• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

MJ and Hungryman

  • About
  • Blog
  • Feeding tips
  • Recipes
  • Resources
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Baby Led Weaning
  • Recipes
  • Feeding tips
  • Resources
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Baby Led Weaning
    • Recipes
    • Feeding tips
    • Resources
    • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    MJ & Hungryman » Baby/Kid-Friendly Recipes » Master List of Lunch Box Ideas for Kids

    Master List of Lunch Box Ideas for Kids

    By Min On June 28, 2022

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy for more details.

    Share or Save It for Later!

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Here are healthy lunch ideas for kindergarten and beyond that don't require reheating. Simply follow the basic formula below to make packing a well-balanced lunch box a breeze!

    A six image collage of lunch box ideas for kids.
    Jump to:
    • Basic Formula for Packing a Healthy Lunch box
    • My favorite lunch boxes
    • Healthy Lunch Packing Tips
    • How to Keep Lunch Cool
    • Easy School Lunch Ideas for Kids
    • Healthy School Lunch Ideas
    • Lunch box Idea for Kids - Peanut Butter Chickpea Salad

    Basic Formula for Packing a Healthy Lunch box

    When packing lunches, rather than thinking "what foods should I include," which is very broad and can feel overwhelming, first categorize the foods by food groups.

    Then using the formula below, select at least one food from each of the categories.

    Using this approach will make incorporating a variety of foods simple and doable while ensuring your child gets the nutrition and energy they need.

    Protein/Fat + Complex carb (e.g. whole grains, beans, lentils, starchy vegetables) + Fruit and/or Vegetable

    My favorite lunch boxes

    My two favorites are Yumbox and LunchBots. I like that these bento-style lunchboxes allow more variety and keep items separate so they don't mix together and become a hot mess.

    For Yumbox, the one pictured is the Original. The multiple compartments is great if your child doesn't eat that much at school, and it can help encourage variety. But it's difficult to pack larger food items, like sandwiches and wraps.

    If you have a hearty eater or want something your child can grow into, then I suggest getting the Panino!

    Healthy Lunch Packing Tips

    • Aim for balance. Not every single lunchbox has to be perfect, but do aim to include at least 2 components from the formula mentioned above.
    • Consider your child. Include at least one safe food that you know your child will eat. If they like their bread, veggies, etc. cut in a certain way, honor their preferences.
    • Get your child involved. This is something I've been working hard on lately. It's so much easier for me to do everything by myself, but my toddler absolutely loves to help out in the kitchen.
    • Ask your child. Keep in mind though, you don't want to give them too many choices. Offer just TWO choices from the same food group. For instance, "would you like pasta or bread? Banana or raspberries? Chicken or beans? They're more likely to eat what they chose.
    • Try at home first. Try not to pack a completely new food as your child may find it intimidating.
    • Start serving dinner leftovers cold or at room temperature at home. This also includes foods that are normally eaten warm. You may be surprised to find that they taste fine without being reheated. With repeated exposure your child won't have trouble eating them at school.
    • Don't give up! There will be days when the lunch box you packed comes back hardly touched for whatever reason. Don’t panic or get upset. Rather, the best thing you can do is keep offering a variety of foods with their food preferences in mind. Your child will get the nutrients they need to grow and thrive over the course of days and weeks.

    How to Keep Lunch Cool

    I personally don't like to bother with warming up food or packing in a thermos. Therefore, all of the ideas below can be enjoyed cold with these tips.

    • Get an insulated, soft-sided lunch box and use at least 2 cold packs (one on top and one on bottom of lunchbox).
    • You can also freeze water bottles. Fill it about ¼ full and lay on its side to freeze. This is especially great for those with narrow openings. In the morning fill it to the top with water and pack alongside the lunch box!
    • Prepare cooked food (e.g. chicken, vegetable, pasta) ahead of time so that they're chilled in the refrigerator (make sure it's set at 40°F or below)
    • Keep cold foods in the refrigerator until the last minute before packing.
    • Put the most perishable foods right next to the ice pack.
    • Freeze foods like sandwiches, muffins, fruit, squeezable yogurt tubes, applesauce containers, etc. to keep the food cold.

    Easy School Lunch Ideas for Kids

    Here are 4 main categories with specific foods that pack well in lunch boxes. By all means, you don't have to include all 4 options into every single lunch.

    If you find yourself in a lunch rut, I hope this list makes it easy for you to mix and match an endless number of combinations!

    You may also be interested in healthy Lunch Ideas for Daycare or Preschool.

    Main Course

    To make things even easier for you, all of these options contain protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates. So all you need to do is pick a fruit and/or vegetable. And just like that, you have a balanced meal.

    But if you'd like to see specific food items for these 3 food categories, check out my Master list of snack tray ideas!

    Note: If your child's school is peanut or nut-free, seed butters are great alternatives.

    • Peanut butter and banana roll ups
    • Pizza quesadilla
    • Bean and cheese quesadilla
    • Cream cheese (or ricotta) and strawberry (or other fruit) quesadilla
    • Mashed sweet potato cheese quesadilla
    • Waffles
    • Pancake sandwich
    • Muffins
    • English muffin pizza
    • Deconstructed tacos with meat or beans, cheese, mild salsa, and tortilla
    • DIY lunchables with meat or tofu, cheese and crackers
    • Dry cereal with cheese or eggs
    • Pesto pasta (here's a nut-free broccoli pesto recipe)
    • Veggie nuggets
    • Bagel and cream cheese
    • Master list of Sandwich Ideas
    • Salmon quiche
    • Salmon patties
    • Deconstructed breakfast tacos with scrambled eggs, beans, cheese
    • Hard boiled eggs + crackers
    • Grilled cheese with store-bought or homemade hummus
    • Wrap (try serving deconstructed. For example, shredded chicken with pesto, sliced tortilla)
    • Pizza eggs
    • Chickpea veggie patties
    • Veggie French toast
    • Plain Greek yogurt and granola
    • Yogurt and cereal or sliced bread to dip
    • Veggie Omelette
    • Oatmeal balls
    • Baked oatmeal
    • Broccoli hummus pasta
    • Zucchini pesto pasta
    • Plain pasta with cheese and/or beans
    • Meatballs
    • Dinner leftovers

    Fruits

    • Apples (and applesauce)
    • Avocado
    • Banana
    • Blueberries
    • Clementines
    • Grapes
    • Grapefruit
    • Kiwi
    • Mandarin oranges
    • Mangoes
    • Melons (honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon)
    • Oranges
    • Peaches
    • Pears
    • Pineapple
    • Strawberries
    • Raspberries
    • Watermelon
    • Freeze-dried fruit and canned fruit in 100% juice are also great options

    Tip: Frozen is just as good as fresh fruit. Add straight from the freezer as it will help keep food cold. It will thaw by lunch time.

    Vegetables

    • Bell peppers
    • Beets
    • Broccoli
    • Butternut Squash
    • Carrots
    • Cauliflower
    • Celery (try ants in a log!)
    • Corn
    • Cucumber
    • Peas
    • Snap peas
    • Sweet potato
    • Cherry or grape tomatoes
    • Zucchini

    Healthy School Lunch Ideas

    Here are the actual lunches I packed for my son. I used the exact list above and aimed to incorporate an item from each of the categories as much as I could.

    As a visual person, I find seeing photos of what other mamas pack for their child very helpful. I want to emphasize that this is not meant for comparison.

    Spinach pancake sandwich with hard boiled egg, raspberries, butternut squash, hummus, and fun shaped zucchini and carrot pieces in a green lunchbox.

    Spinach pancakes and cream cheese sandwich + raw zucchini and carrots + butternut squash + hard-boiled egg + raspberries + mashed avocado (with lime juice to prevent browning).

    Tip: These cookie cutters are a great way to make veggies fun and exciting!

    pb banana roll ups in a blue lunchbox with sliced zucchini, bell peppers, apple slices, edamame, and beet hummus.

     Banana pb hemp seed roll ups + frozen edamame + raw zucchini and orange bell pepper + beet hummus + apple slices

    pasta tossed in pesto with cubed chicken and raspberries in stainless steel lunchbox.

    Zucchini pesto pasta + chicken + fresh berries

    roll ups in a blue compartmentalized lunch box with parsnips and clementine.

    Vegetable tortilla roll ups + clementine + roasted parsnips

    toddler's lunchbox including Indian roasted cauliflower, cheerios, persimmons, bread slices, and chickpeas

    Roasted cauliflower and chickpeas + cereal + persimmons + whole wheat bread

    sliced vegetable French toast, frozen edamame, watermelon, broccoli, and yellow bell pepper strips in an aqua kid's lunchbox

    Vegetable French Toast + frozen edamame + yellow bell pepper + steam roasted broccoli + watermelon

    mini bagel sandwich with cream cheese.

    Mini bagel and cream cheese + cherry tomatoes + cantaloupe

    Deconstructed curried chicken avocado salad.

    Deconstructed  easy chicken salad (added cilantro instead of carrots) + pita bread + apple + tomatoes + frozen peas

    butternut squash cream cheese sandwich.

    Butternut squash and cream cheese sandwich + carrot and cucumber sticks + raspberries + frozen edamame

    Crackers and cheese lunch box.

    Cheddar cheese and crackers + peaches + cucumber

    leftover chicken enchilada with tortilla.

    Enchilada chicken + corn tortilla + cheese + avocado + mangoes + broccoli + cucumber

    Leftover chicken and potatoes with zucchini cookie.

    Korean Instant Pot Chicken and potatoes + tortilla + zucchini cookie + blueberries

    Oat balls with chickpeas.

    Vegetable oatmeal balls + chickpeas + peas + strawberries + mangoes

    Plain pasta with cheese and veggie nuggets.

    Plain pasta + cheese + baked veggie nuggets + cantaloupe

    Vegetable omelette triangles.

    Vegetable omelette + sweet potatoes + freeze-dried strawberries

    Peanut butter chickpea sandwich (recipe below) + spinach muffin + hard boiled egg + apple + butternut squash

    Meatballs with lentil bars.

    Turkey rice meatballs (Tastes great cold) + lentil bars + sweet potatoes + raw zucchini and bell peppers.

    Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating below and let me know how you liked the recipe! Your feedback means so much to me!

    A four image collage of lunchbox ideas for kids.

    Lunch box Idea for Kids - Peanut Butter Chickpea Salad

    Here's a quick and easy lunch box idea for kids as well. You will also find plenty of no reheating required lunch ideas in this post.
    No ratings yet
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Author: Min | MJ and Hungryman

    Ingredients

    • 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
    • ¼ cup peanut butter, room temperature (or any nut/seed butter of choice)
    • ½ teaspoon cumin
    • Bread of choice

    Instructions

    • Mash the chickpeas in a bowl.
    • In a small bowl, combine peanut butter and cumin. You may need to add a little bit of water to thin it out.
    • Add to chickpeas and stir to combine. Spread onto your bread of choice.

    Notes

    • Can use any nut or seed butter of choice
    • Any white beans will work
    • Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
    More lunch box ideas:
    • Spinach pancakes and cream cheese sandwich + hard-boiled egg + fruit/vegetable
    • Banana pb hemp seed roll ups + frozen edamame + beet hummus + fruit/vegetable
    • Zucchini pesto pasta + chicken + fruit
    • Vegetable tortilla roll ups + fruit + vegetable
    • Vegetable French Toast + frozen edamame + yellow bell pepper + steam roasted broccoli + watermelon
    • Mini bagel and cream cheese + cherry tomatoes + cantaloupe
    • Deconstructed  easy chicken salad (added cilantro instead of carrots) + pita bread + apple + tomatoes + frozen peas
    • Butternut squash and cream cheese sandwich + carrot and cucumber sticks + raspberries + frozen edamame
    • Vegetable oatmeal balls + chickpeas + peas + strawberries + mangoes

    Nutrition

    Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 10g | Fiber: 5g | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg
    Course lunch
    Cuisine American
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Tag me @KidFriendly.Meals today!

    « Peach Banana Smoothie
    Creamy Scrambled Egg Sandwich »

    Share or Save It for Later!

    Share: [addtoany]

    About Min

    Thank you so much for stopping by! I am Min, a Registered Dietitian, a Christ follower, a wife, and a mom to our two miracle babies! Currently, I’m having a ton of fun feeding their tummies and sharing our baby led weaning journey! Follow me on Instagram if interested in seeing daily menu as well as tips and tricks.

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    HI!

    I am MJ, a registered dietitian and a mom of 2. I truly hope you’ll enjoy all the recipes and tips that I share on what and how to feed your child!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    search

    Trending Now

    Peach smoothie in a glass jar.

    Peach Banana Smoothie

    A close up shot of baked oatmeal in a white square pan.

    Baked Peach Oatmeal (No Added Sugar)

    A close up shot of yogurt right after blended.

    Frozen Peach Yogurt (Popsicles for Baby and Toddler)

    Carrots, beet hummus, cheese, cucumber, waffles, and broccoli in a muffin tray.

    Ultimate Snack Tray Ideas (for Lunch or Dinner)

    Easy travel snacks all laid out on a white background.

    Healthy Travel Food Ideas (to share with babies and toddlers)

    Three stacked cookies.

    Healthy Zucchini Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Is your baby 4-6 months old?

    Give your baby a head start on solids even before their first bite!
    I'M READY!
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Is your baby 6 months old and up?

    Learn all the secrets to starting solids safely while optimizing nutrition!
    I NEED IT NOW!
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Is your toddler becoming picky?

    Arm yourself with these strategies that will transform your mealtimes!
    YES, PLEASE!

    popular feeding tips

    A four image collage of baby meals.

    60+ Healthy Baby Led Weaning Recipes

    six examples of smart snacks including vegetables with beet hummus, yogurt with blueberries and cereal, leftovers from lunch

    Toddler Snacking All Day Long: Here's Help

    six breakfast ideas for 9 months served on a blue and red bear-shaped silicone plate

    50+ Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Babies

    Easy travel snacks all laid out on a white background.

    Healthy Travel Food Ideas (to share with babies and toddlers)

    Footer

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Copyright © 2022 MJ & Hungryman LLC · Privacy Policy | Contact

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    SAVE & ACCEPT