Depending on where you live, your kids might be heading back to school to start the 2020-2021 school year. Many of us are a little out of practice when it comes to having to choose healthy lunch and snack ideas to send with them to school. I know I have been struggling to get back in the groove!! Being a planner, I have gathered some lunch and snack ideas that comply with the guidelines at our school which include no nuts or nut related foods of any kind and nothing that requires heating. The water fountains are also closed, due to Covid, so we have to remember to pack a water bottle every day.
Kids need nutritious food-healthy fats for their brains, calcium for their bones, and all the vitamins and minerals vegetables offer-and more. To take out some of the stress and make sure you’re offering your child the healthiest foods, we have compiled some lunch and snack ideas, as well as a list of foods to reference when meal planning.
The following ideas are easy to make, kid-friendly, and a perfect way to start off the school year…or break a rut when you can’t decide what to send. Lunchtime should be a source of comfort, so having a list of easy, yummy, and nutritious meals that the kids will love to eat can go a long way towards making the “lunch efforts” much easier on everyone. These easy & healthy lunch ideas require no heating; everything can be served chilled or at room temperature.
Organization
I recently hosted a Tupperware Party for a friend and they were having an incredible back to school sale. I got a colorful 15 piece set of lunch/snack/water bottles. They have sold out but I found some similar products on Amazon to make meal prep easier! The water bottles below are the ones we have. They are easy for my 3 & 6 year old to pop open and snap shut.
These lunch containers make it easy to organize and pack lunch.
These snack containers make it easy to organize and pack snacks.
These ECO friendly water bottles are refillable and washable.
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5 Easy & Healthy Lunch Ideas
- Quesadilla, Guacamole, Tortilla Chips and Apple slices with Roaring Waters Strawberry/Kiwi Capri Sun
- Turkey roll-up, blueberries & cheese cubes with Chocolate milk
- Tuna Pasta Salad, crackers and grapes with Capri Sun Lemonade
- Ham & Cheese roll-up, pretzels and Kiwi with 100% Apple Juice
- Hard Boiled Eggs, Fruit Salad, Granola clusters with Strawberry Milk
5 Healthy & Easy Snack Ideas
- Laughing Cow Cheese with Cucumber Slices
- Fruit Kabob
- Grape Tomatoes and Hummus
- Fruit Cup
- String Cheese and crackers
Additional Food Options
I listed a few go-to meal and snack options above with items that we normally have in the house. The staple items in your home may be different. These next lists are for main dishes, fruits/veggies and snacks. Hopefully these food lists and the meal ideas above will help make your life a little easier.
MAIN MEAL:
Cheese + Crackers
Turkey + Cheese Roll-ups
Apple Butter Sandwich
Cheese Quesadilla
Hard Boiled Eggs
Pasta Salad (can add protein)
Meat + Cheese Kabob
Chips + Guacamole
Ham + Cheese Sandwich
FRUITS + VEGGIES:
I like to buy fresh local produce but I always have fruit/applesauce cups on-hand for those mornings that I am in a hurry or simply don’t feel like peeling and slicing.
Apples
Oranges
Strawberries
Grapes
Peaches
Nectarines
Blueberries
Raspberries
Applesauce
Kiwi
Mangoes
Melon
Baby Carrots
Cucumbers
Grape/Cherry Tomatoes
SIDES and SNACKS:
Chips
Granola Bars
Pretzels
Granola Clusters
String Cheese
Yogurt
Trail Mix
Fruit Snacks
Popcorn
Crackers
Fruit Cup
Pudding Cup
Graham Crackers
Veggie Straws
Goldfish
DRINKS:
Water
100% Juice Boxes
Capri Sun
Milk
LOVE NOTE
If you ask my daughter, no lunch is complete without a note from mama. If I forget to include one, she will call me on it after school!! It’s a nice little touch that let’s your child know you are thinking of them.
