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
About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
Patti says
In high school, it is miraculous. None of the peanut free rules exist and all the children manage to live. I think that many children grow out of it. They even serve pb&j in the high school cafeteria.
Lemort says
WTH is wrong with you adults?! Anaphylaxis is not merely an annoyance and inconvenience meant to target you and your lunch. Kids can die. Grow up, make your kids aware that foods can kill. You only have to live with it for 5 rushed minutes in the morning when you are trying to figure out what to make. Some people have to constantly scour labels or bring their own food to events so they don’t accidentally ingest the allergen. No, no one has nut allergies in my household, but I’m adult enough to not endanger others with my choices. Seriously.
Courtney says
Hi Karrie,
You mentioned homemade granola bars, where is your recipe!! I would love to see that on here also!!
Thanks for all the tips!
John says
One thing to consider. If you use normal bread slices, even without condiments on the bread, they may turn out a little moist or soggy. There isn’t enough bread to absorb the moisture that will develop when it thaws.
C says
Another idea is breakfast for lunch. Make mini pancakes and cook up some bacon or ham. Add some fresh fruit to make it a complete meal.
Morgan says
My son eats pancakes with peanut butter on them every morning before school. If something happens and he forgets to wash, has some at the corner of his mouth, etc, he could touch someone at school that is allergic. Everyone, with allergies or not, needs to be educated and the best precautions taken, but I do not feel peanut butter should be an excluded option for children who bring their lunch. No parent wants any child to die, so those comments are ridiculous.
Sandy says
I envy you and every parent who has the luxury of making a comment like this. The fact that parents have to debate and fight for the right for our kids to have a safe place to learn is so unfair. To call our comments ridiculous is nothing more than pure ignorance. Be thankful that your child’s life isn’t affected by something as simple as a peanut.
And, if I may be so bold to ask, why is everyone kicking up such a fuss about not being able to pack peanut butter for lunch? Use your imagination.
Elizabeth says
For those looking for some fresh ideas check out
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/04/19/school-lunch-roundup/
🙂
Brooke says
I am fine with peanut and nut free classrooms and schools. We have a lot of family members with severe allergies/asthma and I have seen some very scary reactions to allergens. My issue is with communication from the school and or teacher. We moves to a new school and received no notification of any allergies or nut bans. My daughter was severely reprimanded and forced to eat by herself because I sent her with her favorite pb&j. I was so angry. We met the teacher, principal and spent a lot of time in the office before her first day and no one had said a word.
Barb says
This is a fantastic idea! Thank you so much for sharing it. We’re driving cross-country soon, and I am going to use this idea to make lunches on the road quick and easy!
J says
Wow, I can’t believe all the selfish opinions. No one has the right solution…everyone has the ones that are best suited for their needs!
I was just like some of you a few years ago with my opinion on allergies because I my children didn’t have allergies. However one day my child had a reaction by simply being touched by another child who had consumed nuts.
As much as I educate my children about allergies there is nothing I can do other than hope that other parents who don’t have allergies also educate their children. I hope those of you who don’t have children with allergies realize that there are children out there who could stop breathing by simply being in close proximity nuts.
Please consider other children with allergies at your own child’s school and be mindful of what they can and cannot have and pack your lunches accordingly. If you want to give your children items other kids are allergic to, do so at home and have them wash their hands and brush their teeth before exposing them to children with allergies. No child should be put at risk in their school due to an allergy that they acquired through no fault of their own.
Lucy says
We’ve been doing this for years. We use a drawer in our fridge (instead of a container) to store everything in. It works out great. We prep on Sunday. Some favorites: hard boiled eggs, pickles, olives, yogurt, cottage cheese, fresh fruit (whatever is on sale that week), carrots, celery, bell peppers.
We also have a school policy similar to the “litterless” comment above. We use all containers. You only need to invest in them once. If you don’t like reusable containers, there are a lot of reusable sacks/bags out there now too (takes up less room in the lunch bag).
Christine says
Thank you for all these great ideas! I would have never thought to make ahead and freeze sandwiches for fear of soggy yukkiness but it sounds like that isn’t much of aproblem. I also loved the comment from the woman who said to stop catering to our kids – they’ll eat it if they are hungry. True and good advice!
C says
Unfortunately, mine would starve before eating something he didn’t like (meat). One tip for keeping cheese from getting too soft is to keep cheese in small portions in the freezer instead of the fridge. So, keep the individually wrapped string cheese or cheese sticks in the freezer. Put them in the lunches in the morning and by lunchtime, they’re great. They also help to keep the lunch cold.
Mary says
If they are SO bad that the mere presence of a peanut could kill them, why oh why would you put them in that position? Quit laying blame elsewhere. No way would I send my kid ANYWHERE I could not monitor them at such a young age!! YOUR KID= YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. Not the school, not the other kids, not the other parents…. YOU.
Karen says
So basically what you’re saying is that a child with an allergy doesn’t have a right to an education like the rest of the allergy free kids? You’d rather have them locked away somewhere so you can do and give what you please to your child? You come across that if child with an allergy happens to accidentally consume something with their allergen in it at school because another child with a parent that had that ideology dies from the allergy you won’t bat an eyelash if it’s because of what your child gave them.
What would you do if it was your child in that position? Tell him “sorry son, you have an allergy so you can’t go to school and learn like that the rest of the kids” or would you rather send them to school and ask the teacher to keep an eye on them so that they don’t eat what their allergic to? It’s their LIFE you’re being so nonchalant about; it’s your kind of thinking that could kill these kids. Do you really want that on your conscience?
Wendy says
It’s not about locking kids with allergies away. It’s about what is best for your child. Home schooling is a viable option (and I’m not saying that schools shouldn’t be peanut free) for the safety of the child. I home schooled my children for 9 years because my oldest was visually impaired and the school in our area was ill equipped to deal with his needs. There’s no way in hell I would have put one of my children with a deadly allergy into the public school system.
I don’t pack nuts in my kids lunches, and I don’t have an issue with that. But they eat peanut butter for breakfast all the time. If your child is that severely allergic that my kids’ breath could set them off first thing in the morning- seriously- how do you function? I’m not trying to make light of your situation by far. I feel really bad for all of you. But there’s no way I could let a child of mine, in that kind of danger out of my sight, probably until at least high school.
robyn hively says
as your adding food to their lunches don’t forget the mom notes…have a great day – good luck on that math test – or just I love You! use your imagination and you can adjust them to the grade..just my thought to share!
Jen says
Our school is all about the “litterless” lunch. Sure makes it hard to get anything done in advance…
Windy says
Why not make the sandwiches to freeze ahead of time, with reusable tin foil, and then just transfer them into the proper container the night before or in the morning! Foil can be reused many, many times if done carefully. Better yet, use heavy-duty! Problem solved!!!! 🙂
Momof3 says
sewginger
So a child that has allergies isn’t entitled to an education like your children? I think if your child had an allergy you would be singing a very different tune. The statement that they shouldnt go to school is so close minded of you. Do you know how many children would need to be home schooled if kids with allergies aren’t allowed to go to school…
By the way my children don’t have nut allergies but I think that for one meal and a few snacks everyone can lighten up. Make your child a pb wrap for breakfast or after school snack or supper whatever. Not having nuts won’t kill your child but it could kill someone elses. And I live in BC where there are some workplaces actually do ban nuts and peanut products.
katy a says
If you do pb wrap in the am isn’t that the same as during? Could be on there hands/breath for that allergic kid.
I see both sides but what do you do with your kid at the park, grocery store, bus, anywhere touchable could have been touched by someone that had peanuts or whatever… Do you know what the mail man had for lunch?
If you have a severe allergy you should carry an epi Pen out of the safety for yourself. 🙂
C says
Not to make light of anyone with severe allergies, but the other side of the coin is that it’s not just one meal a day in a kid’s life. My kids don’t really like peanut butter, so it’s not simply foregoing a sandwich; it’s more than that. It’s being hungry for the majority of the day because kids are most active when they are at school and burn a lot of energy on the playground and during P.E. My youngest is a very finnicky eater. I have to be very creative in trying to make sure he eats so he isn’t hungry at school Since we are not allowed to send him with snacks from home due to another child’s nut allergy, he isn’t able to eat the heatly, protein-rich food (such as yogurt or a granola bar) I would normally send him with. My child shouldn’t have to be hungry. Do you know how difficult it is for a hungry child to concentrate and behave in school?
Sandy says
“My child shouldn’t have to be hungry”?? Seriously? In this day and age if you are unable to find SOMETHING that your child won’t eat that is peanut-free then my child who has a life-threatening nut allergy should pay the price for their pickiness. Let me say that again: if your child is picky, my child could die. See the difference here?? I’m absolutely blown away by the number of comments made by mothers – yes, MOTHERS – who are so close-minded that they won’t attempt to expand the list of lunch items to feed their own kids to help to save the lives of kids like mine. Please keep in mind that it isn’t only items like peanut butter that we have to worry about, but items that “may contain traces” of nuts. It’s easier for me now because my son is 10 and is very vigilant about reading labels on everything, but when he was younger, he just couldn’t be trusted to do it on his own.
To those of you who suggest that my son should be home schooled because he has an allergy, I just shake my head. So your kid goes without PB&J or other nuts for one meal a day. Sorry but you won’t get any sympathy here. I am able to make lunch everyday for the entire school year without including a single item that has or may contain nuts. C’mon moms. Put yourselves in my shoes and those of moms like me. Our children’s lives are at risk and your comments suggest that our kids aren’t worth the time to try to find other choices. What a slap in the face.
Molly says
Having read all the comments on both sides of the peanut butter argument, I think that education,compromise and negotiation would be the best options. In “real-life” education, compromise and negotiation are going to be the way that these people have to deal with their medical conditions.
The school can make a peanut/nut free zone in the cafeteria or vice versa. All children should have to wash their hands after eating. Child with the severe allergy should have their epi pen on them at all times (same with inhalers). Regardless of age — by the time a child is attending school, they should be fully informed on their allergy and know how to deal with it. Parents should have an IEP in place to deal with this medical issue and require the schools to comply with the medical condition requirements. If the school is uncooperative then, there are remedies. Barring all that — home school the child. Your child’s life is ultimately the most important thing. But, requiring the rest of the world to accommodate is not a “real-life” solution and does the child no favors in the long run.
Samantha says
So my problem is multiple food allergies, dairy, eggs, beef, seafood, wheat and sulfites (common in lunch meats, hotdogs etc). Any more ideas? one likes WOW butter but hates cheese or anything in a thermos, the other likes cream cheese but no meat at all, the 3rd likes GF oatmeal and pretty much nothing else. So they can’t have deli meat, hotdogs, 2 can’t have dairy or eggs, none can have seafood(tuna etc,), 1 can’t have wheat and no beef, add that to no nuts or eggs at school! I hate making lunches!!! I started the prepacking a few weeks ago because they always stole all of the “prepackaged” convenient stuff before the week was up…so I can do most of it with fruit and veggies, allergy free granola bars etc… just need ideas for a “main” for them, We have balanced day (so 2 larger recesses /day) and my kids have HUGE appetites! most of the time I can’t fit all of their lunch in one bag and they typically come home empty…they are all very athletic so they eat ALOT and haven’t an ounce of fat on them…( I wish I could do that!)…these allergies are making things so difficult!
C says
How about hummus with veggies or rice cakes? You can also find rice pasta (I’ve found it at Trader Joe’s and it’s not too expensive) – maybe to make a pasta salad (with veggies only for the one and then with veggies and diced chicken for the others.
miss ter says
My younger son is on a honey sandwich kick, so thats super easy, and although I havent tried, I dont see why it wouldn’t freeze. My older won’t eat a sandwich to save his life so I plan to just make extra supper, and freeze it for him, as he’ll devour leftovers. And it will stay cold enough that I won’t fret about accidentally poisoning him:) love the chopped up fruit salad idea!!!
Rachel says
Fabulous ideas but our school is “garbage free” when it comes to snacks and lunches so everything has to go in tupperware/rubbermaid/some sort of container…I’d have to buy way too many containers to have enough to pre-make lunches for 3 kiddos for a week.
miss ter says
I appreciate the intent of the school, but the kids have to practically carry a backpack alone to accomodate all the neccesary containers. I guess there is reusable sandwich bags that would cut down on space. Lunch is so complicated!
karie says
tell them you wash and reuse your ziplocks 😛