Easy Lunch Ideas for Back to School

School is back is session and many of us are already facing that “what do I pack for lunch” dilemma. I am here with a bunch of easy to prepare, healthy lunch ideas that you can pre-pack and stock in the refrigerator for grab and go ease in the mornings!

I have shared quick and easy lunch ideas on the blog before, so if you find yourself short on ideas be sure to check out that post as well.

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This lunch box takes advantage of summer’s bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables. It includes blueberries, a tangerine, strawberries, sweet peppers and snap peas. Add a little protein by adding nuts and cheese. Not much guilt in this healthy lunch box.

As you may have learned, I am pretty passionate about meal prep and love spending a weekend afternoon in the kitchen creating lunch and snack boxes for myself and my daughter. I find that it saves us a fair amount of money as we have meals on hand instead of zipping through a fast food restaurant. In addition, since my daughter has so many food allergies, I am able to customize her meals to things that she can eat and likes!

Lunch Box Ideas

You’ll notice that a few of these are vegetarian options. You can still get plenty of protein by adding cheese, hummus, boiled eggs, nuts or nut butters

Prep Your Lunches with these Lunch Ideas

Most kids would love a quesadilla and their favorite dip for lunch.

Kids love virtually anything with dip. This cheese quesadilla lunch is no exception. Make a cheesy quesadilla and slice into wedges for the lunch box. Add salsa and sour cream in individual containers. Finish with some ripe grapes and kid fav fruit snacks!

Banana “sushi” is a fun alternative to the everyday PB&J.

If your kids love bananas and peanut/ nut butter this banana sushi lunch box is a hit! Simply spread nut butter of choice on a tortilla, wrap around a banana and slice like “sushi”. You could add jam or Nutella for a little extra sweetness or even top with a few candy sprinkles for color and fun! Accompany with fresh fruit or their favorite raw veggies to round out the meal.

Make your own pizza… at school? This sounds like a fun idea for any kid sitting in the cafeteria.

Who wouldn’t love pepperoni pizza for lunch? Now you can easily pack a DIY pizza kit to send to school or work. Portion pizza/ marinara sauce, shredded mozzarella and mini pepperoni into mini containers and pack with mini naan. This can be popped in a microwave to warm up but is just as yummy cold. Try adding sliced veggies, olives, different cheeses or quartered salami slices as options.

As you can see, with a little planning and ingenuity, preparing lunches for the week isn’t hard or that time consuming. Take advantage of snack sized packages of cheese, nuts and fruit snacks and buy vegetables and fruit in bulk. With a little chopping and slicing, you’ll soon have a pile of goodness to choose from as you mix and match easy lunch boxes for your entire family.