Quick and Healthy School Lunch Ideas

Back to School Healthy Lunch Ideas

Looking for healthy lunches that are quick to assemble to ship your kids off to school with?

Ditching the traditional sandwich and the overly-processed packaged snacks, Bento Boxes are a great option for the kiddos! They are easy to put together and can include an assortment of foods to ensure your kid won’t be trying to trade foods in the lunchroom.

The Bento boxes can really be filled with anything but here are some options to ensure your kid is getting a healthy lunch. Bento boxes are generally sectioned off with 5 separate compartments allowing a good assortment of food to send your kid off with, great for picky eaters to open the lunch and see they have options

Box 1: Hummus box - great option for kids that like dips and require no utensils. A generous portion of hummus (whatever kind you want) accompanied by some various vegetables for dipping (carrots,celery, sliced peppers or cucumbers), and either some pita chips or pretzels. A serving of fresh sliced fruit and you don't want to forget their sweet tooth so you can throw some dark chocolate chips in with the fruit. Let’s not forget that our kids need some protein to keep them fueled for the second half of their school day, some sliced grilled chicken pieces are a great addition leftover from dinner the night before or include a kid friendly protein shake if that's more convenient for you.

Box 2: Quesadilla box - a quesadilla can taste just as good cold so this is another great option but it does require a little more prep/cooking. Assemble and cook the quesadilla the night before to save on morning prep. It can be as basic as a cheese one but I like to add chicken and some chopped peppers and onions. Slice and pack in the box with some fresh salsa (pico), guacamole (squeeze a lime over the top to keep from browning before lunch), some fresh sliced fruit and tortilla chips.

Box 3: Lets now do a “healthier” version of a classical Lunchable box - Deli meats are generally loaded with fillers and high sodium so look for brands that use “cleaner ingredients”. Applegate brand is a cleaner option then other brands and contains no nitrates or nitrites. Add in a few chunks of some cheese - Cabot and Tillamook are both good brands that don't contain artificial color or preservatives. The cracker possibilities are endless but again try to steer away from anything with a laundry list of ingredients you can't pronounce and opt for ones containing whole grains. For the last 2 compartments add a fruit and vegetable your little one enjoys eating.

Box 4: Picnic Lunch Box - lets start with the big compartment of the Bento box and add a cold pasta salad mixed with some tuna, celery, ½ mayo ½ greek yogurt. Have fun with the other 4 compartments, a homemade muffin, a dip, some veggies and fruit are all easy options to throw in there. The pasta salad is really the meal of this box!

Now these were just some ideas to go by but the possibilities are really endless when it comes to Bento Boxes. The maiin thing you want to remember is making sure your child is properly fueled for their school day so they won’t be eating an unhealthy and possibly sugar filled lunch while at school.