School Lunch Box Ideas-Parent and Kid Approved

One of our friends recently asked us to post something on lunch box tips when dealing with a fussy eater.  While we are certainly no expert on this we do send our boys to school 4 days out of the week with a healthy home prepared lunch.  So we hope to share some SIMPLE, FUN, WHOLESOME food ideas with you all that will make lunch the highlight of your kid’s day.  So grab your kid’s lunch bag or bento box, and let’s get started!

First rule of lunch box making is that there are no rules.  Remember that!  If your kids don’t like turkey, use chicken instead.  If they hate carrots but love cucumbers, then use more of those.  Allergic to peanuts?  Try almond butter!  The key is to try some new inspirational ideas and modify as needed for your kiddos.  And a tip from Dr. Wilt’s pediatric days- ENGAGE THE KIDS!  Either help them pack/make the lunch, or offer them two or three choices from each category and let them pick the one they one (in other words… pretzels or nuts? cheese stick or peanut butter?).  Lastly, limit portions sizes to suit their needs.  If you give them a ton of fruit, they are more apt to neglect the other sections.

Okay, so now moving on to how we go about packing our lunch box for our kids is:

• A main dish consisting of a protein.  Super important to keep them full until the end of the school day.

• A veggie.  The trick with this is meal prepping ahead of time for the week.  We will chop up carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers…you name it and have it ready in a big Tupperware to use for the entire week so we can just grab and throw in the lunch box in the morning.  Saves a ton of time!

• A fruit.  This one is usually pretty easy as most kids will gobble up fruit.

• Something crunchy.  We love to add something with a little crunch.  Helps kiddos slow down while eating and is always a fun texture for the meal to feel complete.  Think carrots, pretzels….

• Something sweet.  Everything in moderation!  We typically go with some flavored greek yogurt, fruit, and once in a while I will surprise them with one piece of dark chocolate to sweeten up their day!

Having a formula to generally follow now makes is easier to grab and pack that lunch box quicker. Below are 10 Bento Box Lunch Ideas That Are Parent + Kid Approved! Happy + Healthy Eating and please be sure to comment what meals your kiddos enjoyed the most!

• Turkey Sandwich

• Carrots

• Fig Cookies

• Edamame

• Strawberries

__________________________

• Pasta salad

• Bell-pepper strips

• Hard-boiled egg

• Graham crackers

• Pineapple

__________________________

• Leftover chicken with BBQ sauce

• Grape tomatoes

• Gold fish crackers

• Greek yogurt

• Blueberries

__________________________

• Ham roll-ups

• Sliced cucumber

• Pretzels

• Piece of dark chocolate

• Dried cherries

__________________________

• Tuna Sandwich

• Snap peas

• Hummus

• Sliced apples

• Animal crackers

__________________________

• Pepperoni slices

• Cheese stick

• Crackers

• Sliced oranges

• Olives

__________________________

• Bagel with cucumber and cream cheese

• Grapes

• Almonds

• Edamame

• Protein balls

__________________________

• Turkey wrap

• Banana

• Muffin

• Cubed cheese

• Broccoli with yogurt ranch dip

__________________________

• Pita pizza

• Applesauce

• Mini sweet peppers

• Lowfat Ranch

• Granola Bar

__________________________

• Cheese Quesadilla

• Fruit salad

• Chips

• Guacamole

• Mixed nuts