School Lunch Ideas

It is almost back to school time once again. Today we have some fabulous school lunch ideas for you. Start planning today so that first day does not sneak up on you. We have everything from planning ideas to supplies to recipes and more. All of those ideas all in one place to kick the school year off right. Send an amazing (and healthy) lunch with your kids all year by following some of the advice below.

The school day can be long and cumbersome for kids however lunch falls right in the middle of the day. You can give your kids a pick me up by adding a fun note to their lunch box. Leave this as a surprise so when they open the lunch box a little encouragement is what they find. There are a few ways to leave these notes. One is to paint the inside of their lunchbox with chalkboard paint like this one from Freckles Crafts. Click here to see more about this idea and how to add it to your child’s lunch box.

You can also add a pre-printed or handwritten note into the box. There are some great free printable lunch box notes over at The Country Chic Cottage. They include this image below because you know that your child is amazing…..they should know it too!

Now lets get to some fun ideas and recipes for school lunches that are memorable. You can click here to head to Mom Endeavors for a full month of school lunch ideas. That is a TON of meals and variety for your little munchkin. Your child will never be bored with these ideas plus they will get the nutrition they need in a fun way.

However after reading the article above with all of those adorable lunches, I realized that I don’t have any of those containers in my home. So I found an article that will fix that for you as well! Click here to see a list of lunch making supplies that you will need to make these lunches and keep everything separate. I love the idea to use smaller containers for keeping the food separate. I might just have to use that for work lunches as well as school lunches.

I also found an amazing free printable lunch idea list. You can print this, hang on your fridge, and then have easy access to lunch ideas every morning. Click here and print your own list today. Start by taking the list to the grocery store as a reminder to get lunch foods!

Now that you have the list, food, and all of those containers….where are you going to put all of this stuff? Well Uncommon Designs has the perfect solution. A school lunch command center that will fit right into your kitchen. Plus this is super easy access if you are going to teach the kids to pack their own lunch. Click here to see more about this lunch command center.

If you set up your command station in a lower cabinet or a place where your kids can easily reach, you may be tempted to teach them to pack their own lunch. After all mom is super busy in the morning. Print this “how to pack your own lunch” guide from Rage Against the Minivan then turn them loose. This guides them to packing their own nutritious lunch without (too much) intervention from mom.

If you don’t trust the kids to pack their own lunch, another option is to speed up the lunch making process. Momables has some great ideas on how to make a WOW lunch in 30 seconds. Click here to get the ideas and turn your kids’ lunch from ho-hum to WOW!

Another way I find to speed up any process is to organize it. You can start with this school lunch planner from The Organized Parent. Print this and fill in what you are packing for lunch each day. Reaching for the supplies should be quicker and easier when you know exactly what you are going after.

Another way to beat the lunch time blues quickly is to serve leftovers in their lunchbox. Keeley McGuire takes us through a weeks worth of leftovers for lunch. Fun ideas to turn leftovers into lunch for the kids. This way you can pack most of the lunch the night before and leave your mornings for other tasks.

You may need a fun ice pack for your child’s lunch box. Try this idea from My Kitchen Escapades on making your own fun colored ice packs. These are reusable and super inexpensive as well.

Last but certainly not least, we found this treasure trove of 111 Easy To Do School Lunch Ideas That Your Child Would Happily Eat. Homesthetics has curated a list of really exquisite and yet easy to do lunches that vary a great deal in ingredients and preparation method yet they are all balanced, delicious and super healthy!

Back to school time is hard so make it a little easier by planning ahead. Grab a few of the school lunch ideas above and start to make a plan for this year. It will be easier on you and your child will love these customized lunches.