School Lunch Ideas: 40 Healthy Kid Lunches to Keep You Inspired

Here are some healthy school lunch ideas to keep you inspired! See school lunch idea photos and get tips for making school lunches easier.

Written by Genevieve Howland
Updated on August 08, 2020

School Lunch Ideas: 40 Healthy Kid Lunches to Keep You Inspired

Nothing says “back to school” like packing endless (and often dreaded) school lunches. If you’re anything like me, you start out with good intentions and then run out of ideas two weeks into the school year. While you can certainly use some of these kitchen hacks to make things easier, it doesn’t help if you have a case of “lunch packer block” (that is, you can’t stop packing the same things lunch after lunch after lunch.) That’s why I wanted to create this healthy school lunch ideas post: to keep you inspired when the going gets rough.

Finding JOY in packing school lunches

Truth be told, packing school lunches can be bothersome, boring and relentless. If your kids go away to school each day, it can be even more dissatisfying since you don’t get to actually see them oohing and ahhing over your amazing culinary skills. But, what if we flipped the whole thing on its head?

What if coming up with school lunch ideas became not only tolerable but JOYFUL?

After all, we have the opportunity to fill our kids’ bellies with nourishing, delicious and even inspiring food day after day after day. We also get to “love” on our kids in this very simple and yet important way. That’s how I’m choosing to approach school lunches this year. (We’ll see how long that lasts ?.)

Tips for making school lunches easier

Since we have to make at least 200 lunches for our kids (and this includes homeschoolers too!), we might as well make it easier on ourselves… amiright?

Here are some simple things you can try:

Involve your kids. Depending on your child’s age, have them cut up veggies, grab an apple out of the fridge, pack crackers, you get the idea. By having your kid help, you are teaching them to navigate the kitchen as well as boosting confidence and knowledge. You can also take the opportunity to teach them about healthy foods and macronutrient balance with each lunch! (If your kids don’t know how to prep food, consider enrolling in the Kids Cook Real Food course.) Also, let your kids come up with school lunch ideas, too!
Cook in bulk. Consider making extra for dinner each night and pack leftovers for lunch. Or, make big batches of healthy gummy men, muffins, waffles, pasta, and rice & beans and store in freezer. Take out what you want to pack the night before to defrost and throw it into your kid’s lunch the next day.
Use “convenience” foods. I’m not talking processed or fast foods but rather easy and very “packable” real foods like cherry/grape tomatoes, pitted olives, defrosted frozen peas/lima beans/corn, organic berries, clementines, organic grapes, string cheese, hard boiled eggs, organic jerky sticks, drinkable yogurt, healthy snacks like olive oil popcorn, seed crackers, or sprouted nuts & seeds
Freeze a few “emergency” meals. For those occasions when you have a late night and have to scramble for a lunch the next day, consider freezing a few lunches that you can grab and go. Some school lunch ideas include: bean burritos, almond & honey sandwich, turkey roll ups, etc. Add a piece of fruit and a drink, and you’ve got yourself a balanced meal for your child.

Getting the right lunch gear

While there are literally dozens of portable food gear products out there, you want to find lunch supplies that are:

made with non-toxic materials like stainless steel
dishwasher safe (ain’t nobody got time for hand-washing!)
leak-proof (or mostly leak-proof)
easy to pack
durable and not breakable
keep foods heat/cold as appropriate

My Favorite Lunch Box System

After much research, I decided to go with PlanetBox. Here is the gear I own:

Their ROVER PlanetBox, lunch bag, and big/small container set (where to buy)
Non-toxic ice packs (where to buy)
Non-leaking water bottle (where to buy)
Reusable, cloth napkin (where to buy)

While the price tag of their products was steeper than I wanted, I do have to say that I’m very pleased with their products. I used exclusively last year and continue to use this year as well. (You can see their products below.)

My Favorite Water Bottles

For water bottles, I really like these from Thermos (where to buy). I also use these Thermos containers for when I’m packing warm/hot foods, which is much less common. (where to buy)

My Favorite Snack Bags

Because my kids also need a daily snack packed for school, I like to use LunchSkins bags. They work just like ziplocks but are reusable! Their reusable snack bags are lead-free, BPA-free, PVC-free, phthalate-free, and moisture-resistant to keep your food fresher longer.

School lunch ideas video

You can see all my lunch ideas in the video above, or scroll down to see all the photos.

School lunch idea photos…

Special thanks to my friend Savanna, who shared (and snapped) some of her favorite school lunch ideas for this post! ❤
Mama Natural kids school lunch ideas 01

Veggies with hummus, grapes, nuts and banana muffin with a pat of butter.
Mama Natural kids school lunch ideas 02

Cheese stick, chick peas and wild rice, peppers, nuts, and dip.
Mama Natural kids school lunch ideas 09

Hot lunch! Leftover pasta with meat sauce, a salad and apple.
Mama Natural kids school lunch ideas 06

Sharp cheddar, black rice crackers, pistachios, tomatoes, and berry medley.

Turkey wrap with pomegranate salad.

Veggie patties, grilled zucchini, fruit with coconut.

Chicken nuggets, chocolate strawberries with veggies.

Quinoa salad, hard-boiled bacon eggs, fruit gummy.

Grain-free sandwich, jicama & peppers, peas & pistachios.

Rice salad, plantain chips, fruit & veggies.

Roasted turkey, coleslaw, strawberries & coconut.

Black rice noodles, ants on a log, veggies & fruit.

Edamame strawberry salad, seeds, sauerkraut, & hummus dip.

Egg muffins, pesto dip & nut butter.
Mama Natural kids school lunch ideas 05

Hot lunch! Leftover pasta, berries, and cucumber slices.

Yogurt with honey, peas, black rice with olive oil, cheese, grapes, & nuts.

Chicken salad with lettuce wraps, rosemary potatoes, plantain chips, etc.

Pumpkin muffin, olives, nut rolled date, berries, cheese and zinc drop.

Chicken & beans, fresh mango and grape tomatoes.

Sprouted wheat pretzels, Bubbies pickle, seeds, berries, cheese & chocolate.

Apple, bacon & lettuce “sandwich”, various crackers, cheese, & goji berries.

Veggie pasta, cucumber salad, avocado, crackers, seeds and beans.

Blue potato chips, berries, cucumbers, cheese and nut/date bar.

Organic turkey on oat bread, tomatoes, Lara bar, berries and almonds.

Quinoa & beans, cheese, purple grapes, tomatoes, and date treat.

Veggie pasta salad, beef jerky, melon, avocado, and fruit/nut treat.

Yogurt with granola, almond butter sandwich, carrots, and strawberries.

Sprouted corn tortilla, trail mix, black beans, tomatoes, cheese, zinc drop.

Turkey sandwich, olive oil potato chips, berries, tomatoes & zinc drop.

Sprouted pretzels, tomatoes, grapes, cheese, walnuts, and ginger chew.

Beef jerky, berries, tomatoes, seed crackers with butter, & zinc drop.

Hot pretzel with mustard dip, salami/cheese, broccoli & dried fruit.

Rice & beans, tomatoes, cheese, walnuts & coconut-rolled date.

Homemade “goldfish” crackers, berries, tomatoes, & cheese.

BBQ chicken, coleslaw, carrots with dip, seeds & plantain chips.

Cheese crackers, peas, berries, cheese, seeds & elderberry drop.

Almond butter & jelly, slaw, bananas & strawberries, & carrot sticks.

Tortilla with butter, pineapple, red peppers, cheese & chocolate treat.

GF chicken nuggets w/ dip, sweet potato chips, veg/fruit & gummy star.

Rice pasta, hummus/veggies, pistachios, cheese, and chocolate.

Other pro tips for school lunch ideas:

Pack your lunches the night before.

While Papa Natural is getting the kids ready for bed, I’m in the kitchen making their lunches for the next day. (I eventually want to partner with Griffin to make lunches but for now, this is working for us.) I’m rather rushed in the mornings so prefer being free of this task. If you take a morning quiet time or do an a.m. workout, packing at night might also appeal to you so it doesn’t interfere with your spiritual or physical fitness ??

Buddy up with a friend or neighbor.

My dear friend and fellow foodie, Savanna, has the most amazing school lunch ideas (as you’ve seen above!). We snap pictures of our lunches each day and text to each other for moral support. We inspire each other and also commiserate on Fridays when we’re so done with packing lunches ?

Find a friend who is also committed to packing healthy lunches and share school lunch ideas regularly. Or better yet, buddy up with a neighbor and swap bulk food items to take some of the burden off of each of you. For example, you could make a big batch of healthy muffins and she could make extra rice & beans; you then swap portions to each other to help round out your lunches.

Taste the rainbow.

To ensure that your kids are getting a wide-spectrum of nutrients, try to bring lots of color into their lunches. Not only is it visually appealing but it provides a rich diversity of phytonutrients and other vitamins and minerals. Here is a list of food by color to get you inspired:

Purple
Plums
Red grapes ?
Kidney beans
Beets

Blue
Blueberries
Blue potatoes
Blue corn (high in selenium!)

Green
Broccoli
Green Peppers
Pear ?
Kiwi
Snap peas
Avocado
Seaweed (like these snacks)

Red
Pomegranate
Red meat
Most apples

Cherries

Tomatoes

Pink
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Rhubarb
Raspberries

Orange
Apricots
Sweet potatoes (these are delicious!)
Cantaloupe
Oranges/tangerines/clementines ?
Papaya

Yellow
Pineapple ?
Summer squash
Mango
Honey
Egg yolks
Butter

White/tan/brown
Mushrooms
Coconut
Chicken/turkey ?
Lentils
Dates

Black
Black beans
Blackberries
Black olives
Black rice (like these crackers)

Make your kids “snack” on any lunch leftovers.

After all of the effort that goes into making kid lunches, nothing feels worse that opening up a lunch box filled with half-eaten foods. When this happens in our household, I make the kids finish their leftovers before they can have other foods to eat, including dinner. This teaches them the value of not being wasteful and honors the work of others. ?

Find resources to help.

We all get into food ruts and need to break out of our old standbys. Consider joining a meal planning service to help you try new recipes that can be used as lunches. I like Real Plans because they create shopping lists (that you can use on your phone) and include lunch menus too. You can also follow awesome food bloggers like Deliciously Organic, Naturally Ella or Tasty Yummies. I also find inspiration in magazines and cookbooks like Nourishing Traditions.

Keep it simple.

While homemade sushi rolls and holiday-themed treats are fun to do on occasion, you want to also include regular, simple staples if you’re gonna stay in the game for the long haul. Simple foods are often best for younger, more delicate digestive systems, too. When coming up with new school lunch ideas, it can be as easy as just trying different foods, such as:

Less popular fruits like kiwi, grapefruit, and golden berries
Veggies like radishes, jicama, and plantains
Well-cooked grains like millet, amaranth, and savory steel cut oats
And healthy proteins like salmon jerky, Brazil nuts, and dried garbanzo beans

Infuse with L❤VE.

Researcher Kai Qin Chan showed that strong emotions like love or jealousy can impact the way food tastes (Love-infused food tastes better, btw 🙂 ). So there is actually some scientific proof to the importance of food “made with love.” You can write a little love note or buy these cute cards to stick in lunches. I also like to throw in a little “treat” most days like these Zand throat drops (with added zinc for immunity!), these elderberry gummies, dark chocolate or ginger chews.

How about YOU?

I’d love to hear from YOU, mama! What do you regularly make for your little ones? Share any tips or tricks you might have on school lunch ideas!

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About the Author

Genevieve Howland is a childbirth educator and breastfeeding advocate. She is the bestselling author of The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth and creator of the Mama Natural Birth Course. A mother of three, graduate of the University of Colorado, and YouTuber with over 130,000,000 views, she helps mothers and moms-to-be lead healthier and more natural lives.

28 Comments

jonniDS Dec 5 at 2:49 am

I remember my school cafeteria, how many memories there are, good and bad. You can imagine how many hours I spent there writing homework before my parents found out about the AssignmentShark homework writing service. I would really like to go back to school again, but alas, this is not possible 🙁

Reply
alanstat Nov 21 at 3:09 pm

Oh, how I didn’t like the student canteen with its food. Basically, I didn’t like student life for many reasons, especially because after studying I still had to write homework. It’s good that I came across article https://startup.info/make-room-for-your-dreams-with-the-best-write-my-essay-for-me-services/, which talks about essay writing services. Its author often helped me with writing essays, so my student years were not always terrible!

Reply
alanstat Nov 21 at 3:07 pm

Oh, how I didn’t like the student canteen with its food. Basically, I didn’t like student life for many reasons, especially because after studying I still had to write homework. It’s good that I came across article https://startup.info/make-room-for-your-dreams-with-the-best-write-my-essay-for-me-services/, which talks about essay writing services. Its author often helped me with writing essays, so my student years were not always terrible!

Reply
Baby Grafitty Dec 16 at 4:17 am

Your ideas to pack lunch are completely happy to explore and prepare for children to go with your tips by my children as I love to take these ideas for my children
Thanks!
for your beautiful blog
Baby Grafitty (https://babygrafitty.com/)

Reply
V Aug 17 at 5:00 pm

These most practical I’ve found online. Thank you for this.

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Peggy Butler Feb 18 at 2:38 pm

This was great! I’m going back to look where you found those stainless steel containers! I’ve been diagnosed with Hemochromatosis (Metals in blood) and stainless steel containers are not harmful for me….. thank you so much! I never thought about finding them for Storage and Lunches! ?

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Pencils Jul 17 at 2:02 pm

An excellent post, thank you!

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Vernon Tree May 7 at 3:52 am

I love the ideas and am definitely going to try a few, but most of the ideas involve nuts, or nut products and our school is zero nut policy…. so nuts listed in lunches is not good advertised as school lunches.

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- Melissa Aug 14 at 1:15 pm
  
  Same for us :-/ and my kid is allergic to dairy so no yogurt/cheese. And I can’t use almond milk yogurt because no nuts!
  
  Reply
Belinda Dec 8 at 12:44 am

When my son started preschool at 3, he was carrying a small backpack and the bento boxes with 3-4 compartments had to be put sideways which they tended to leak between compartments. I found that small 4-8 oz Mason jars were the perfect size for sides that could be stacked up. The 8oz jars could hold his beverage (he was partial to coconut water) and were always watertight. For warm food, a small Thermos worked perfectly and it was all stainless steel. Glass can be heavy but he didn’t mind since he was use to carrying the same for family hikes.

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Rebekah C Nov 22 at 7:40 am

What is the brand of non toxic ice packs you use? The amazon link is broken.

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Adriana lagatta Feb 7 at 2:48 pm

Hi mama great ideas! Lunch prepaing block is very real for me, i feel like when I innovate too much my son doesnt eat it at all so i end up doing same old stuff all the time, recently i decided to put at least one new thing everytime a veggie, or fruit that i know is not on his faves list sometime he takes a bite and i get super happy about it. Planet boxes are such a great product but we have a ant problem and i feel that it does not close that well so we chose Jacebox which is also leakproof and stainless steel with a snap on lock lid, that way i feel my sons food keeps fresh longer, good deal on Amazon now, i just got some for my hubbie who i also pack lunch for! We also use thermos for rice beans and pastas one of my sons favorites! For water bottle we live in hawaii and use hydroflask which i absolutely love it, because it keep our water cold even in hot weather.

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Lina Jan 10 at 6:02 pm

How do you feel about Dave’s Killer bread? My kids love the kind that has the seeds in it and is sweetened with fruit juice instead of sugar. It also doesn’t contain any soy. But I start to feel guilty they are having that much wheat…..they eat it about once a day, either one piece with eggs in the morning, or two pieces for a sandwich for lunch. What’s a good alternative? I feel they don’t get full enough without a carb, and a sandwich is just easiest sometimes!

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- Team Mama Natural Jan 12 at 10:20 am
  
  You’ve got to do what’s right for you and your family. Its a healthier option than most breads out there and if your kids love it and eat it, that’s a win!
  
  Reply
Quirina Jan 10 at 1:49 am

How do you keep the hot foods hot? I see you have some green beans, peas, pasta, chicken nuggets, bbq chicken, etc..mixed with some other cold foods on the lunch tray. Do your kids eat them cold?

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- Genevieve Howland Aug 29 at 11:33 am
  
  Yep, our kids eat them cold, and I pack the lunches with an ice pack so they stay cold until lunchtime.
  
  Reply
Ron Dec 11 at 11:03 am

My wife and I both working parents. My wife is a teacher and I’m in Retail. We adopted two children through foster care. They have been with us for 3 years. The youngest is 9 years old and very picky. While the 11 year old eats very little. Before they came to us fruits and vegetables were not part of their diet. It was fast food or gas station meals. I’ve tried apples, grapes, carrots , but the 9 year old always brings back food. He says I’m hungry after school. He just wants Peanut Butter sandwich and nothing else. No fruits or Veggies.

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- Marie Aug 8 at 8:35 am
  
  While it is disappointing that the 9 year old doesn’t want fruit or veggies, the peanut butter sandwich is not a bad choice. It has plenty of protein, peanuts are technically legumes and are full of vitamins & minerals, and it’s filling. It sounds like both of your kids went through some tough times early in their childhood. Those situations can often lead to strong emotional/psychological connections with food that take time to improve. It sounds like you are doing everything you need to do and more. As they grow, hopefully their palate to try new things will grow too. Kudos to you and your wife for being awesome parents!
  
  Reply
Vanessa Z. Sep 7 at 2:19 am

That’s really amazing school lunch ideas! I would like to advice this article to my friend. She has school age daughter so I believe that this ideas will be very helpful for her. I think that If you’re hungry at school, your productivity is on “zero”. So I’m really grateful to you for sharing such amazing, interesting ideas for parents and their kids. I hope that you will continue sharing this type of content!

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Dove Aug 19 at 8:50 pm

Love these ideas. Thank you. I have used the planet box also, the larger size, for 2 years now. 3rd grade and my daughter is going to make her own lunches this year. We just looked through all the pictures together for inspiration. Do you have a recipe for the gummies in the pictures?

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Joshua Roth Mar 9 at 10:49 pm

Thank you for sharing these very helpful views. The lunch ideas that you served are so interesting and vibrant as well. These ideas are really great as it helps kids to take a proper nutritious food.

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betsy Sep 19 at 9:18 pm

This is going to be a life saver! This post could not have come at a better time! I had thought of buying a PlanetBox but wasn’t sure about the price- 1 month in to school with a million small containers with missing tops and I am ready to take the plunge!

BUT! the Thermos water bottles? We have them and they leak every day! I was just about to research another type. I was so keen on the Thermos bc they are stainless, but literally they soak the backpack anytime they aren’t upright! I guess you havent had that experience… but how?

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- lori Aug 9 at 3:56 pm
  
  I like bkr and swell brands. Although pricey, they never leak and are great quality. bkr is glass and swell is metal.
  
  Reply
Stephanie Sep 8 at 11:35 am

These are some awesome ideas! We’re going through a lunch rut right now, especially since our once adventurous toddler is going through a pick phase. So nice to have some inspiration.

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Kelly (Kitchen Kop) Sep 7 at 3:53 pm

Apple, lettuce, and bacon sandwich!!!! That’s one I’ve never thought of, YUM!

Question: do you just rub some lime juice on the avocado to keep it from browning until lunchtime? Same question for the apples?

(We homeschool but our son takes lunches for his homeschool group classes.)

Thanks!
Kelly

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- Genevieve Mama Natural Sep 8 at 9:38 am
  
  Hi Kelly!
  
  Flip the avocado face down and it doesn’t brown 🙂 Lemon juice on the apples 🙂
  
  Reply
Tamara Sep 7 at 1:55 pm

Thank you for all the ideas. Our go to lunch is organic string cheese, carrot sticks, pickles, hard salami, fruit and a Laura bar or organic cliff bar…we drink spring water or homemade laborade for increased electrolytes prior to heavy duty football ? workouts. I’m sure a piece of roasted turkey or chicken would be better than the salami but just posting his favorite.

Reply
- Genevieve Mama Natural Sep 8 at 9:38 am
  
  Sounds good to me!
  
  Reply

School Lunch Ideas: 40 Healthy Kid Lunches to Keep You Inspired

On this page…

Finding JOY in packing school lunches

Tips for making school lunches easier

Getting the right lunch gear

My Favorite Lunch Box System

My Favorite Water Bottles

My Favorite Snack Bags

School lunch ideas video

School lunch idea photos…

Other pro tips for school lunch ideas:

Pack your lunches the night before.

Buddy up with a friend or neighbor.

Taste the rainbow.

Make your kids “snack” on any lunch leftovers.

Find resources to help.

Keep it simple.

Infuse with L❤VE.

How about YOU?

Read This Next…

About the Author

28 Comments

jonniDS Dec 5 at 2:49 am

alanstat Nov 21 at 3:09 pm

alanstat Nov 21 at 3:07 pm

Baby Grafitty Dec 16 at 4:17 am

V Aug 17 at 5:00 pm

Peggy Butler Feb 18 at 2:38 pm

Pencils Jul 17 at 2:02 pm

Vernon Tree May 7 at 3:52 am

Melissa Aug 14 at 1:15 pm

Belinda Dec 8 at 12:44 am

Rebekah C Nov 22 at 7:40 am

Adriana lagatta Feb 7 at 2:48 pm

Lina Jan 10 at 6:02 pm

Team Mama Natural Jan 12 at 10:20 am

Quirina Jan 10 at 1:49 am

Genevieve Howland Aug 29 at 11:33 am

Ron Dec 11 at 11:03 am

Marie Aug 8 at 8:35 am

Vanessa Z. Sep 7 at 2:19 am

Dove Aug 19 at 8:50 pm

Joshua Roth Mar 9 at 10:49 pm

betsy Sep 19 at 9:18 pm

lori Aug 9 at 3:56 pm

Stephanie Sep 8 at 11:35 am

Kelly (Kitchen Kop) Sep 7 at 3:53 pm

Genevieve Mama Natural Sep 8 at 9:38 am

Tamara Sep 7 at 1:55 pm

Genevieve Mama Natural Sep 8 at 9:38 am

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