When it comes to packing kid lunches for school, you might be looking for something other than the standard PB&J sandwich. Packing a school lunch that is nutritious and that your children will actually eat can be a daily challenge for many parents. My kids certainly agree.
Of course, the fact that they are picky eaters certainly doesn’t help matters at all either! I am always finding new things I can create to send them to eat for lunch. Add in the fact that my son has sensory issues with food, and it makes for an even greater challenge!
It is not even just finding things; it is finding items you can put together to give your kids variety while ensuring that they eat healthy foods. Here are 30 different complete lunch ideas you can use to create 30 different menu combinations for your kids!
As a bonus, I’ve included a printable so you can build your own lunches from all of these ideas. Take the parts you want from each meal to put together a meal your child will love!
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LUNCH IDEAS FOR KIDS
Day 1 – DIY Lunchables: celery sticks with cheese, grapes, goldfish crackers, and water. To keep it all organized, check out these adorable silicone cupcake liners!
Day 2 – Mini Corndog Cupcakes, carrot sticks with dip or hummus, sliced strawberries, fruit snacks, and juice. Check out these cute little travel containers that you can use to tote condiments for dipping!
Day 3 – Homemade Spaghettios, crackers, cucumber slices, mandarin oranges, and milk.
Day 4 – Ham and Cheese Butterfly Sandwich, baked chips, sliced peppers and dip, kiwi and water. You can find some adorable sandwich cutters.
Day 5 – Lunch Meat and Cheese Rollup, fresh broccoli, Rice Krispie treat, sliced cherries, milk.
Day 6 – Mini Tortilla Pizzas, watermelon, brownie, side salad, CapriSun.
Day 7 – Bagels and Cream Cheese, blueberries, carrots, water.
Day 8 – Grilled Cheese Sandwich, cookie, orange slices, sliced cherry tomatoes (and dip if needed), juice box.
Day 9 – Hot Dog and Bun (make sure you include containers with condiments), goldfish crackers, raspberries, celery stick, water.
Day 10 – Cereal (buy milk at school), banana, water. You can use a container such as this, and your child can add the milk for an instant bowl.
Day 11 – Chicken Nuggets, Cheez-its, cucumber (dip if needed), sliced apples, Rice Krispie treat, and milk. Tip: Cook the chicken nuggets. Store in a thermos and they will stay warm until lunchtime.
Day 12 – Yogurt with granola, peaches, sliced peppers (with dip), fruit snacks and juice.
Day 13 – Quesadillas, crackers, pineapple, cheese stick, lemonade.
Day 14 – Soup (use thermos shared on Day 11 above), crackers, applesauce, juice.
Day 15 – English muffin pizza (warm English muffin with pizza sauce and cheese in the oven for 10 min), apple chips, carrots, pretzels, water.
Day 16 – Ham and Cheese Pinwheels, baked chips, applesauce, broccoli, graham cracker (add frosting for a sweeter treat), milk.
Day 17 – Submarine Sandwiches, pretzels, banana chips, pickles, fruit roll up, lemonade.
Day 18 – Wraps (lunch meat and cheese), popcorn, sliced peppers, watermelon, milk.
Day 19 – Cheese and crackers, mixed fruit cup, cucumber slices, granola bar, water.
Day 20 – Hummus and veggie sticks, sliced apples, go-gurt, juice.
Day 21 – Tuna sandwich, chips, grapes, carrots, Rice Krispie treat, milk.
Day 22 – Pancakes (heat and wrap in foil or another package to stay warm – make sure you send syrup), banana, granola bar, milk.
Day 23 – Uncrustables (be careful about peanut butter at your school), veggie sticks, pudding cup, strawberries, and lemonade.
Day 24 – Grilled chicken pita pocket (add in veggies for additional crunch), baked chips, apple slices, cookie, water.
Day 25 – Chef Salad with croutons, mandarin oranges, cheese stick, juice.
Day 26 – Cheeseburger bites (include the condiments), baked chips, carrots, peaches, milk.
Day 27 – Frozen pizza (cook and wrap in foil to keep warm), celery sticks, applesauce, goldfish, lemonade.
Day 28 – Baked ravioli, side salad with dressing, watermelon, cheese stick, water.
Day 29 – Egg salad sandwich, Cheez-Its, pickles, banana chips, brownie, milk.
Day 30 – Cheese sandwich, cauliflower, kiwi, pudding, water.
There you go — 30 days of complete kids menu ideas – ready for you to use!! You can also use our free printable to create your very own lunch plan! Just choose one main course, a fruit, a veggie, one side, and a beverage to make a meal customized to your own kid’s tastes and dietary needs!
