juice does the best job but lots of people prefer pineapple juice for the taste. :)
Hey there! I’m in my first year of dental school and trying to find healthy lunches to bring with me to school (instead of getting on the bus back to my apartment every day) — I absolutely love your ideas, and plan on using many of them.. thank you for sharing. I wanted to know what brand/type of whole wheat pitas you are using? I’d love to find a healthy option! Thank you!
Hi there. Lisa usually gets her whole wheat pitas from Trader Joes. ~Amy
Where do you get those cute little frozen smoothie holder pops?
:)
Hi Liz. You can find them here: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/03/19/real-food-tips-4-hints-for-using-freezie-pop-molds/.
This isn’t the place that I first saw it, but I don’t know which page it was, and I had to send a THANK YOU comment. My son opted to go to the local school last month, after his entire school career being in a virtual school. So, I had to start packing lunches. And then, he threw me a loop today, and reminded me of a field trip tomorrow, and oh, the lunch has to be disposable. EEP! I would have been frantic, if i hadn’t read some of your ideas on that recently! Instead, I shrugged, said “ok”, and proceeded to pack the exact same planned lunch in disposable plastic containers (That I pulled out of my recycling from yesterday’s lunch and washed). I even refilled a cheap plastic water bottle that I had in the car, and turned it into lemonade. Real food, and everything from the plastic fork to the water bottle can go in the trash (if it has to… I wish they had the option to recycle).
Thanks, Lisa, for making my panic not appear. :)