Healthy Lunch Ideas For School
School Lunch Ideas that are healthy, kid-friendly and perfect for picky eaters. Tons of back to school lunches for nut-free, dairy-free, grain-free, sugar free, Whole30, paleo, low carb, keto and gluten free substitutions. Lots of options for no cooking, no heating or microwave needed
Easy School Lunch Ideas
It’s that time of year again! Back to school season is upon us and that means many parents are going to need all the Easy School Lunch Ideas. Although many schools have their first day back at school in August but around here, classes begin in September, the day after Labor Day. These
Don’t you just feel like every summer flies by quicker and quicker? We sure do and are definitely going to be missing the slower mornings. If you’re already back to your regular school routine again, you’re probably faced with that daily question of what to pack in school lunches. Packing lunches can always be a challenge and here are some healthy lunch ideas to get you started.
Most parents struggle with trying to balance nutritious choices with what your child will actually eat. Staying organized by planning ahead and having a variety of fresh, fun and healthy ideas helps make life easier with school lunches.
It’s the best feeling to open that lunchbox at the end of the day and see that your kids love everything that you packed.
Helpful Tips When Packing School Lunches
1. Plan Ahead
Make back to school lunches ahead of time at night and portion off any dried snacks that keep well on Sundays for the rest of the week.
2. Mix it up
Include a variety so your child doesn’t get bored. Switch things up and pair different snacks, fruits, carbs and protein. Leftovers like muffins, pasta salads or chilled sesame noodles are some great choices for school lunch ideas for kindergarten and high school.
Granola Bar Recipes:
- Healthy Homemade Granola Bars -12 Ways
- Pumpkin Cashew Butter Granola Bars
- 5 Ingredient Granola Bars
- Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chips Granola Bars
- No-Bake Granola Bars with Almond & Cranberry
- Chewy No-Bake Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola Bars
Energy Bite recipes
- Energy Bites – 12 Ways
- Cranberry Energy Bites
- Almond Joy Energy Bites
Keep Things Fun With Some DIY “Lunchables”
Allow your child to put together their own DIY pizzas or wraps with dips and sauces to make things interesting.
Yogurt, hummus, guacamole and salsa are great for adding flavor to vegetables and fruit.
Food Safety
Many items will keep at room temperature but be aware of which will require an ice pack to stay cool. Also make sure that you are aware of any peanut or other food restrictions that the school might have in place. I’ve included many nut-free lunches and included notes for substitutions.
Keep Food Separate Using A Lunch Box That Has Divided Compartments
Having a lunchbox with separate compartments and / or liners will help you remember to include all the components of a balanced meal.
Here are a few of my favorites:
PlanetBox – 5 Compartments
LunchBot – Trio and Duo
3 Compartment LunchBoxes
Back To School Kids Lunch Ideas
Today is the day! My kids are going back to school which is mind boggling to me. I have no idea where the summer went and I have mixed emotions about watching them go back to school. I have one leaving the house at 6:00 am, one at 7:00 am, and two at 8:00 am which means it is a non-stop busy morning.
I am one of those Moms. I organize up a storm leading up to the first day of school and have a goal of packing healthy lunches all year long. By the time May comes around, their lunches barely resemble lunch. But I start off real strong! Haha!
I do have a theory though in our home and it works for us. My kids pack their own lunches. Here’s the thing — kids are fickle. One day, they love a certain granola bar and the next day they despise it, for some odd reason. They tire of certain foods and so I switch up their choices often. I give them a lot of different options to keep lunch interesting. So I am sharing a list of some healthy school lunch ideas for kids.
BACK TO SCHOOL KIDS LUNCH IDEAS:
OPTION #1
Turkey + Cheddar Roll-up
Fresh Berries
Yogurt
Trail Mix
OPTION #2
Hummus
Pita Bread
Grape Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Sliced Oranges
OPTION #3
Cheese Quesadilla
Guacamole
Salsa
Tortilla Chips
Strawberries
OPTION #4
Deli Meat + Cheese Kabobs
Red Pepper Slices
Apples
Fruit Leather or Snacks
OPTION #5
Hard Boiled Eggs
Baby Carrots + Ranch
Pretzels
Peaches or Applesauce
OPTION #6
Pasta Salad
Yogurt
Granola Bar
Raspberries
OPTION #7
Almond Butter + Jelly (or PB +J)
String Cheese
Fruit Cup
Chips
OPTION #8
Crackers
Cheddar Cheese Cubes
Grapes
LaraBar or Cliff Bar
OPTION #9
Bagel + Cream Cheese
Yogurt Tube
Baby Carrots
Fruit Snacks
OPTION #10
Veggie Wraps with Hummus
Edamame or Snap Peas
Clementine
Granola Bar
MAIN MEAL:
Pita Bread + Hummus
Cheese + Crackers
Turkey + Cheese Roll-ups
Almond Butter + Jam Sandwich
Cheese Quesadilla
Hard Boiled Eggs
Pasta Salad
Meat + Cheese Kabob
Chips + Guacamole
Ham + Cheese Sandwich
Bagel + Cream Cheese
Veggie +Hummus Wrap
FRUITS + VEGGIES:
Oranges
Apples
Strawberries
Grapes
Peaches
Blueberries
Raspberries
Natural Applesauce
Mangoes
Melon
Baby Carrots
Cucumbers
Grape Tomatoes
Edamame
Snap Peas
SIDES And SNACKS:
Chips
Granola Bars
Pretzels
String Cheese
Yogurt
Trail Mix
Lara Bar or Cliff Bar
Fruit Leather
Fruit Snacks
Popcorn
Crackers
Chips + Salsa
Fruit Cup
Pudding Cup
Graham Crackers
Cookies
Rice Krispies Treats
DRINKS:
Water Bottle
100% Juice Boxes
Capri Suns
Bolthouse Smoothies
Milk — Strawberry or Chocolate
School Lunch Ideas
I’ve included these easy and kid-friendly school lunch recipes, tips and tricks below to make preparing school lunches a breeze. The lunchboxes, silicone muffin liners and condiment cups can all be purchased from Amazon.
Feel free to mix and match or swap out any of the fruits and snacks to suit your tastes.
1. DIY Tortillas
- Tortilla chips – Use grain-free or gluten-free tortilla chips as needed. We like Siete Grain-Free Tortilla Chips.
- Shredded cheese – leave out or use vegan cheese for dairy-free. We like Violife and Chao), grape tomatoes.
- Turkey – sub with chicken or ham. Or for a meatless option, sub with cooked tofu, tempeh or vegan deli slices, chickpeas for vegan.
- Cheese – cut into circles OR string cheese – leave cheese out for dairy free version or use vegan cheese for dairy-free. We like Violife and Chao.
- Fresh fruit – pictured above: peach slices, watermelon chunks, blueberries and blackberries
2. Turkey And Cheese Roll-ups
- Turkey slices, swiss and cheddar cheese slices. Leave cheese out for dairy free version or use vegan cheese for dairy-free. We like Violife and Chao. Or for a meatless option, sub with cooked tofu, tempeh or vegan deli slices, chickpeas for vegan.
- Raw almonds (leave out for nut free version)
- Raw veggies: celery, grape tomatoes, cauliflower and zucchini
- Multi-grain or grain-free crackers with sunbutter. We like Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers.
- Apple slices
- Grapes
3. DIY Lunchables
- Pita or tortilla triangles – Use grain-free or gluten-free tortillas as needed. We like Siete Grain-Free Tortillas.
- Plantain chips
- Zucchini or cucumber
- Turkey OR your favorite deli meat – Or for a meatless option, sub with cooked tofu, tempeh or vegan deli slices, chickpeas for vegan.
- Apple slices
- Wholegrain mini crackers – use grain-free or gluten-free crackers as needed. We like Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers.
- Hummus (OR cream cheese if not dairy-free)
- Fresh berries – (Pictured above: strawberries, blueberries and blackberries)
- Pumpkin seeds and cranberries
4. Healthier Egg “Salad” Sandwich –
- Avocado egg salad – scrambled eggs mixed with avocado, Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper with multigrain bread or wholewheat bread. (Use grain-free or gluten-free bread as needed. We like Base Culture or California Country Gal) – cut into bite-sized portions (mini grilled cheese sandwiches would also be another great option if you’re not dairy free)
- Cooked corn on the cob
- Raw vegetables – sugar snap peas, grape tomatoes, shredded carrots (baby carrots), canned chickpeas
- Vegan ranch or dairy-free Greek yogurt. We like Culina or Kite Hill
- Fruit – cubed watermelon (or a homemade fruit leather)
5. DIY Pizza
- Pita or tortilla triangles – Use grain-free or gluten-free tortillas as needed. We like Siete Grain-Free Tortillas.
- Turkey pepperoni slices – sub with plant-based pepperoni slices for a vegan option.
- Pizza sauce or salsa
- Shredded cheese – use vegan cheese for dairy-free. We like Violife and Chao.
- Raw vegetables – grape tomatoes, chopped cucumber or zucchini, shredded carrots
- Fresh fruit – cubed watermelon and grapes
6. Smashed Chickpea Sandwich
- Smashed Chickpea Sandwich – with multigrain bread (Use grain-free or gluten-free bread as needed. We like Base Culture or California Country Gal) – cut into bite-sized portions – fill with smashed chickpeas, smashed avocado, salt & pepper, kale (or lettuce)
- Fresh fruit – peach slices, blackberries, chopped watermelon
- Raw vegetables – zucchini, cucumber and / or celery
- Banana
- Hummus with sugar or snap peas and multigrain crackers – use grain-free or gluten-free crackers as needed. We like Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers.
7. Taco Salad (Gluten Free)
- Freeze-dried strawberries and blueberries
- Plantain chips
- Cranberry Energy Bites OR you can make your own trail mix
- Taco Salad – lettuce, black beans, sliced tomatoes and shredded cheese – leave cheese out for dairy free version or use vegan cheese for dairy-free. We like Violife and Chao.
- Unsweetened apple sauce
- Grapes
8. Healthier Egg “Salad” Sandwich
- Avocado egg salad – scrambled eggs mixed with avocado, Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper with multigrain bread or wholewheat bread (Use grain-free or gluten-free bread as needed. We like Base Culture or California Country Gal) – cut into bite-sized portions (mini grilled cheese sandwiches would also be another great option if you’re not dairy free)
- Cooked corn on the cob
- Pumpkin seeds and cranberries
- Apple slices with dairy-free Greek yogurt – We like Culina or Kite Hill.
- Fresh berries – (Pictured above: strawberries, blueberries and blackberries)
9. Tuna Salad
- Tuna salad – tuna mixed with Whole30 mayo + salt + pepper + chopped celery. Use Smashed Chickpea Salad for a meatless option.
- Avocado slices + Trader Joe’s Everything Bagel Seasoning, cherry tomatoes + sliced cucumbers + broccoli
- Spiralized zucchini + marinara sauce
- Pumpkin seeds + sunflower seeds + unsweetened organic coconut flakes