15 Back to School Easy Lunch Ideas

Sometimes I run out of ideas for school snacks and lunches for our kids. I wanted to give them a variety of cold lunch items. healthy as much as possible, and easy for me to prepare. In my recipe binder, I have a separate sheet of paper that has school lunch combinations that I can mix and match. As much as possible, I try to meal prep before the school week starts so our mornings will not be as rush and hectic.

Meal prepping for the school lunches may look like:

Pre-cutting veggies (carrots, sweet bell peppers, celery)
Pre-washing and pre-cutting some fruits (strawberries, oranges, and apples)
Baking a large batch of muffins OR prepping the mixes if you want fresh muffins in the morning.
Organizing your pantry and having a separate basket or container for snack add-ons (packaged cookies or crackers)-helpful if you want to teach your kids to pack their own snacks/lunch
Organizing your fridge

It really depends on what works for your system. You can get the whole family to involve so they know where the school food is and having a print-out of your school lunch menu is helpful as a daily reminder of what to pack! At the bottom of this post, don't forget to grab your FREE printable.

Few reminders:

Some of the cold lunch items will need fresh fruits but you can use canned fruit or vegetables. Use what you can afford and what is available.
You will notice cookies or treats on most of the combinations. There are plenty of homemade recipes that you can make (I will share a few at the bottom of the post too!) The concept is that just like a Lunchable..we want to provide a little "incentive". If individually packaged cookies or dessert is what you prefer, go for it! Same with the chips option. You can save money by purchasing a large bag of chips and use reusable zip bags. However, an individual bag of chips is indeed convenient.
The combinations provided will include a fruit, a carb and a protein, some healthy fats, and a treat.
Be creative! You can mix and match or replace a protein with another kind. Use containers with dividers and lunch box accessories.
Use reusable bags as much as possible! I have this kind from Amazon.