my planning lists logo
Header Image

Healthy school lunches

< Back to Education
Print
Do you need ideas on healthy lunches that your child can bring to school? There are many alternatives to the standard sandwich, Lunchables or school lunch. Following are some healthy & simple ideas. You might enjoy these yourself! Involve your child, they might have good ideas as well - and then they will actually want to eat the lunch that was prepared! (plus save you some time)

  • Almond butter sandwich (if allergic to peanuts, but not almonds)
  • Bottled water, or a water bottle
  • Carrot sticks
  • Celery or carrot sticks with almond butter, apple butter, soy nut butter, peanut butter or cream cheese
  • Cheese (low-fat) and whole grain crackers
  • Cottage cheese and berries
  • Freeze dried fruit
  • Fruit
  • Hard boiled eggs
  • Homemade gorp / trail mix (freeze dried fruit, nuts, seeds)
  • Leftover dinner – soup, stew, meat, rice, pasta – in a thermos
  • Leftover meat from last night’s dinner – put on a sandwich
  • Pasta – whole wheat pasta with chunky spaghetti sauce and any sort of veggie
  • Pizza Quicks – whole grain English muffin, pizza sauce, grated cheese, veggies, sandwich meat – assemble at school so it doesn’t get soggy
  • Potatoes – baked potato broken up in a thermos or mashed potatoes, with toppings in a separate container  (cheese, salsa, veggies)
  • Pretzels
  • Salad – make a big salad once a week, and divide out each day, dressing on the side
  • Smoothies – fresh or frozen fruit and yogurt – put in thermos to stay cold
  • Soy “nut” butter sandwich (if allergic to peanuts and all nuts)
  • String cheese
  • Taco shell with a bag of toppings (low-fat cheese, chicken, lettuce, tomato, beans) – assemble at school so that it doesn’t get soggy
  • Tuna and crackers
  • Turkey sandwich on whole grain bread
  • Veggie soup, stew, other homemade soups – make a large batch of your child’ds favorite soup/stew – freeze in paper cups – then pop out into zip loc bags and keep in freezer – the morning of school, heat in microwave & put in thermos
  • Veggies & hummus  (Costco sells individual serving size hummus packets)
  • Veggies & ranch dressing
  • Veggies & salsa
  • Whole wheat waffle sandwich with slice banana or apples, and apple butter
  • Yogurt & berries
  • SCHOOL LUNCH - more and more schools are creating healthier lunches.  Check out your school lunch calendar - you might be surprised.  Maybe not every choice is healthy - but there are usually fruit and veggie sides, salads, and other healthy options as well.  Have lunch with your child and check it out for yourself!

 

Do you need ideas for what school supplies your child might need, or supplies to have on hand at home for projects?  Check out this comprehensive list:

http://www.myplanninglists.com/school-supply-list.php