Are you looking for easy lunchbox ideas?

Do you have picky eaters who bring their lunchboxes half full home every night? (Or half empty, depending on your point of view.)

Then you’re in the right place, because I’ve also been there time and time again over the school years with my kids.

I work hard to pack them a lunch, only to find it half full (I think you can guess my point of view) at the end of the evening. And it makes me beyond frustrated. Because this is now ingredients and food that have to be thrown out. Not to mention the time it took me to wash, cut, chop, and prep everything in that lunchbox.

I realized quickly that the key to making sure my kids would come home with a lunch almost fully eaten (and with full bellies) is to make sure I was packing them lunches they actually wanted to eat.

And over time I’ve discovered and kept a running list of easy lunchbox ideas my kids actually want to eat.

In fact, now I pretty much only find half-eaten lunches if they simply didn’t have time to finish the entire thing. And I’m happy to share these easy lunchbox ideas with all of you parents here!

But first, a few disclaimers so you’re aware:

• My kids’ school is a peanut and tree-nut free school. Therefore their lunches are completely nut-free.

• While I try and pack them lunches that I believe are healthy for my family, this is a key piece to keep in mind: I believe these options are healthy for my family, So if these specific options below don’t meet the nutritional guidelines for your family, take them with a grain of salt, and use them as inspiration with ingredients your family uses. Long story short—don’t come at me in the comments because I popped a cookie in their lunchbox or fed them a turkey sandwich when you don’t feed it to your kids; just leave out the cookie and substitute the turkey for something else.

• I am not a nutritionist nor claim to be. So again, take these suggestions as those of a regular mom helping out another mom with her point of view.

Finally, let me share a few guidelines so you know how to navigate these tips below:

• My kids’ lunchboxes are bento style lunchboxes. Specifically, they’re the Bentgo brand, and in my opinion the absolute best lunchboxes which you can read more about here. I highly suggest reading this post, especially if you’re in the market for lunchboxes for your kiddos.

• Most (if not all) of the lunches they take to school are eaten either at room temperature, or cold. For now they don’t take hot lunches in a thermos (but I promise to update this post if they ever do), nor do they heat their food at school.

• The compartments in these lunchboxes make it easy for me to group foods and make healthy nutritional choices that are portioned out correctly. This is why I’ve grouped the lunchbox ideas below according to food groups: main course, fruit/vegetables, dairy/protein, snacks, and treats.

• I don’t have a set ‘nutritional lunch formula’ I use when packing their lunches. Meaning I’m not aiming for a certain number of calories or macros, etc. In general, my rule of thumb is to pack a main course with protein, a fruit, a vegetable, a carbohydrate snack or treat, and if needed an added source of dairy protein. I choose foods from the lists below based on what I have on hand at home, and what my kids ask for. This has worked for years to keep them full, expose them to new foods they might not otherwise try in large quantities, and keeps them from getting bored with lunch options.

I genuinely hope this post filled with easy lunchbox ideas for kids helps you when packing your kids lunches, especially to combat that lunch-packing-fatigue we all eventually face! Remember to save this post to Pinterest so you can refer back to it when needed!

Read on for easy lunchbox ideas for kids!

If you want a printable version of these easy lunchbox ideas then click here to jump right to it.

Main Courses

The big one. Literally, as it’s the largest compartment in the bento box.

In a “main course” generally I look for something with protein that will help keep them full. Like I said previously, they rarely (if ever) take anything that needs to be heated or inside of a thermos.

I’ll also reiterate that I don’t necessarily choose these main course choices based on any nutritional requirement. It’s solely based on what my kids are in the mood for that week, and what I have on hand in the house.

Like I said before, I do like to mix things up though so that they’re not eating the same thing every single week. This is to ensure they are being introduced to a variety of foods, as well as not getting bored with the same stuff all the time.

Some of my kids favorite main courses inside their lunchbox are:

• Sunflower butter and jam sandwiches 
• Turkey roll-ups 
• Labne and cucumber sandwiches on toast 
• Cream cheese sandwiches with jam or sliced cucumbers 
• Hummus and crackers or pita chips 
• Guacamole and tortilla chips
• Bagel and cream cheese 
• English muffin and butter or cream cheese 
• Savory muffins 
• Yogurt parfaits with fruit and granola 
• Overnight oats with chia seeds and fruit 
• Pancakes and waffles dipped in honey, syrup, or applesauce 
• Deli wrap or burrito wrap 

Fruit

My kids love fruit. And I love that they love their fruit options. But what I don’t love is chopping and washing it.

If you read my meal planning post then you already know when I meal plan at the beginning of the week this includes for lunches as well. One of the tips I mention in that post that saves me a ton of time during the school week is how I meal prep by getting all my produce washed and cut into these containers which I adore. I highly recommend reading this post on how I meal prep if you’re pressed on time for packing lunches, because it really does work to cut your time in half!

So meal prepping at the beginning of the week makes having all my fruit and vegetables ready to go when I’m packing their lunches. Then I simply grab it out of the produce container in my fridge, might give it another quick chop depending, and pop it in their Bentgo box.

If you’re also looking for an easy-to-use fruit and vegetable chopper, I love this one from Amazon! It can chop multiple grapes and strawberries at a time, helping to make lunch packing super quick!

Some fruits my kids love taking inside their lunchbox:

• Berries: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries 
• Melon: watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew melon 
• Sliced apples (can either soak in solution of water and lemon juice for 10 minutes or water and salt to keep from browning)
• Sliced peaches
• Sliced or chopped mangoes
• Chopped grapes (friendly reminder to slice or chop those grapes for younger kids, as they are a major choking hazard)
• Chopped kiwi
• Chopped pineapple chunks

Vegetables

When I’m meal prepping at the beginning of the week I also wash, chop, and store all my vegetables for the week as well. This works to help me move through lunch packing quickly, same as with the fruit.

Like many parents, I find raw and cooked vegetables the hardest thing to feed my kids. BUT through trial, error, and the constant exposure to different vegetables in their lunches and dinner plates, they’ve been introduced to many kinds of vegetables and like many of them.

But they also grow out of some, and/or will tell me the one they loved last week is no longer their favorite this week. (These kids love to keep us on our toes.)

Over the years I’ve found the best way to combat “vegetable fatigue” with my kids is to introduce new vegetables in their Bentgo lunchbox. This is because the portions aren’t enormous, so if they truly despise it they aren’t eating a large portion of it to warrant absolute disgust.

A question I’ve been asked before is do I always give them some kind of dressing and/or dip with the vegetables? And when do you give them a vegetable dip with it?

My answer to this question is it depends on the kid, and the vegetable. Again, I’m not a nutritionist or dietician. I’m just a mom sharing about her own personal experiences.

Personally, I’m not a fan of ‘masking’ the flavor of vegetables, so I prefer to give my kids raw vegetables without dressings or dips as much as possible. But once in a while my kids will tell me they don’t want carrots this week (when carrots were their favorite last week), for example, so I’ll give them a small cup of ranch dressing to dip it in so that at least they’ll be more tempted to eat it. Because in my book, a kid who ate carrot with ranch is much better than the kid who didn’t eat carrots at all.

Some vegetables My Kids Love that I pack in their lunchbox:

• Carrot sticks or baby carrots 
• Celery sticks 
• Broccoli and cauliflower florets
• Sugar snap peas 
• Cucumber slices or sticks 
• Sliced bell peppers of all colors (I mix up the colors frequently)

Snacks/Treats

The fun section of the lunchbox!

I’ll be honest, I’m not a major fan of adding too many sugary sweets for my kids. This is because if we were to add up all the grams of sugar we eat daily, it’s way more than we need already. And this is without adding in sugary treats in their lunchbox.

But I also know there’s nothing like opening a lunchbox to find a special treat inside. It’s a moment of pure joy, and one my kids genuinely always thank me for later on.

Again, I love these Bentgo boxes because it allows me to give them a treat, but in a sensibly portioned way, since the snack portions are so tiny.

Some snacks and treats my kids love inside their lunchbox are:

• Crackers 
• Vegetable or Potato Chips 
• Popcorn (note: this can be a choking hazard for younger kids) 
• Pretzels 
• Cookies 
• Applesauce 
• Fruit strips
• Granola Bars
• Chickpea chips and snacks
• Dried fruit (dates, apricots, and raisins)
• We also have a fun tradition that they’re allowed to take one piece of candy for lunch the school day after Halloween.

Extra Protein Ideas

Sometimes as I’m packing their lunchboxes I’ll realize they need a bit more protein in there. This is to keep them full and getting hungry throughout the rest of the school day afternoon.

My go-to’s for extra protein are usually small dairy snacks, as they’re filled with tons of protein. If your child has a dairy allergy, or is lactose intolerant, I’m sure you’re familiar with plenty of dairy-free protein options as well. Feel free to share them with the rest of us in the comments below!

Protein-Rich Snacks my kids love inside their lunchbox

• Mozzarella String Cheese
• Cheese Cubes
• Yogurt pouches or cups
• Sunflower Butter for a dip with apples
• Sunflower protein cereal
• Chickpea snacks

Easy Lunchbox Ideas for kids printable

Do you want a printable list of all these easy lunchbox ideas?

Click here to be taken to a PDF version of this printable page of easy lunchbox ideas!

This easy to reference list is sure to help you on those mornings and/or evenings when you’re packing lunches and are stumped on ideas, or just need a quick list to jog your memory.

I created this list because on so many mornings I wish I had a list like this to refer back to. Now I have this page saved in my phone for those mornings I simply have no clue what to pack, or as a reference guide when I’m making my weekly grocery list and want to make sure I have ingredients on hand to pack lunches for the week.

I hope these easy lunchbox ideas will help you on those mornings and evenings when you’re packing lunches and wondering what in the world to pop inside those lunchboxes!

Remember to save this post to Pinterest so you can always refer back to it!

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