Lunch ideas from my classroom:
- Applesauce
- Bagel – sliced with butter or cream cheese
- Banana bread sandwich with cream cheese
- Breakfast sandwich from McD’s – one of my little kiddos brought one for her early snack!
- Cheese with crackers
- Cheese sticks
- Cheese slices
- Cookies
- Crackers
- Cucumber –slices
- Eggs – hard boiled
- Fruit -pre-sliced
- Granola Bars
- Hummus and crackers
- Lunch Meat – cut in pieces
- Mac n Cheese – preheated and in a thermos container
- Muffins
- Olives
- Pepperoni – slices
- Pickles
- Pita bread triangles with dip
- Popcorn –popped at home or prepackaged
- Pudding
- Rice Cakes
- Salad with dressing
- Sandwiches
- Soft Pretzels
- Snackables –pizza is a favorite but it can be messy to assemble
- Submarine sandwich – small
- Soup – preheated and in a thermos container
- Trail Mix – nut free
- Veggies cut in slices with dip
- Wraps- cut small for little hands
- Yogurt
Nut free? Try these! If your child’s school is a nut-free zone and he/she is a peanut butter lover, try similar products that are not nut based such as WOW Butter. Either that or save the PB+J for an after-school snack when your child gets home.
*I had a darling little girl last year who could not eat grapes without repercussions. One day we went through two changes of clothes and, on the third, I finally had to call home. The little darling wasn’t sick. She LOVES grapes and ate so many at lunch that it ran through her. She was so embarrassed. We kept it as private as possible. We concluded that it must have been the grapes. So mom and I decided that grapes would no longer come to school. Never had a problem again.
*Embarrassing Moments: when I was a little girl our school had a cafeteria. One day as I was carrying my food from the counter to the table but on the way I spilled my entire tray of spaghetti all over the floor. The whole lunchroom burst out in geers and applause. The nice lunch lady quieted them down and helped me get another lunch. But that was it. I NEVER bought lunch at school again. I wasn’t going to have all those eyes on me waiting for the next debacle. I think I was in college before I tried it again. True story!
What you need to know about your child using microwaves at school, especially if your child is very young:
- Will he or she have help with the microwave?
- If, after microwaving, the container will be too hot for handling, is there an adult designated to carry it for them?
- How much time is there to heat it up? Certain items take a long time – 3 minutes or more is LONG at school – to cook. This ties up the microwave so that others cannot use it and takes away valuable eating time for your child.
- Is the container you are sending microwavable or will they need another container to heat it in? If so, send the right container with a spoon for ladeling it out or find something else to send for lunch.
- 5 Inspiring Lunch Ideas To Make Your Kids Smile by Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom
- Practical School Lunch Ideas from Natashas Kitchen
- Back To School Lunchbox Ideas from Belly Full
- Five Ways To Make PBJ from Cooking Classy
- 101 School Lunch Ideas by Dating Divas
- One Whole Month Of School Lunch Ideas For Kids by Super Mommy Club
- School Lunch Ideas 2,250 Combinations from Handmade Mood
- My Food Alphabet Themed Lunches from Eats Amazing
- A+ School Lunch Ideas For A Month by Princess Pinky Girl
Got any school lunch secrets you can share with us? We’d love to hear your ideas.
Free Digital Photos by nemetus and tiverlylucky
Flickr Creative Commons lunches: Melissa
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