These healthy school lunch ideas for kids will make your life as a parent infinitely easier! Plus, there will be no need to rush getting the kid’s (or even your own) lunch ready the morning of ever again.
Note: this post has been updated with new images and ideas. I love this post and continue to make ahead of my kid’s cold lunches to save time and money!
Coming up with exciting school lunch ideas week after week for a whole school year can be exhausting. Plus, kids can sometimes get sick of eating the same thing for lunch every single day.
That’s why I’ve come up with a big ole’ list of fun & healthy school lunch ideas, and I’m sharing them with you today! This list should save you so much time and give your kids a healthy variety of lunches they will love.
But first, let’s talk about my system. Because….well…..it rocks.
Idea: Kids Pack Their Own Lunches
Yep! Every morning, my kids grab their lunch box and fill it with items I’ve prepped for them. I have three small bins filled with individually sized portions of lunch foods – one I keep in the fridge, one in the freezer, and one in the pantry.
How it works is one day a week, I spend a few hours bagging up several small portions of fruits, veggies, sandwiches, and crackers. Then add them into the bins. And voila! Pre-made lunches for the week! All the kids have to do is grab what they want out of the bins each day.
I have been making ahead my kid’s lunches using these bins forever now, and it is the best thing for busy moms! This method has totally saved me.
But even with this system, you need some creative ideas each week on what to add to the bins! So here’s my big list of ideas.
Back To School Kids Lunch Ideas:
Combo #1
Turkey & Colby Jack Cheese Sandwich
Mandarin Orange
Carrots
Chips
Combo #2
Cheese Quesadilla
Strawberries
Celery Sticks + Peanut Butter
Combo #3
Chicken & Rice Burrito
Pineapple
Red Bell Peppers, sliced
Combo #4
Quick Pasta Salad
Granola Bar
Yogurt
Blueberries
Combo #5
Veggie Hummus Wraps
Sugar Snap Peas
Orange Slices
Combo #6
Croissant BLT sandwich
Carrots + Ranch
Apples
Chips
Combo #7
Bagel & Cream Cheese
Sliced Smoked Turkey
Raspberries
Granola Bar
Combo #8
Hummus + Pita Bread
String Cheese
Fruit Leather
Cucumber Slices
Combo #9
Crackers, Meat & Cheese
Olives
Carrots
Hummus
Grapes
Combo #10
Pizza Pinwheel Bites
Edamame
Mandarin Orange
Frozen Yogurt Tubes
Combo #11
Homemade Hot Pockets
Green Peppers
Watermelon
Fruit Snack
Combo #12
Sesame Noodle Salad
Yogurt
Cantaloupe
Combo #13
Almond Butter (or Peanut Butter) & Jam Sandwich
String Cheese
Popcorn
Applesauce
Combo #14
Ham & Swiss Croissants
Sugar Snap Peas
Apple Slices
Combo #15
Hard Boiled Eggs
Cubed or Diced Cheese
Whole Grain Crackers
Celery & carrots with ranch
Combo #16
Tuna on Pita Bread
Carrots + Ranch
Banana
Granola Bar
Combo #17
Deli Meat & Cheese Kabobs
Crackers
Pears
Yogurt
Combo #18
Tortilla Chips & Salsa (or Guacamole)
Orange Bell Peppers
Sugar Snap Peas
Kiwi (Peeled and Sliced)
Combo #19
Nutella & Banana Roll-up
Pretzels
Broccoli & Ranch Dip
Fruit Leather
Combo #20
Homemade Muffin
Pre-Cooked Bacon Slices
Yogurt
Raspberries
Carrots + Ranch
How Do I Make Meal Prep Lunches For The Whole Week?
The process for making your lunches for the week is actually much easier than it sounds. It can all easily be done in just a small portion of your day. Here’s a breakdown of the process:
- Once a week, I chop and bag up all the fresh fruit, vegetables, crackers, and other lunch items.
- Then I add them to 3 different cold or dry lunch buckets to store in my fridge, freezer, and pantry.
- The kids can quickly grab the items to throw in their lunches themselves in the morning or evening before.
It’s as easy as that! You and your kids get a delicious and healthy cold lunch and a ton of stress taken out of your daily life. Win, win!
The Make Ahead Lunch Bins System
The trick to making easy make-ahead lunches for the week is all in the simple organization. All you need to do is to separate all of your prepped items into three different lunch bins:
Bin #1: The Pantry Bin
The dry goods lunch bin is a simple plastic tote bin I keep in my pantry. It’s filled with individual bags of dry lunch items such as bagged pretzels, crackers, homemade granola bars, trail mix, treats, and more. Here is a list of ideas and dry lunch items we have done:
- Store-bought or homemade crackers
- Pretzels
- Pre-packaged fruit cups or applesauce
- Dried fruit
- Homemade granola or trail mix
- Homemade granola bars
- Popcorn
- Nuts (if your school doesn’t ban them for allergies)
- Fruit snacks or fruit leather
- Beef jerky
- Chips
- Graham crackers
- Homemade cookies or brownie bites (bake a big batch and individually bag them up)
- Special treats, candy, or snack cakes (usually for a holiday)
Bin #2: The Refrigerator Bin
The cold refrigerator lunch bin is where you store any of your lunch items that need to be refrigerated. Once a week, I take the time to separate out fruits and veggies, like grapes, chopped oranges, chopped apples (soaked in pineapple juice or Fruit Fresh, so they keep longer), and chopped carrots or celery sticks. Here are some more cold lunch idea items you can keep in the refrigerator bin:
- String cheese, cubed or squares of cheese, or mini Babybel cheese
- Yogurt smoothies or other yogurt cups
- Carrots (I found little cups with lids at Cash N Carry that I add ranch dip to)
- Sliced apples (soak for 10 minutes in pineapple juice or Fruit Fresh, so they don’t go brown)
- Homemade pasta salad
- Sliced oranges
- Mandarin oranges (whole)
- Strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries
- Green peppers (sliced thinly)
- Celery sticks
- Sugar snap peas
- Grapes, cherries, cantaloupe, or other seasonal fruit cut up
- Green salads
- Mini cups of hummus
- Mini cinnamon streusel, blueberry, lemon poppyseed, or even savory muffins
Bin #3: The Freezer Bin
The freezer lunch bin is primarily filled with sandwiches. I know that a frozen sandwich may sound strange, but it’s honestly the perfect way to prepare sandwiches for the week!
They last a lot longer when you freeze them, and they thaw throughout the day, making for a perfectly cold sandwich by the time lunch comes around.
The process is pretty straightforward. You take a sandwich bun or roll, add the meat and cheese only, and then wrap and freeze them individually.
Outside of the basic meat and cheese sandwich, here are some additional make-ahead lunch ideas that you can freeze:
- Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
- Quesadillas
- Frozen homemade yogurt tubes
- Wraps with meat, cheese, pesto, and/or cream cheese
- Homemade hot pockets
Tips for Freezing Sandwiches:
- If you’re going to add condiments before freezing, add them between the cheese and the meat. That way, you keep the condiment from penetrating the bread and making it soggy and gross when it thaws.
- You can also get some individual condiment packages and throw them in your lunch bag the morning of.
- Do NOT add lettuce, pickles, peppers, or any other vegetable to the sandwich before freezing it. Frozen veggies always come out slimy and less than appetizing. If you’ve got to have some veggies on your sandwich, you could always make up individual bags of sandwich fixings and add them to the cold refrigerator lunch bin.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Should I Make?
To figure out how many to bag up for the week, I count the number of days for cold lunch that week and how many children. Here is my own personal math:
- 4 kids x 5 days = 20
- 20 bags of various chopped vegetables
- 20 bags of various chopped fruit
- 20 bags of chips/crackers
- 20 string cheese (or even treats if I’m feeling extra nice that week)
- 20 sandwiches, quesadillas, or other main dish options
Once everything is prepared, I can let the kids do the rest! They can just grab all the separate bags and throw them in their lunch bags for the day while I take care of other tasks that need to be done in the morning.
How Many Days Ahead Can You Meal Prep Kids Lunches?
I typically just meal prep on the weekends for the upcoming week. Frozen things like sandwiches should keep for about five days, where refrigerated items should last 5-7 days. Just make sure that items like veggies and fruits are properly stored in air-tight bags or containers, and they should keep for the duration of the week.
Where Can I Get The Bins & Reusable Bags?
I purchased the large-sized BINO brand bins on Amazon.com here, and I totally LOVE them. They fit perfectly in my fridge, freezer, and pantry. Plus, they look great too!
As for the letters on the bins, I used my vinyl cutting machine at home. But if you don’t have one, you could easily order some 2-inch vinyl letters from Amazon.
If you’re looking for some quality reusable snack & sandwich-sized bags, I love these ones here I ordered off Amazon as they wash up really well with some dish soap and water. If you want bigger reusable bags, such as gallon-sized freezer-safe ones, check out my review post for the 5 best reusable bags ever.
These cold lunch ideas are much healthier than getting fast food or attempting a healthy lunch that you threw together for your kids 5 minutes before they get on the bus. Meal prepping your lunches for the week allows you to make sure that you and your kids get a healthy, balanced lunch, which makes for a healthier and happier you!
Kids School Lunch Ideas Printable Option:
Awesome School Lunch Ideas (Kids Will Love!)
Ingredients
LUNCH MAIN IDEAS
- Turkey & Colby Jack Cheese Sandwich
- Cheese Quesadilla
- Chicken & Rice Burrito
- Quick Pasta Salad
- Veggie Hummus Wraps
- Croissant BLT sandwich
- Bagel & Cream Cheese
- Hummus + Pita Bread
- Crackers, Meat & Cheese
- Pepperoni Pizza Bites
- Homemade Hot Pockets
- Sesame Noodle Salad
- Almond Butter (or Peanut Butter) & Jam Sandwich
- Ham & Swiss Croissants
- Hard Boiled Eggs
- Tuna on Pita Bread
- Deli Meat & Cheese Kabobs
- Tortilla Chips & Salsa (or Guacamole)
- Nutella & Banana Tortilla (or crepe) Roll-up
- Cinnamon Streusel Muffin
- Leftover Slices of Pizza
LUNCH FRUIT IDEAS
- Oranges, (Whole Mandarin, Segments or Slices)
- Apples (soak for 10 minutes in pineapple juice or Fruit Fresh so they don’t go brown)
- Bananas
- Berries (Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries)
- Grapes
- Cherries
- Peaches
- Cut Up Melon (Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Honeydew)
- Mangoes
- Kiwi (Peeled & Sliced)
- Applesauce Cups
- Diced Fruit Cups
- Raisins
- Dried fruit
LUNCH VEGETABLE IDEAS
- Baby Carrots
- Bell Peppers, thinly sliced
- Celery Sticks (with nut butter)
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Green Salad with dressing
- Cucumber Slices
- Cauliflower (Raw Florets or Steamed)
- Broccoli (Raw Florets or Steamed)
- Sweet Potato (Cooked & Diced)
- Edamame
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Olives
OTHER SIDES TO ADD
- Granola Bars (store-bought or homemade)
- Cheese (String cheese, Cubed or Squares of cheese, or Babybel cheese)
- Yogurt Cups
- Homemade Go-gurt Tubes
- Chips
- Crackers
- Pretzels
- Fruit Snacks or Fruit Leather
- Popcorn
- Mini cups of hummus
- Beef jerky
- Nuts (if your school doesn’t ban for allergies)
- Homemade Granola or Trail mix
- Graham crackers
- Homemade cookies or Brownie Bites (bake a big batch and individually bag them up)
- Special treats, candy or snack cakes (usually for a holiday)
DRINK IDEAS
- Water Bottle (mini size are fun)
- Drink packet mix for bottled waters
- Chocolate Milk
- Milk
- Juice Boxes (100% juice)
- Yogurt Smoothies
Notes
Lunch Idea Combos:
Combo #1:- Turkey & Colby Jack Cheese Sandwich
- Mandarin Orange
- Carrots
- Chips
- Cheese Quesadilla
- Strawberries
- Celery Sticks + Peanut Butter
- raisins
Combo #3
- Chicken & Rice Burrito
- Pineapple
- Red Bell Peppers, sliced
- Quick Pasta Salad
- Granola Bar
- Yogurt
- Blueberries
- Veggie Hummus Wraps
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Orange Slices
- Croissant BLT sandwich
- Carrots + Ranch
- Apples
- Chips
- Bagel & Cream Cheese
- Sliced Smoked Turkey
- Raspberries
- Granola Bar
- Hummus + Pita Bread
- String Cheese
- Fruit Leather
- Cucumber Slices
- Crackers, Meat & Cheese
- Olives
- Carrots
- Hummus
- Grapes
- Pepperoni Pizza Bites
- Edamame
- Mandarin Orange
- Yogurt
- Homemade Hot Pockets
- Green Peppers
- Watermelon
- Fruit Snack
- Sesame Noodle Salad
- Yogurt
- Cantaloupe
- Almond Butter (or Peanut Butter) & Jam Sandwich
- String Cheese
- Popcorn
- Applesauce
- Ham & Swiss Croissants
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Apple Slices
- Hard Boiled Eggs
- Cubed or Diced Cheese
- Whole Grain Crackers
- Celery & carrots with ranch
- Tuna on Pita Bread
- Carrots + Ranch
- Banana
- Granola Bar
- Deli Meat & Cheese Kabobs
- Crackers
- Pears
- Yogurt
- Tortilla Chips & Salsa (or Guacamole)
- Orange Bell Peppers
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Kiwi (Peeled and Sliced)
- Nutella & Banana Tortilla (or crepe) Roll-up
- Pretzels
- Broccoli & Ranch Dip
- Fruit Leather
- Cinnamon Streusel Muffin
- Pre-cooked bacon slices
- Yogurt
- Raspberries
- Carrots + Ranch
If you make your own Meal Prep Lunch bins, I would love to see them! Snap a picture of your bin and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #happymoneysaver and tagging me @happymoneysaver!
More Freezer Meal Lunches
- Homemade Hot Pockets
- Oven Baked Chicken Strips
- Make Ahead Ham & Cheese Sliders
- Mini Naan Pizzas
- Easy Meatball Subs Recipe
- Homemade Chicken Taquitos
Thank you so much for the organization idea! I have been prepping school lunches by days of the week, and I always found myself re-prepping every other day. This helped me look at my system differently; instead of days of the week I view it by food categories. (which makes sense because my cupboards are organized by food categories, too) I have been doing it for 2 weeks now, and enjoy prepping everytime. And I only prep once a week. Thank you again!
Those lunch bins are to cute what a great way to stay organized.
I’ve been eyeing this post for quite a while and I think I’m finally ready to get organized and plan ahead with lunches! We love tortilla roll-ups for lunches and I like your Nutella Banana Roll-Up idea. Does the banana stay okay if you make this ahead (more than just the morning of their lunch)? Thank you for the great ideas and tips!
Love this idea! How many items from each bin do they select? I’m guessing one from freezer since that’s the main item but then 2 from fridge and 1 from pantry? Just curious!
Hi – its whatever you decide truly! I usually have them pick a sandwich, a fruit, a veggie and and a chip/treat.
I’m curious how you does the quesadilla work? I love all of this! I just didn’t understand how the melted cheese would work for a quesadilla.
There are a couple of ways. If your kids don’t mind being warm, just cook it and add it to the lunch. You could also wrap it in foil or place it in a thermos. If they have access to a microwave at school, they could warm it up, too.
I can”t wait to try these great ideas! I have 3 children and I think this would work great for us all. I love that they can pick what they want withing the options you put out each week.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have been looking for fun creative things for my 5 kiddos. I am tired of buying store bought things that I can’t pronounce the ingredients. This has helped not only me but my kiddos to. They are going to love this and it might help them to try new thing. I am going to keep a binder by the fridge that helps me to know what they like and don’t like.
Thank you again!