School Lunch Ideas

Hi, friends! I am about to be the proud mama of a First Grader and a Pre-Kindergartener! My how time flies. I feel like I was just writing about Raegan’s First Day of Preschool. There are so many bittersweet emotions that come with the start of a fresh school year, but I am excited for our girls to learn, grow, and make new friends at our new duty station.

Both girls will bring packed lunches again this year, and below I am sharing some items I keep in rotation for them. I like to keep their lunches simple and fun. I offer up a ton of variety (trust me moms of pickier eaters, this has worked for my Zarie, there were foods she wasn’t sure of at the beginning of the school year, that she ended up asking me for before it was all said and done). That is why I like our bento box lunch boxes so much. They give the kids a little of everything to choose from, which I think keeps things from getting too boring.

Trust me, I do NOT like to waste, so if you’re following me on Instagram, you’ve for sure seem some repeat lunches in my “tiny meals” highlight, but I do try to offer a balanced lunch, with a bit of magic sprinkled in. My “rule of thumb” is to always have a main protein, fruit and veggie…then I add in the pantry items and small treats. I also try to buy the pantry items in bulk, that way I know we always have an option or two.

You can find our bento boxes, lunchbox notes, ice packs, and all of my fun cutters and picks in my Lunch Packing Essentials. Raegan and Zarie got new lunch bags in their Back-to-School baskets, and you can snag those HERE. We got personalized labels for all of their school items (water bottles, jackets, etc.) HERE.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shakira 🪄✨👸🏾tradition maker (@occasions.byshakira)

Above is a tour of our lunch packing drawer.

Below I listed some of my most commonly used school lunch items. Most of these items can be found at Trader Joe’s, Target, Amazon or Safeway (Harris Teeter when I was back in North Carolina). If you have specific questions about a brand, comment below! I was able to affiliate link a few of the pantry items.

Pantry Items:

• Crackers (all kinds of shapes and flavors) butterfly crackers here
• Graham Crackers here
• Chickpea Puffs here
• Animal Crackers here
• Pretzels (switch it up with rods, squares, twists, etc.) here
• Sweet Potato Chips here
• Alphabet Cookies
• Chocolate Alphabet Cookies here
• Mini Nilla Wafers
• Bunny Cookies here
• Chocolate Chips
• Veggie Straws or Chips here
• MARSHMALLOWS (these can be so fun, go for seasonal or fun shapes) here
• Mini Bars here
• Tortilla Chips
• Granola Bites
• Bagel Chips
• Goldfish
• Pita Chips
• Mini Rice Cakes
• Plaintain Chips
• Mini Toasts
• Popcorn here
• Raisins or Dried Cranberries
• Seaweed here
• Applesauce

Main Dishes/Proteins:

• Sandwich (switch it up by making them on sandwich bread, mini bagels, mini croissants, Hawaiian rolls, etc.)
• Wrap (tortilla, meat, cheese, veggies, spread) I usually roll these and cut them up into sushi sized pieces
• Turkey Rolls Ups (deli sliced meat rolled up on its own)
• Turkey Pepperoni or Salami
• Hard Boiled Eggs
• Pulled rotisserie chicken or chicken chunks/nuggets
• Quesadilla
• Mini Meatballs
• Pasta (plain or with sauce)
• Pasta Salad
• Zucchini Noodles
• Soup
• Mini Bagel “Pizzas”
• Pigs in a Blanket
• Mini Pancakes or Waffles

Fruits:

• Apples
• Clementines
• Grapes
• Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries…
• Kiwi
• Peaches
• Banana
• Watermelon
• Cantaloupe
• Honeydew Melon
• Pears
• Mandarin Oranges
• Once Upon a Farm Fruit Smoothies

Veggies:

• Carrots (baby carrots, carrot sticks, carrot chips, rainbow carrots…)
• Broccoli
• Bell Pepper Slices
• Cucumber (spears for dipping, slices, cubes…)
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Green Salad
• Pickles
• Edamame

Dips:

I love to use that tiny space in our bento for both dips and little treats like marshmallows and chocolate chips.

• Nutella
• Salsa
• Hummus
• Guacamole (I love buying the individual pre-made packets)
• Ranch
• Marinara
• Nut Butter
• Sun Butter is made from sunflower seeds, and is a phenomenal allergy-friendly option for nut-free schools (or really anytime, because it is delicious)

Drinks:

So, our girls typically take in water with their lunches, but there are a few other yummy options we’ve tried at home, and our girls enjoy.

• Water here
• Organic Apple Juice here
• Chocolate Almond Milk here

Be sure to bookmark or pin this post, so it’s easy to reference throughout the school year. I’ll update it as we find new and/or seasonal goodies. You can also follow along with me on Instagram, as I’ll be sharing Raegan and Zarie’s lunches in my “tiny meals” highlight. Comment any questions you may have, and I’ll do my best to help!

If you’re on the hunt for teacher gift ideas check out my recent Teacher Gift Baskets post for all the helpful details and links. Praying that you and your kiddos have an amazing and safe school year.