It feels just like yesterday that I was jumping up and down that I was done making lunches for awhile. Now, in just three weeks, my kids will be going back to school and I will need to start packing their lunches again. Yes, I realize they are in 5th and 8th grade and they are more than capable of packing their lunch, but I like knowing that they are eating something healthy each day for lunch. Since my daughter has decided that she no longer wants to eat sandwiches, I need to come up with some lunch ideas for her that don’t look like a sandwich!
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As you know, since I’ve talked about it MANY times, my husband and I follow the Keto diet. While we do not have our kids follow the Keto diet with us, we have had many talks with them about eating healthy and limiting the sugar that they eat. I don’t know if it was before that conversation or after, but my daughter told me she did not want to eat sandwiches anymore. I don’t know if it’s that she doesn’t like them or what, but all summer long she has been eating meat and cheese rollups with broccoli and dip. To continue her new lunch ways, I’ve looked at the following lunch boxes for her:
Bentgo Kids Childrens Lunch Box – Bento-styled Lunch Solution Offers Durable, Leak-proof, On-the-go Meal and Snack Packing (Blue)
PlanetBox ROVER Eco-Friendly Stainless Steel Bento Lunch Box with 5 Compartments for Adults and Kids – Black Carry Bag with Sports Balls MagnetsBentgo Fresh (Aqua) – Leak-Proof & Versatile 4-Compartment Bento-Style Lunch Box – Ideal for Portion-Control and Balanced Eating On-the-Go – BPA-Free and Food-Safe Materials
What I like about the different boxes above is the wide variety of foods I can give her. She loves to eat salad and will often times ask me for it for dinner. Truth be told, I think she eats salads because she is obsessed with croutons, but hey…she’s eating vegetables so I’ll go with it!
Lunch Ideas
So what will I put in her lunch box if we go with one of the lunch boxes above, instead of one filled with plastic baggies and a bunch of stuff to throw away each day? Here are some of my lunch ideas for her:
- Meat and cheese rollups
- Broccoli and ranch dip
- Applesauce
- Goldfish crackers
- Salad with chicken and croutons <–can’t forget those croutons!
- Fruit
- Leftover pizza cut up
- Peanut butter and jelly quesadilla
I’m sure, as the year goes on, we will come up with a bunch of different ideas. These type of lunch ideas work great for my daughter. My son…he’s a different story! He eats me out of house and home and the amount of food he takes to lunch is insane. So one of these lunch box ideas will not work for him. Instead I am looking at something like this:
Everest Cooler Lunch Bag, Black, One Size
While I am relatively new at figuring out what to put in lunches that don’t have sandwiches (and why this seems so difficult to me, I don’t know), I will be checking out different sites (like this one) for other lunch ideas! In the mean time, please leave me a comment with your lunch ideas! Bella and I will appreciate the ideas!
Great ideas. We start this coming Monday *insert cries* and my husband is in charge of packing lunches. I buy everything and he packs it all – he requested different ideas this year, so your list is super helpful + love the boxes.
These lunch boxes look like a great idea. One can only eat so many sandwiches. It sounds like your daughter is developing good eating habits setting her up for a healthy life. I’ve not heard of the Keto diet but I need to get that book.
These are all great ideas. My kids are going to be glad to get something other than peanut butter and jelly. LOL
Our children’s school does not offer standard hot lunch, which means we pack their lunches almost every day. These fun suggestions sound like great ways to keep things exciting!
These are some great lunch ideas! I usually rely on the cafeteria but my son hates it so maybe I’ll try some of these.
I love these ideas! Back when our kids were taking lunches to school, it was like pulling teeth to get them to let us know what they wanted for the week! Our middle child was by far the easiest. Thanks for sharing and good luck to your daughter this year.
We have sent soup, chili, pasta, salads, mac and cheese, homemade lunchables, meat and cheese roll ups, just meat rolls, any dinner leftovers, and recently we have started with hummus. It really just depends on the mood they are in.
I like the idea of Peanut butter and jelly quesadilla
The lunchboxes are cute. I’m always on the lookout for school lunch ideas. Thanks for sharing this.
They are super cute! I like the different color options too! Color is so important to kids! Who am I kidding…color is important to me too!
My son started Kindergarten Wednesday so I have been packing his lunch. So far I am having fun with it. Love these ideas!
One year, on my sons birthday, I wrapped every item in his lunch box in birthday wrapping paper. It was so fun!
My kids usually took sandwiches in their lunch box. They didn’t seem to mind but towards the end of the school year, I started letting them just eat lunch at school.
My son has decided he doesn’t like the food that they deserve for lunch at his school, so he has been taking his lunch to school lately. I love the ideas that you suggested!
My daughter BEGS to buy school lunch! She is probably the only kid that actually likes it!
These are great ideas! I try to change my kids lunches up, so they aren’t eating the exact same thing every day.
Kids will have good appetite and will be encourage to eat this good food. For sure they will love it. It is good for back to school.