As a dietitian and a mom of three, I know the struggle of wanting to feed my kids healthy whole-food lunches while also navigating their likes/dislikes and picky eater tendencies. Packing lunches and healthy snacks for my preschool and elementary-age kids used to feel like an uphill battle. That was, until I came up with a healthy lunch formula that ensures my kids are getting a variety of nourishing foods, while also giving them options they like to eat. This simple formula has also streamlined things for me, too.
Even though I’ve been packing my kids’ lunches for years, sometimes I just need a spark of new ideas, and that’s exactly why I wanted to put this post together. I share my lunch packing formula, several kids lunch box ideas, as well as my favorite containers. What you won’t find here is fancy bento-style packed boxes, crusts cut off sandwiches, and foods assembled into mini artwork, because it’s just not realistic to do that in my home (I’m guessing the same may be true for you).
Kid-Friendly Lunch Formula Categories
To make packing my kids’ back to school lunches fast and easy, I simply make sure that I include 1 or 2 foods from each of these categories:
- Fruit
- Veggie
- Protein or Dairy
- Carbohydrate
Selecting at least one food from each of the categories above helps ensure my kids are getting a variety of the nutrients they need every day. Just like adults, kids need daily hydration, protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Fruits
These are the types of fruits I add to lunch boxes most often. I’ll also add seasonal options as they’re available.
- Fresh berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries)
- Apple slices
- Applesauce or other fruit puree
- Mandarin oranges
- Banana
- Dried fruit (mangos, raisins, apricots, craisins, dried apples)
- Peach or pear slices
- Grapes (cut up for little ones)
- Kiwi slices
Veggies
The key to getting kids to eat veggies is to introduce them often and select more “kid friendly” vegetables, such as these:
- Carrot sticks
- Cucumber slices
- Zucchini sticks
- Bell pepper slices or mini peppers
- Frozen or freeze dried peas and snap peas
- Frozen or freeze dried corn
- Cherry tomatoes
- Roasted sweet potatoes
- Steamed edamame
- Guacamole
Proteins Or Dairy
I include protein and dairy foods in my kids’ lunchtime meals to fuel their growing cells and bones. And though protein foods and dairy foods aren’t technically the same thing, there is an overlap of some of the main nutrients they provide. So I aim to make sure I pack at least one food from this category in their lunches.
- Deli slices – turkey, ham, chicken
- Turkey or beef sticks (soft varieties for little kids)
- Breakfast sausages
- Turkey pepperoni or Canadian bacon pieces
- Cooked chicken nuggets
- Chicken salad (my kids especially love this Waldorf chicken salad)
- Meal plan meatballs
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Egg bites (like these cottage cheese eggs bites)
- Peanut butter or other nut butter
- Yogurt cups or store-bought yogurt pouches
- Cheese sticks or slices
- Mozzarella pearls
- Cottage cheese cups
- Cream cheese (as sandwich spread)
Nutritious Carbs
Carbohydrate foods are the main source of energy for little ones. And whether they need it as brain food to fuel their learning or muscle fuel to run around the playground, kids tend to use it up quickly. Here are some nutritious carbohydrate-rich foods I pack:
- Whole grain bread
- Whole wheat or bean-based crackers and puffs
- Cooked pasta or pasta salad
- Homemade pancakes or waffles
- Hummus
- Tortillas (for roll-ups and quesadillas) or tortilla chips
- Mini muffins
- Granola
- Pretzels
- Mini buns, bagels, and pitas
- Energy bites
13 Easy Lunchbox Meals For Inspiration
I know from experience that each of these lunches can be packed in less than 5 minutes. These are realistic examples of the healthy lunches I pack for my own kids on rushed mornings.
Lunchbox 1
What I’ve Included:
- Fruit: blackberries
- Veggie: cherry tomatoes + lettuce in the wrap
- Protein/Dairy: turkey and ham deli slices + cheese slice + lettuce + hummus
- Carb: hummus + energy bites
Lunchbox 2
What I’ve Included:
- Fruit: raspberries + banana slices (in the sandwich)
- Veggie: sliced cucumber
- Protein/Dairy: cheese cubes and nut/seed butter (in the sandwich)
- Carb: whole grain bread and honey (drizzle over the bananas in the sandwich)
Lunchbox 3
What I’ve Included:
- Fruit: apple slices + grapes (in the chicken salad)
- Veggie: snap peas + celery (in the chicken salad)
- Protein/Dairy: chicken salad + ranch (for dipping)
- Carb: whole grain cheese puffs
Lunchbox 4
What I’ve Included:
- Fruit: halved strawberries
- Veggie: roasted sweet potato fries
- Protein/Dairy: cooked cold breakfast sausages
- Carb: protein waffles (cut into sticks) + maple syrup (for dipping)
Lunchbox 5
What I’ve Included:
- Fruit: diced kiwi
- Veggie: red bell pepper strips
- Protein/Dairy: egg bites
- Carb: pita wedges + hummus (for dipping)
Lunchbox 6
What I’ve Included:
- Fruit: grapes
- Veggie: carrot chips + pizza sauce (for dipping)
- Protein/Dairy: turkey pepperoni + cheese slices
- Carb: whole grain crackers
Lunchbox 7
What I’ve Included:
- Fruit: peach slices + dried fruit (in trail mix)
- Veggie: snap peas
- Protein/Dairy: yogurt pouch + nuts/seeds (in trail mix) + ranch (for dipping)
- Carb: mini banana muffins
Lunchbox 8
What I’ve Included:
- Fruit: mandarin orange
- Veggie: cucumber sticks
- Protein/Dairy: deli ham + cheese slices + ranch (for dipping)
- Carb: whole grain bread + mini homemade Clif bar
Lunchbox 9
What I’ve Included:
- Fruit: strawberry halves + raspberries + blackberries
- Veggie: carrot sticks + lettuce (on slider)
- Protein/Dairy: deli turkey + cheese + avocado oil mayo (on slider) + ranch (for dipping)
- Carb: small bun + chickpea cookie dough bites
Lunchbox 10
What I’ve Included:
- Fruit: blueberries + fruit spread (for pb&j roll up)
- Veggie: shelled edamame
- Protein/Dairy: peanut butter or almond butter + cottage cheese
- Carb: tortilla (for roll up)
Lunchbox 11
What I’ve Included:
- Fruit: dried mango pieces
- Veggie: snap peas + pizza sauce
- Protein/Dairy: salami or pepperoni slices + mozzarella cheese pearls
- Carb: pita wedges
Lunchbox 12
What I’ve Included:
- Fruit: halved blueberries
- Veggie: cucumber sticks + tomato sauce (mixed with pasta)
- Protein/Dairy: cheese stick (cut up)
- Carb: cooked bowtie pasta + hummus (for dipping)
Lunchbox 13
What I’ve Included:
- Fruit: kiwi pieces
- Veggie: roasted sweet potato
- Protein/Dairy: egg bites (cut up) + yogurt (for dipping)
- Carb: mini protein pancakes
My Tips For Picky Eaters
If you see the lunchbox ideas above and you’re thinking, there’s no way my kid will eat that, just know that you’re not alone. I have a few picky eaters myself, and there are a few things I’ve learned over the years.
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In every lunch, I try to include at least 3 foods that I know my kids will eat and just 1 food that is new to them, even if I know there’s a good chance they won’t eat it. I keep introducing that new food for exposure, which is an important element of getting anyone to try something new.
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If your kiddos aren’t fans of sandwiches or wraps, try serving those foods deconstructed so they seem less mysterious. For example, cut up a slice of bread, deli meat, and cheese and assemble them in the box “lunchable style” so kids can compose their own bites.
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For fruits and veggies, I like to cut the same produce in different ways from lunch to lunch. For example, I might slice a cucumber into rounds for one lunch, but then cut it into cucumber sticks for a different lunch.
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Don’t feel bad about packing the same consistent “mains” in kids’ lunches day after day. My daughter Adeline ate almost the same two lunches for her entire first year of school, and I would just swap it out with different fruit and veggie options.
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For a fun gesture that makes kids feel seen and comforted, consider adding a sweet note to lunch boxes (or draw a picture for young children who can’t read yet). It takes less than 30 seconds and my kids love it. I draw something simple like a sun or smiley face, or maybe a pumpkin in the fall, a flower in the spring, or a heart for Valentine’s Day. It’s our little way of staying connected even when we’re not eating lunch together.
My Lunch Box Packing Essentials
After being a DIY school lunchbox packing Mom for so many years, I certainly have a list of my favorite containers. These are the ones that keep foods separated (an important must for kiddos) and also have stay-tight lids that keep foods intact even as they’re swinging around in backpacks.
For the lunchboxes themselves, I like this Bentgo leak-proof 5-compartment lunch box, this 3-compartment stainless steel lunchbox with insert, this 3-compartment stainless steel lunchbox, this 5-compartment bento box lunch box that comes with containers, and this insulated 3-compartment square lunchbox with thermos.
For containers to pack loose veggies, cottage cheese, sauces, and similar items, I like these 4.5 ounce stainless steel containers with lids and these small condiment containers. Also, in the photos above, you’ll see my kids favorite water bottles and food skewers.
For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
