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Tired of always getting stuck in a rut when preparing school lunches?
No need to worry anymore, here are 25 Back to School Lunch Ideas that will keep the kids happy & full, and your mind at ease!
1. Classic peanut butter sandwich cut with a large cookie cutter to make it fun! Hard boiled egg for protein, cucumbers, berries and a banana.
2. Ravioli and mini meatballs with a salad, apple and a bread stick. I use my grandma's famous meatloaf recipe for the meatballs (get it here!) and make them mini size. Use your favorite jarred pasta sauce or make your own, add it to some ravioli and freeze for school lunches. I find the mini raviolis at Trader Joe's.
3. Homemade PB&J uncrustable, pretzels crisps, watermelon cubes, celery with peanut butter and some sweet popcorn for a treat.
4. Pita Bread sandwich (you can make any sandwich combo in a pita!), grape tomatoes, bell peppers, mandarin orange, and a cookie.
5. Peanut butter & Saltine cracker sandwiches, cheese slices, grape tomatoes, unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon, carrot sticks, and dye free candy coated chocolate drops.
6. Split Pea Soup (Send your kiddo's favorite soup), strawberries and cheese crackers.
7. Peanut butter and apple sandwiches, mini muffins, pineapple, carrot sticks and dye free candy coated chocolate drops.
8. Chocolate Chip Scone (recipe here!), hard boiled egg white, cheese round, grapes, raw broccoli, carrots, and raisins.
9. Homemade chicken nuggets (yes, my kids eat them cold. I place them frozen in their lunch the night before and they thaw perfectly by the time the kids eat lunch), mandarin oranges and grape tomatoes.
10. Meat, cheese & spinach stuffed tortilla wrap, carrot sticks, apple slices & mandarin oranges.
11. Peanut butter & banana waffle sandwich, cucumbers, unsweetened applesauce, yogurt tube, and dye free gummy worms.
12. Homemade lunchable (crackers, cheese slices, & deli meat), fingerling grapes, bell peppers.
13. Mac-n-cheese with tuna (Yes, from a box. I use it on occasion, not often. I avoid any box kind that has artificial dyes. We usually buy Annie's brand when it is on sale.), raw broccoli, and grapes.
14. Peanut butter and banana sushi, hard boiled egg white, pretzel crisps, raspberries, sugar snap peas, and chocolate cat cookies.
15. Waffle with syrup, leftover chicken, leftover roasted green beans, and strawberries.
16. Mini corn dog muffins, grapes, orange slices, sugar snap peas with ranch, and a cookie.
17. Chicken Caesar salad, watermelon cubes, and chocolate cat cookies. Also pictured here is a snack consisting of a cheese stick and a breakfast cookie.
18. PB & J sushi rolls, hard boiled egg white, leftover baked beans, leftover steamed broccoli (yes, the kids eat the beans and broccoli cold), strawberries, and chocolate cat cookies.
19. Ham & cheese egg muffin, banana bread dark chocolate chip muffin (recipe here!), carrot sticks, cantaloupe & raspberries, grape tomatoes, and dye free candy coated chocolate drops.
20. Sub sandwich, cucumbers, strawberries, and kiwi.
21. Peanut butter and banana pancake sandwich, yogurt tube, grapes, carrots, and a cookie.
22. Tortilla pizza, sugar snap peas, grapes, raspberries, nut & dried fruit chocolate bark.
23. Butter and Parmesan noodles, black olives, black berries, carrot sticks, grape tomatoes, and a piece of fudge.
24. Pizza filled quesadilla (you can stuff with your favorite quesadilla fillings), carrots, pineapple.
25. Chili with cheese and a side of crackers, spinach salad with Parmesan, olive oil, salt and pepper.
There you have it!
25 Back to School Lunch Ideas that will keep your kids' bellies full and hearts happy!
Any questions on this inspiration list, let me know in the comments! If you make some of these fun lunches take a pic and let me know. Pictures encouraged on Instagram with the hashtag #heathershomemadekitchen You can also follow me on Social Media to see what other crazy things my family and I are doing! If you like what you see, please share with your friends and family!
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