It’s back to school season and like parents all over the world, I’ve found myself scrambling to plan lunches that aren’t so boring even my not-so-picky 13 year old stepson won’t touch his lunchbox. Constantly on the search for ideas to add to my repertoire, I still all too often find myself falling back into the same boring patterns when I’m in a hurry in the mornings (ahem I’ve shut my alarm off about 10 times and still slept in, because mornings are NOT my thing…) – throwing together a simple sandwich, fruit we have on hand, a protein bar, and some sort of drink – calling it good enough.
Loosely planning for the week’s lunches on Sundays helps me keep things changed up. I like to incorporate real food, but also know that things have to be lively enough my kid will be interested in eating what is packed into his lunchbox. I try to make sandwiches no more than once a week, as they’re not his favorite (generally he eats half of any packed sandwich…but if I just put half in there, he’ll only eat half of THAT… and I’m not cruel enough to intentionally make any middle school teachers deal with HANGRY already-crazy-teenagers).
Having packed lunches now for the majority of last year’s entire school year, I’ve found some things that work well for us (as well as what really doesn’t work, or won’t get eaten). Silas has football practice right after school these days, so I find myself trying to pack things that will provide some lasting energy, curb any lingering hunger, and include things that can be eaten in between school and practice if needed.
Most lunches I break down into these categories, trying to include some of each: a main dish, fruit, veggies, healthier snacks, a drink. Sometimes some small treat, but not often. I use a bento box that is similar to this one (the exact one I bought isn’t available anymore). I then put the whole bento box into a freezable lunch bag (this one to be exact), which is also spacious enough to hold other snacks and a drink. This year I am also using these containers and plan to use this thermos as well, giving me more options for packable foods.
Here are some ideas for things that can be packed that have worked pretty well for our family:
Main Dishes:
tortilla roll-ups with turkey, cheese, lettuce, mustard and mayonnaise
sushi (smoked salmon/cream cheese/cucumber/carrots/avocado)
pigs in a blanket
teriyaki chicken musubi
chicken caesar salad
sandwiches (pb+j/turkey+cheese/chicken salad/tuna salad/salami+cheese/etc.)
mini pizzas (pesto+cheese/marinara + cheese/etc.)
teriyaki chicken and rice
baked herb potatoes + sliced baked chicken
mini bagel pizzas or mini english muffin pizzas
stuffed pizza rolls
pizza roll-ups
homemade lunchables
vegetarian (or meat if you like) chicken nuggets with dipping sauce
veggie or chicken soft tacos with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream
Fruits:
sliced strawberries
cubed watermelon
sliced fresh mango
pineapple chunks
apple slices
tangerines or orange slices
dried mango or apricots
grapes
Veggies:
slices of fresh avocado
carrot sticks
cucumber slices
sugar snap peas
cherry tomatoes
sweet peppers
celery sticks
Snacks:
yogurt tubes
baked cheese puffs
string cheese
seaweed chips
tortilla chips
babybel cheese
snap pea crisps
trail mix
nuts (almonds, pistachios, cashews, etc.)
applesauce cups
pretzel sticks
yogurt raisins or pretzels
high protein snack bars (some of the preferred ones here are these: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
graham crackers
hard boiled eggs
hummus
Drinks:
low-fat chocolate milk
low-fat strawberry milk
low-fat vanilla milk
sparkling water
real fruit juice
coconut water
Simply pick and choose what sounds good to your kid, or combinations that keep things interesting. Hopefully you find some of these ideas helpful or useful!
Julie Hashimoto-McCreery
