We are nearing the month of August, which means I am trying to get prepared for back-to-school! We have some new first day of school signs being designed, and I'm gathering up some quick and easy school lunch ideas for kids. Emphasis on the quick and easy. Here are some of my favorite school lunch ideas so far. Also, stick around for the end of this post and grab the free back to school printables! back to school signs, lunch box notes, interviews, etc.
Quick and Easy School Lunch Ideas for Kids
How to Make School Lunches Easy
- First step to making things easy….make sure you have some of the popular Bento-style lunch boxes, or something similar from the Easy Lunch Boxes brand, for keeping things nice and organized.
- Use silicone liners for separating snacks and keeping different foods from touching each other. You can get different shaped ones here.
- Get a thermos water bottle for taking water to school each day. My younger kids like the Thermos Funtainer. You can also get the smaller thermos for taking soup, etc.
- Have your kids help make their lunches and they will be more likely to eat them. If you have a pantry door, you can use these over the door hangers to store snacks that they can easily grab, or I use these pantry snack organizers.
Ideas for Quick and Easy School Lunches:
The best school lunch ideas are the ones that can be ready quickly and easily. Here are a few I've found recently:
Healthy Peanut Butter No-Bakes These might be my favorite of all the easy school lunch ideas! These are so healthy I eat them for breakfast, and would have no problem sending them in my kid's lunches. No added sugar and full of protein! Can be formed into bars or balls and customized in a variety of ways.
©iStock.com/merc67
Pizza Muffins These can also be made and frozen ahead of time.
©IgorDutina/ via Getty Images
Honey Popcorn Balls. SO easy. Perfect snack addition to your kid's lunch
Here's an example of a way to use the funtainer to keep a lunch warm. Beans and rice!
Yogurt Parfaits, salads to go, or dippable snacks
Cheddar and Ham Pinwheels. Another school lunch idea that can be made ahead of time and frozen
©kabVisio/ via Getty Images
Homemade Uncrustables are easy to make ahead of time with a sandwich sealer (plus must more cost effective than buying the real ones).
©nata_vkusidey/ via Getty Images
Southwest Turkey Wraps give a nice variety beyond the usual “sandwich.”
Do you have any easy school lunch ideas?
Back-to-School Printables
If those fun recipes weren't enough, I've also partnered up with other bloggers to offer you free printables for back to school! Check them out!
Here's a preview of what's included:
Back to School Printable Pack
Enter your email and get 7 back to school printables sent directly to your inbox!
School Lunches in the News
If you pack your child's lunch, then you have total control over the nutrition they receive in this important meal. Many parents, however, choose to leave it up to their child's school to feed them lunch. They may do this for a variety of reasons, from a lack of time to prepare their kids' lunches to a desire for convenience. If you have your kids get lunch from their school, you may be interested in this news piece.
The USDA is currently exploring changes to its nutrition guidelines for school lunches. These changes would be implemented over the course of several years, and would aim to make school lunches healthier. Critics of existing school lunch programs have pointed out that many school lunches have a lot of added sugar in them. With many American children facing nutritional deficiency and obesity, it is important that they get the right nutrition in their lunches.
The proposed changes have been met with heavy debate. Proponents of the new plan argue that getting children the right nutrition is worth the extensive changes. Detractors argue that children won't eat most foods that are typically considered healthy, and that existing lunch programs provide a sufficient amount of nutrition.
This story is worth following if you have your children get their lunches from school. The decision that is ultimately reached will take time, so if the USDA opts to change its guidelines changes will not happen overnight. Still, this may be a good time to consider whether your children are getting the nutrition they need each day.