Looking for some lunch box menu ideas that are both easy and healthy? Ensure your little ones have a balanced meal at school with these simple packable meals.
Packing nutritious food for kids for school lunches is essential. The right foods will ensure your child has the necessary vitamins and minerals needed to support healthy body function, and can help boost your kid’s immune system. We’ve compiled a list of some lunch box menu ideas to help get you started. When packing your child’s lunch box, keep the following in mind:
- Adjust the portions to what your child normally eats in order to avoid food waste.
- Make sure you pack foods your child is likely to eat.
- Pack lunches in reusable containers so you can live life without plastic.
- Reuse leftovers as much as possible to save yourself time and money.
- Get your kids involved in packing their lunches and ask for their input.
1. Mexican Lunch Box Menu
If your child can’t wait for taco night to come around, take inspiration from those delicious flavors and use the following lunch box menu:
- Cheesy chicken or vegan quesadillas
- Cowboy caviar dip
- Rice pudding with cinnamon, raisins, and shredded coconut
2. The Throw Together Lunch Box Menu
You don’t always have time to put a lot of thought into a lunch box menu for your kids, and that’s completely understandable. This menu works if you’ve have leftovers from pizza night, but you can easily substitute any leftovers:
- Leftover spinach and feta pizza
- Banana chips
- Apple slices and homemade peanut butter or peanut butter alternative
3. Mediterranean Lunch Box Menu
Our Mediterranean lunch box menu is a healthy and delicious option to pack for your child. It’s filled with nutritious options that kids are bound to love:
- Falafel is packed with fiber and protein
- Hummus or vegan tzatziki and veggie sticks will boost their vitamin and mineral intake
- Greek yogurt with blueberries provides calcium, probiotics, and antioxidants
4. Vitamin-Packed Lunch Box Menu
Some children have an aversion to vegetables, so you need to get creative to ensure they get a balanced meal. This lunch box menu incorporates vegetables in a very natural way and can be packed for your lunch too:
- Broccoli pesto pasta salad with zoodles or regular pasta
- Vegan chocolate mousse made with avocado or black bean brownies
- Cut up strawberries and raspberries or other seasonal fruit
5. Charcuterie Style Lunch Box Menu
Children and adults alike enjoy charcuterie boards due to their customizability and because they lend themselves to grazing as opposed to eating a full meal. In order to make this “Lunchables-style” lunch box menu idea work, add any combination of the following ingredients:
- Sliced cheese and whole grain crackers
- Grapes, blueberries, strawberries, or apple slices
- Nuts — just be mindful of the school’s nut policy
- Fresh deli meat slices
6. The Breakfast Lunch Box Menu
It can be fun to change up the lunch box menu to include breakfast items every once in a while. Tailor this to your child’s specific preferences:
- Overnight oats can be made ahead of time
- Fruit salad made with seasonal fruit
- Oat milk pancakes with homemade Nutella or applesauce
7. Superfood Lunch Box Menu
Although not every child will appreciate this lunch box menu idea, it does incorporate some nutrient-dense ingredients which will definitely towards eating a balanced diet.
- Asparagus quiche can also be made with a different vegetable if your child doesn’t like asparagus.
- Avocado and mango salad is a bright and colorful twist on a classic green salad.
- Vegan energy balls will help provide your child the energy to power through the school day.
Read more:
- Don’t Like Carrots? 15 Foods High in Beta-Carotene
- Balanced Meal Tips: 10 Rules for a Healthy Diet
- How to Freeze Milk for Kids
Do you like this post?