25 School Lunch Ideas

School season is just around the corner (or already here for some of you)! Getting back into the swing of things and the routine of school drop-offs, homework, and packing lunches Monday through Friday can be a tough transition. To help take some of the stress off your hands, here is a list of kid-approved lunch ideas for Monday through Friday plus a comprehensive list of 50 meals + side/snack items. You’ve got this, mama!

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A Week of School Lunch Ideas:

Monday

Classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat bread, chips and blueberries.

Tuesday

Turkey and cheese sliders on Hawaiian rolls with mandarin orange and Harvest snap peas.

Wednesday

DIY Lunchables: Ritz crackers with cheese slices, grapes and baby carrots

Thursday

Peanut butter and banana roll-up in tortilla, pretzels and strawberries

Friday

Turkey and cheese deli roll-ups with carrot sticks and raspberries

25 School Lunch Ideas:

• Deli meat (Turkey, Ham, Salami, Bologna) & cheese sandwich
• Deli meat sliders on Hawaiian rolls
• Tuna salad sandwich
• Chicken salad sandwich
• Peanut butter & jelly sandwich (or substitute with Sunbutter if nuts aren’t allowed)
• Peanut butter & banana sandwich
• Peanut butter & honey sandwich
• Peanut butter and banana roll-up
• Peanut butter and honey roll-up
• Meat and cheese roll-ups
• Quesadillas
• Hummus and veggie roll-ups
• Hummus and pita chips/pita bread
• Cheese and crackers
• Pasta salad
• Hard Boiled Eggs
• Mini bagel with cream cheese

Thermos (Hot lunch) Ideas:

• Soup
• Pasta/spaghetti
• Mac n cheese
• Chicken nuggets
• Stir-fry/rice
• Chili
• Ramen noodles
• Leftovers!

25 Sides/Snacks:

• Apple slices
• Mandarin “cutie” orange/orange slices
• Grapes
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cucumber slices
• Baby carrots
• Chips
• Veggie straws
• Pretzels
• String Cheese
• Pirate’s Booty
• Harvest Snaps Snapea Crisps
• Goldfish crackers
• Graham crackers
• Fruit snacks
• Applesauce pouch
• Peanut butter crackers
• Granola bar
• Fig bar
• ZBar
• Trail mix
• Go-Gurt/Yogurt pouch

School Lunch Box Supplies

I’ve been using Easy Lunchboxes for the last 4 years or so and have been very impressed with the quality and durability. I like the bento-style lunch containers to keep everything nicely organized and separated. They come in a set of four and can easily be thrown in the dishwasher at the end of the day. You can find similar containers on Amazon here.

For dips and sauces, these adorable little containers are perfect for keeping things tasty and mess-proof. I couldn’t find the exact ones I have but these are pretty close. Silicone cupcake liners also make good dividers to separate foods in the larger section. And to make sure lunches stay fresh and cool, mini ice packs are a must. We’ve been using these cute penguin ones, but there are a variety of similar ice packs available in stores or online.

Back to School Ready

I hope this list helps get your creative juices flowing and helps make packing back-to-school lunches just a little bit easier! Have any ideas to add? Let me know…I’d love to hear it!

With love,

Liz