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When school starts up again, one of the biggest pains is figuring out what to pack for the kids lunches each day.
My daughter’s kinder-prep class is nut-free, so that can make things a little more difficult as it rules out anything to do with peanut butter. She only goes 3 days a week, but I like to give her a little bit of variety in hopes that she will eat more of her lunch.
I’ve come up with some different ideas to hopefully can help you too put together your school lunches!
Sandwiches: My daughter just started eating sandwiches. She only likes one piece of cheese and one piece of deli meat, but we are on our way! One thing I started doing is to buy slider buns and make the sandwiches on them. They are smaller than a regular size bread and more manageable for smaller hands.
Rolled up deli meat and cheese: I will roll up one or two pieces of deli meat and break them in half and then add some pieces of cheese. Then she can pick what she likes.
Pasta salad: . Both of my kids love pasta with olive oil and parmesan cheese. If we are having pasta for dinner the night before, I will make some extra and put it in the fridge for lunch the next day. Then I will add some veggies and cheese to it to make it a little more hearty for lunch.
Leftovers: . I use this whenever I have extras from dinner. It makes for a super easy lunch option!
Chicken: I will often buy either a rotisserie chicken or Perdue chicken strips and cut those up to include for lunch. I also almost always include cheese with this option since my kids love cheese!
Cheese and Crackers: This is an easy option and makes it seem like the kids are just having a snack, which they always love more than a meal!
Here are some of the sides that I include too:
- Fruit
- Veggies and Ranch Dressing
- Yogurt Raisins
- Veggie sticks
- Cheese sticks
- Cereal bar
- Goldfish
I try to include two or three side options along with the main portion so that she has a lot of things to choose from and will hopefully eat enough to be full and not want snacks all afternoon!
What are your go to lunches and snacks to pack for your kids?
I’m many many years out of school and don’t have kids of my own, but I read this post because I thought maybe I could use some of these ideas for lunch at my job! I LOVE snacking on cheese and crackers 🙂
xoxo A
http://www.southernbelleintraining.com
Great ideas!! I’m always looking for ideas for lunch!
I can’t wait for my little one to start eating sandwiches! It will make lunch time much easier. Right now, he likes to pick at individual items. He’s all about the cheese and crackers. These are great suggestions!
My daughter is almost 4 and she just started liking sandwiches! It definitely makes life easier!
These are great ideas! My kids love when I pack lunches, but it’s hard to find new things that are also school-allowed sometimes. Love the idea of sliders!
My neighbor actually turned me onto the sliders and they have worked out great! My daughter loves them!
Great ideas! I’ll try these instead of the “Tesco values” products.
My niece and nephews love homemade lunchables. It normally has lunchmeat, square cut cheese, Goldfish crackers and a snack. They ask for all the time.
That’s a great idea! I love it!
Such great ideas! My daughter always wanted to bring pack lunch for her school and I am sure she will love this new taste of food, thanks for sharing!
Many great tips. I don’t have kids myself, but I remember my mom always made homemade whole wheat bread with salami, ham or cheese or something like that. As long as the topping changed sometimes I was a happy and nourished kid! I still pack this for my lunch. 🙂
Thank for sharing, I have been looking up things to pack in my kids lunches for back to school, so this was helpful!
~xo Sheree
poshclassymom.com
Such simple and yummy ideas! Sometimes it’s easy to overlook the simple meal ideas!
I used to pack lunch for my kid, but now, since we are homeschooling, he’ll eat whatever is prepared on the spot.
Packing school lunches is such a challenge for me. My kids can be picky and it’s time-consuming. This makes it really easy thanks!
I’m glad that you found it helpful! I’m always stressing about school lunches too!
Thanks for the great tips. I’m going to try the pasta with Parmesan cheese. I’m sure my daughter would love it
My kids love it! I always think I’m making extra and they end up eating it all!
My kiddo loves deli roll-ups! He is also a big fan of olives, so we always have those little to go cups.
My kids aren’t huge fans of olives but love pickles! Both are such different things for little kids to like but I love it!
The slider buns are a great idea! I like to use thin cut bagels. My toddler likes to eat sandwiches with just cheese and meat too!
Oh I love the bagel idea! My little guy loves bagels so I’m going to have to try that with him!
These easy school lunch ideas for kids are a game-changer for busy parents. The variety and simplicity of these meal options make it so much easier to provide nutritious and delicious lunches for our little ones. The creative twists on classics and the inclusion of balanced options show how healthy eating can be fun and enjoyable. Thanks for the inspiration to make school lunches both tasty and nourishing