While I don’t have kids in school yet, I love to plan out meals and get creative with, well everything. I can’t wait for the days when I get to make lunches for my kids! You know I’ll be the mom with a print out for the month with what they’re eating. That said, I know some of you despise coming up with lunch ideas, so I decided to compile a cute lunch idea list.
I’ve been working on this post for a while. I’m in the middle of baby led weaning with my littlest and my oldest is super picky so I am having to come up with lunch ideas for them anyway. I’m going to share lists of ideas for the main part of lunch and then the “sides” (or snacks) as we will call them. If you don’t have one already, I highly suggest getting a Bentgo box (or the knock off) if you have young kiddos.
Just a note: These are going to be easy lunches, if you are looking for something complex, I found a ton of those Pinterest mom posts on Pinterest with the pretty displays and the bright colored pictures, but this is for those of us who feel like food prep takes too much time and you need quick and easy ideas for the weeks to come! If you want to add a little pizzaz to these, throw in an encouraging love note to your littles.
Lunch Entrée Ideas:
- Basic Sandwich (PB & Jelly, Meat and Cheese etc.)
- Bagel and Cream Cheese (one of my favorite quick lunches)
- Cereal and Milk (put the milk in a resealable bottle)
- Quesadillas (cheese, chicken, beef, etc.)
- Pigs in a Blanket (or in a cornbread muffin)
- Pancakes/ French Toast? Belgian Waffles (cut up)
- Meat and Cheese Roll Ups (We always did these with a little mayo to help them stay rolled, but you can use any lunch meat)
- Chicken and Rice (It doesn’t have to be fancy, one of my favorite ways to eat chicken and rice is with a little milk and cheese mixed in).
- Mini Taco Bowls (using Tostito scoops as the taco bowl)
- Chicken, Tuna or Egg Salad Sandwiches (another one you can make in bulk for the whole fam that week)
- Protein “Power” Muffins (these are the big muffins that you can throw some fruit and veggies into. Kodiak makes a good base mix for this if you need assistance)
- Yogurt (this could also be a side, but to make it a main, add something to it like berries or granola, or if you’re super fun… chocolate chips).
- Sushi (you can venture to make this yourself, you grab some from Publix on Wednesday for $5)
- Breakfast Sandwiches (These can be made on a bagel, English muffin or in a tortilla)
- Burritos (or a lunch box sized burrito bowl)
- Homemade Mini Pizza (our absolute favorite mini pizza crust is Mama Mary’s from Walmart).
- Homemade Chilis or Soups in a thermos (or store bought if you’re out of time)
- Kid Tried and True Favorites: Mac and Cheese and Hot Dogs, Spaghettio’s, Uncrustables, Chicken nuggets
Lunch Side (snack) Ideas: (it is up to you as the parent to choose the right snacks for the age of your child)
- Peanut Butter w/ Apple Slices or Celery
- Popcorn (w/ salt, butter or cheese)
- Mixed Berries (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and blueberries mix really well)
- Stick things (veggie sticks, pretzel sticks, cheese sticks)
- Peanut Butter Balls (these are made by Skippy and they are a great way to get some protein into your picky eaters)
- Hard Boiled Eggs
- Crackers and Cheese (they sell pre-cut up cheese now at the store if you need an even easier option for this one)
- Chips and Salsa (not the healthiest, but you could make your own chips and salsa if that helps any?)
- Pasta Salad (a great thing to make in bulk for the fam that week)
- Mini Muffins (making these at home is super easy and cheaper, Betty Crocker has delicious box mixes if you don’t want to make them from scratch).
- Hummus with Peppers or Pita Chips
- Mixed Veggies with Ranch Dip (if you’re in a rush, it’s more expensive, but you can buy a veggie platter and just split it up for the week).
- Breads (cornbread, crescent roll, biscuit etc)
- Dried Fruit or Fruit Crisps (apricots and pineapple are surprisingly good dried)
- Kid Tried and True Favorites: Goldfish, Chips, Gummies, Trail Mix, Granola Bars
I hope this helps take a little bit of pressure off of you this year. You don’t have to make a Pinterest worthy lunch for your kids everyday. Your job is to feed them, that’s it (for lunch time). If you’ve got some other easy lunch ideas, drop them in the comments so we can add them to the list!
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