15+ easy school lunch ideas

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These easy school lunch ideas tackle the issues I didn’t think of until the day I packed my daughter’s first school lunch. Those first few weeks (or months) of eating lunch at school can be very different for kids compared to eating at home. They only have so much time to eat before it’s time for recess… and when it comes to finishing up your lunch alone or running out to recess, most kids choose recess and leave the rest of the lunch in their bag. For this reason – I use a bento box for Blaire’s lunches. There’s much less waste than using plastic baggies. We use a personalized one and a personalized lunch box from Stuck On You and have been so happy with the amazing quality. Blaire has used it nearly every day for two years and it held up great. Their website was very easy to use and everything turned out just as pictured. For this third year we are planning to order a new tray to go inside of the box… but maybe she deserves a new box, too?

Can she open each item herself?
Or will she have to wait for a teacher to help her? It was helpful for us to practice opening things at home.
Are these things easy to eat quickly?
One large thing to take bites of vs. something with lots of tiny pieces. (Cheez-its instead of Goldfish, Cucumber sliced long ways instead of small circles, etc.)
Does it require silverware?
Is there enough protein to keep her filled up until the end of her school day?
She’s 55lbs, so needs about 25 grams of Protein per day. (For reference, one colby jack cheese stick is 7oz.)
Will it get too slimy, gross, warm, cold, hard, soggy, etc. before it’s lunch time?

Protein:

Cheese cubes, string cheese, yogurt, pepperoni, turkey, hard salami, ham, shredded chicken, nut butters (if allowed in your child’s school), Nutella, Hummus

Sweet:

Apple Sauce Pouch, Fruit Snacks, Raspberries, Strawberries, Blueberries, Grapes, Mini Muffins, banana, raisins, clementines

Crunchy:

Cheez-it, Wheat Thins, Goldfish, Cucumbers, Carrots, Pea Pods, Green Beans, Pretzel Sticks, Bell Peppers, Baked Cheetos (white cheddar = no orange fingers!), Celery, Oyster Crackers, Triscuits, Graham Crackers, Scooby Snacks

Dessert:

Whatever I choose for dessert I only do a few pieces of and I try to pick something that’s not in a wrapper. M&Ms, gummy bears, sour gummy worms, frosted animals crackers, 1/2 cosmic brownie, mini chocolate chip cookies

15 easy school Lunch Ideas:

Pepperoni slices, cheese stick, yogurt drink, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, goldfish, and gummy bears
Turkey + Cheese sandwich (can be half of a sandwich!), carrot slices, strawberries, apple sauce pouch, cheetos and m&ms
Cheese stick, yogurt drink, bell pepper strips + hummus, raspberries, cheez-its and fruit snacks
Cheese quesadilla, pretzel sticks, cucumbers, blueberries, apple sauce pouch and sour gummy worms
Shredded chicken, babybel cheese, wheat thins, celery, raisins, blueberries, 1/2 cosmic brownie
PB&J, goldfish, apple sauce pouch, pea pods, grapes and frosted animal crackers
Turkey + Cheese roll up, wheat thins, fruit snacks, drinkable yogurt, strawberries and mini chocolate chip cookies
Waffle + peanut butter, grapes, yogurt, carrots + hummus, graham cracker, mini muffins and m&ms
Deli meat + cheese pinwheel, applesauce pouch, oyster crackers, bell peppers, raisins and frosted animal crackers
Buttered ramen noodles, pea pods, blueberries, raspberries, baked cheetos, tomatoes and 1/2 cosmic brownie
Bagel, apple sauce pouch, fruit snacks, cucumbers, banana, goldfish and gummy bears
Mini toaster waffles, drinkable yogurt, strawberries, scooby snacks, raisins, blueberries and mini chocolate chip cookies
Hard boiled egg, apple slices + peanut butter, grapes, mini muffins, cheez-its and frosted animal crackers
Cheese on dinner roll, celery, tomatoes, clementine, oyster crackers and m&ms
Turkey + cheese cubes, wheat thins, green beans, tomatoes, raspberries and 1/2 cosmic brownie
Hard Salami slices, cheese cubes, crackers, apple sauce pouch, cucumbers, and fruit snacks.