I’ve been packing lunches and snacks for my kids since my daughter started daycare nine years ago so I feel like an old pro at this point! Sometimes they buy the school lunch but when they don’t, I use a “recipe” of sorts to make packing easier
It works no matter what the allergy restrictions are in the class with easy swaps!
We use these bento boxes from Pottery Barn Kids and each kid has a different case to go around it.
Recipe for School Lunches
- Entrée (something filling with protein)
- Fruit
- Veggie
- Salty, crunchy snack
- Protein snack
- Sweet treat!
I made a list of our favorite items and ideas for each section for you guys. There are a million other options other than this list to pack in school lunches but these are our go-tos.
“Entrée”
- Obviously the easiest thing is leftovers from dinner but theywill only eat certain ones leftover including: meatballs, pasta with pesto, chicken noodle soup or my white chicken chili, or pasta with red sauce.
- Hummus with carrots, crackers, or pretzels
- Sunbutter and jelly sandwiches
- Bagel with cream cheese
- Mac & cheese
- Quesadilla (in thermos) with a side of sour cream
- Mini charcuterie boards (just salami, pepperoni, cheese, and crackers)
- Birchbenders Paleo Toaster Waffles with sunbutter and a little maple syrup
Fruit
Truly the possibilities are endless here. I try to include a fresh fruit everyday but once in a while if we have just come back from a trip or we’re all out for some reason, I’ll throw in an applesauce pouch.
- Berries: All the kinds
- Apple slices
- Orange/clementine sections
- Grapes
- Peaches/nectarines in the summer
- Watermelon
- Banana (unpeeled)
Vegetable
My kids will really only eat 4 raw vegetables so I rotate between these throughout the week:
- Sliced cucumbers
- Baby carrots
- Snap peas
- Sliced bell peppers
- Baby tomatoes
Salty Crunchy Snack
This is another easy section to fill because my kids loves their salty carbs (just like mama).
- Veggie Sticks
- Trader Joe’s Sour Cream and Onion Lentil Rings: I put this under protein and salty snacks because it fits both buckets.
- Pretzels: Any variety will do but Pretzel Crisps are our favorite.
- PopCorners Kettle Corn Chips
- Trader Joe’s Honey Wheat Sticks
- Popcorn
- Cheddar Cheesy Smiles
- Goldfish/Cheddar Bunnies
- Annie’s Snack Mix: Pro-tip don’t open a bag for yourself this stuff is addictive.
- Pirate’s Booty
- Classic Ritz crackers
- Cheese sandwich crackers
Protein Snack
- Cheese Stick
- Trader Joe’s Sour Cream and Onion Lentil Rings: These are delicious, I eat them for a snack myself too.
- Yogurt or yogurt pouch
- Hippeas Chickpea Puffs: The vegan cheddar flavor is a hit in our house.
- Magic Spoon Cereal (dry): Double points because she thinks it’s a treat 😉
- Spinach blender muffins with added collagen (I make these almost every week, both kids gobble them up)
- Z Bars
Treat
- Annie’s Gummies
- Annie’s Fruit Tape
- Cookie
- Muffin
- Bunny Grahams
- Trader Joe’s Peel-Away Fruit Buttons: We discovered these fruit leather buttons on a recent Trader Joe’s run and she loves them.
- Bear Fruit Rolls: Another good fruit-leather option in recycled packaging.
- Madegood Strawberry Granola Minis
