As our kids go back to school, moms are called to pack healthy lunches that our kids will actually eat!! I admittedly have extremely picky eaters, so I am always on the look-out for new lunch ideas! They purchase lunch from the school on occasion, but they generally prefer a packed lunch. I don’t blame them; I wouldn’t eat the school lunch often! Fortunately, we have plenty of healthy options that are also kid-friendly! Here are 14 ideas, along with a few successful lunch box options:
14 Healthy Kids Lunch Ideas for Back to School
- Wrap- You can put almost anything in a wrap! For the pickiest eaters, choose from classic peanut butter and jelly to other nut-free options. For a healthy lunch, try filling a wrap with turkey and cheese or fruit like strawberries and cream cheese. Another great option is peanut butter and bananas in a wrap.
- My kids love pinwheels. These include tortillas, cream cheese and ranch dressing mix blended, and thin-sliced ham. Roll these up, wrap in saran wrap, and let them refrigerate for several hours, Then, cut into slices. The kids love these!
- Another popular kid option is anything in a muffin! Pizza muffins, breakfast muffins, mac n cheese in a muffin pan, muffin-tin chicken pot pies! So many good options!
- Quesadilla varieties, from simply chicken and cheese to pizza to fruit-filled.
- Skewers- Cut up fruit, meat, and cheese on a skewer
- Sandwiches cut into kid-friendly shapes using cookie cutters.
- Bagels, such as pizza bagels, and peanut butter bagels, and bagel sandwiches
- Trail mix- If nuts are allowed, trail mix is a healthy lunch option and a snack item too, which often appeals to kids. Make your own trail mix by including nuts, raisins, a small amount of chocolate, and another snack items like pretzels or goldfish.
- Nachos with chicken, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and other veggies if desired
- Fruit such as cut up strawberries, whole apples, grapes, orange cuties, pineapple, watermelon.
- Veggies and dip or hummus, such as carrots, celery, broccoli, sliced red and green bell peppers
- Cheese sticks, gogurt, apple sauce, yogurt smoothies are always popular.
- Warm foods in a thermos, such as soup or leftovers that your kids love.
- Dried fruit, such as dried apple and banana chips, cranberries and apricots
For more ideas, check out Mom’s Priority’s Healthy Kids Lunch Board on Pinterest.
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