A colorful plate adds more than just nutrition – it provides an abundance of flavor and visual appeal! Here are ten healthy school lunch ideas for kids that taste and look great. Plus, I’ve included a few of my favorite school lunch tips and tricks.
It’s that time of year when kids and parents are getting in the swing of the new school year. Are you looking for some fresh inspiration for the school year? Hoping to kick-start your family’s health journey? These kids’ school lunch ideas are an easy place to start!
Quick Tips for Lunch Ideas for School
All of us eat with our eyes first, especially kids. So making packed lunches appealing can encourage your child to eat more of the nutritious foods you send with them! Getting intentional about how you organize and pack your child’s lunches can help too.
Build off of the ideas below with these extra tips and strategies:
- Use fun packaging. Fun packaging appeals to kids. Purchase fun reusable containers to put fruits, veggies, and dip into for lunchtime.
- Add fun animal-shaped reusable toothpicks. If toothpicks are age-appropriate for your kid, add them to the lunch to use with cut-up fruit or canned fruit in its own juice.
- Always suggest a fruit or vegetable option first when helping your child decide on a food option to pack.
- Trail mix or 100% fruit roll-ups are a great way to add dried fruit and nuts to your child’s diet!
- Pre-packaged small containers of fruit packed in their own juice make a quick and nutritious snack or side option.
- Boost veggies with a serving of baby carrots, sliced red peppers, grape tomatoes, or sliced cucumber. Serve a dip like hummus, Greek yogurt dip, or their favorite dressing on the side.
Food Safety Basics
Making sure your packed lunches stay safe is an important part of promoting health for you and your child! Perishable foods should stay cold in an insulated lunchbox.
Alternatively, pack foods that won’t spoil easily if you don’t have access to insulated lunch boxes and ice packs. If you need more information about food safety, take a deeper dive into keeping bagged lunches food safe.
10 Easy Kid’s School Lunch Ideas
These healthy school lunch ideas for kids can be made ahead for maximum ease! Most can be made cold and kept cold. But if your child’s school has a microwave, you’ll have even more options! No matter what kind of lunch you’re packing, make color reign!
Including diversity in your food choices makes foods fun to look at and offers a wider variety of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Each of these offer health benefits! Whether you’re serving these meals hot or cold, keep them in the fridge until you send your child to school. Then send them to school in an insulated lunch box with an ice pack!
1. Veggie Spring Rolls
Spring Rolls are a fun way to include a rainbow of colors and flavors in your child’s lunch box! They are an easy, customizable, and delicious kid’s school lunch idea. Plus, they’re jam-packed with colorful veggies, and the peanut sauce provides a serving of healthy fat!
View the full recipe for fresh spring rolls.
2. Sushi
Making Sushi is a fun family activity that can serve as a great lunch too. It can contain any vegetables you want, and fish like smoked salmon is a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids, which supports a healthy brain. Or, make a veggie version and serve with a side of edamame.
Learn more about the steps to make sushi for kids!
3. Whole Grain Veggie Wrap
A wrap is an easy way to send off a quick, nutritious, and delicious lunch idea for school! I use whole grain wraps and load them up with my favorite veggies, lean proteins, and spreads.
One of my favorites is to use hummus or black bean spread. This provides a serving of legumes and boost the fiber to support a healthy gut!
4. Fresh and Colorful Salad
Try mixing and matching your family’s favorite fruits, vegetables, beans, proteins, and whole grains to make a tasty and filling salad!
One of my favorites is a Mediterranean Quinoa Salad. You can keep it vegetarian or top with your favorite lean protein. Quinoa is a complete vegetarian protein, so it adds a real boost to this salad!
5. Rainbow Lunch Palette
Challenge yourself to see how many colors you can put into a packed lunch. Can you get every color of the rainbow? For example, red rice, orange peppers, yellow corn, green parsley, blueberries, and black beans make a rainbow lunch! Or, simply mix and match some colorful foods in a bento box.
Try combining your favorite fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to make a beautiful, healthy lunch!
6. Nutrient-Packed Casseroles
Make a healthy chicken casserole with an assortment of 3 types of different colored frozen veggies. This tasty dish packs a phytonutrient punch from the veggies. Plus, it will keep your kid satisfied till the end of school thanks to the protein in the chicken.
Plus, this is an easy meal to eat twice: make it for dinner, and then serve leftovers for lunch later!
7. Veggie Spaghetti
Try adding finely grated carrots to your favorite spaghetti sauce. This adds a heaping dose of Vitamin A and a sweet taste that most children are certain to love.
Add ground chicken, turkey, or your favorite minimally processed firm tofu. This protein addition will make this a complete and satisfying meal!
8. Bean Salad
Combine black beans, black-eyed peas, corn, and your favorite fruits and vegetables to make a healthy and filling bean salad! The beans provide healthy fiber and plant-based protein from the beans. This combined with the colorful veggies provides a tasty and satisfying meal.
Top with grilled chicken for protein, or avocado for healthy fat, or mix it up however you like!
9. Chickpea “Chicken” Salad
You’ve heard of chicken salad, now get ready for chickpea salad! Simply mash a can of chickpeas with a fork. Substitute this for the chicken in your favorite chicken salad recipe. Just like that you have a tasty vegetarian meal!
The chickpeas offer great fiber, phytonutrients, and plant-based protein. You can boost the nutritional value of this meal by serving it with vegetables and whole wheat bread or crackers.
10. Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadilla
This is a quick and tasty meal that has an unexpected phytonutrient and vitamin A boost from the sweet potato. Mash or shred a cooked sweet potato. Spread about 2 tablespoons on a whole wheat tortilla, and add some black beans and your cheese of choice.
If this seems like a strange combination, just give it a try, since this recipe has turned some sweet potato haters I know into sweet potato lovers!
Easy Colorful Additions to Prepare Ahead
If you’re looking for easy and repeatable sides to add to the lunch ideas above, I have you covered. The ideas below can be prepared in bulk.
- Root vegetable home fries: Roast a mixture of root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and beets with olive oil and fresh herbs. Then serve as a side to the main lunch meal.
- Pureed veggies: Sneak pureed vegetables into all kinds of foods! Try soups, salsas, and other store-bought food – watch this video on boosting veggies to learn how.
Since these items are made hot, separate them into small Tupperware so they cool down quickly. Then store them in the fridge! Keep them cool at school with an insulated lunch box and ice pack, then reheat until steaming hot.
Easy School Lunch Ideas for Kids: Final Thoughts
I hope my school lunch ideas for kids can provide a healthy school year! If you need more support providing healthy meals for a picky eater or child with severe food allergies, Book Pediatric Nutrition Counseling Today.
Together, we find easy solutions to build a healthier foundation over time. Take charge of your family’s health and kickstart some results in the first six weeks.
