by Rachel Wells

Packing school lunches doesn’t have to be stressful or time-consuming. With a simple system in place, you can make mornings smoother while giving your child a chance to build independence and confidence.

This quick and easy lunch list is divided up by main courses, sides, and treats. Your child can simply look at the list and choose one item from the mains, one or two from the sides, and one from the treats to create their packed lunch. You can do this nightly, or have your child plan out a week at a time. A little preparation can go a long way toward making busy school mornings feel much less hectic.

Main Courses

This is the central, most substantial part of the meal, providing the main source of nutrition.

• DIY lunchable – ritz crackers, pepperoni, cheese slices
• Strawberry Nutella wrap (tortilla, peanut butter, Nutella, sliced strawberries)
• Cream cheese spread with a cut up bagel
• DIY Pizza lunchable – mini Nann flatbread, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese
• Turkey and cheese rollups (tortilla, lunch meat, cheese slices, and mayo or cream cheese rolled and cut into pinwheels)
• Meat sticks
• Pasta salad
• Yogurt parfait (with granola on the side)
• Mini pancakes and syrup
• Salad with protein
• Turkey sandwich
• Ham sandwich
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
• Chicken salad
• Hardboiled eggs
• Peanut butter and banana roll up (tortilla, peanut butter, and banana rolled up and cut in half)
• Veggies and hummus
• BLT roll up (tortilla with mayo, diced bacon, diced tomato, and diced lettuce rolled up and cut in half)

Sides

Sides add contrast to your meal with fun flavors and textures.

• PB filled pretzels
• Trail mix
• Grapes
• Berries
• Drinkable yogurt
• Crackers
• Granola bar
• Goldfish
• Apple slices and peanut butter
• Mini muffins
• Apple rings with peanut butter and chocolate chips
• Fruit with fruit dip (mix 8oz cream cheese and 7oz marshmallow fluff)
• String cheese
• Cherry tomatoes
• Pretzel sticks
• Chips
• Lime chips and guacamole
• Protein balls
• Chips and salsa
• Applesauce cup
• Carrot sticks and ranch
• Cucumber slices

Treats

A little sweet treat to finish off lunch.

• Chocolate covered pretzels
• Cookies
• Brownie
• Teddy grahams
• Pudding
• Jello cup
• Chocolate covered orange slices