Back to School Lunch Ideas

It’s no secret that school lunch isn’t very appealing to the eyes. And since we eat with our eyes first, many children turn their noses up to the school lunch, which isn’t good for their little, growing bodies. Hopefully these back to school lunch ideas will make your kids excited about lunch time again.

I’m proud to partner with CVS/Pharmacy for this Gold Emblem Summertime Snacking Campaign. I am being sponsored to help lead this campaign, but all opinions expressed are my own, and all product claims or program details shared should be verified at CVS.com or with the appropriate manufacturers. All of these back to school lunch ideas are my own.

My kids really aren’t picky eaters, but they do have their favorite foods. I credit this to the fact that early on, I gave them the opportunity to try different foods and I didn’t give up, even when they spit it out the first time they tried something. I kept on, and on, and on, reintroducing the food to them. Eventually, they wouldn’t spit it out and learned to like it.

Score one for momma!

I didn’t always pack a lunch for my children at school but wanted to be more aware of everything they were eating. That’s when I decided to send lunch to school every day, well, almost every day. They do get to choose a few times a month to purchase a school lunch, but for the most part, they bring a lunch.

Back to School Lunch Ideas

And with all these back to school lunch ideas, hopefully your kiddos will be begging for homemade lunches, too!

Over the last couple of years, bento lunches have taken the world by storm. We were not immune to the phenomenon. I just couldn’t resist the cute little cut-out sandwiches and flower-shaped veggies. And my children think it’s really awesome, and that I’m the coolest mom around, so I just keep on fueling it. I like being the coolest mom! So lets get to some creative back to school lunch ideas.

Back to School Lunchbox Ideas

Dinosaur-shaped peanut butter sandwich (if your child’s school is nut-free, any nut butter will work) | raspberries | broccoli | CVS Gold Emblem Abound Walnuts | cut carrots | ranch dressing | Chobani Greek Yogurt Tubes

Heart cut-out peanut butter sandwich with sprinkles | raspberries | CVS Gold Emblem Dry Roasted Sunshine Edamame Blend | cut carrots | ranch dressing | CVS Gold Emblem Abound Sea Salt Flavored Baked Rice Thins

Batman-shaped peanut butter sandwich | cut carrots | black olives | celery sticks | ranch dressing | CVS Gold Emblem Rice Crisps

Dinosaur-shaped peanut butter sandwich | raspberries | grape tomatoes | broccoli | cut carrots | ranch dressing | CVS Gold Emblem Superfruit Snack Bar

Batman-shaped peanut butter sandwich | cut carrots | black olives | celery sticks | ranch dressing | Chobani Greek Yogurt Tube

Making a Healthy Back to School Lunch

Making a fun and exciting, yet healthy school lunch for your children doesn’t have to be difficult and incredibly time consuming. Since I’m making lunch for three children, and my husband, it usually takes me about 30 minutes. On days when I can enlist the help of my children and/or husband, it goes much quicker. It also helps to prepare the fruits and vegetables at the beginning of the week so that I have them ready for the remainder of the week. And having plenty of back to school lunch ideas really helps, too!

Having items that are easy to pack and that don’t require much prep, also helps save time in the kitchen. Some of my favorites are:

• black & green olives
• grape tomatoes
• celery sticks
• carrots
• berries
• apples
• bananas
• clementines
• dried fruits
• nuts
• string cheese
• yogurt
• snack bars
• popcorn
• cheese cubes

Having items on hand that I can easily grab from the fruit bowl, pantry and refrigerator saves me a great deal of time. I also have all my lunch-making supplies, in one cabinet, where everything is labeled and easily accessible, which is also a time-saver. See my post on how to organize bento supplies for some organizing ideas!

Here are some of my favorite lunch making supplies.

LunchBotsBuy Now!Food PicksBuy Now!CuttersBuy Now!Silicone CupsBuy Now!

When packing lunches for my children, I prefer to pack water. I recently found out about Taste Nirvana Coconut Water and love having another option for my kids’ lunchboxes and my husband’s too. I pack the cans with my kiddos lunch and the glass bottles are perfect for my husband.

Don’t let the task of making your children a fun and exciting lunch scare you. And don’t let the moms on Pinterest freak you out with all their fancy food carvings and bell pepper masterpieces. Do what you can, and learn as you go. Use a couple of food picks, cut out a sandwich shape, and call it a day. Easy peasy and your children will love it.

Back to school time is a crazy time for the whole family. With back to school lunches and after school snacks, sometimes I feel like all I do is prepare food. But I know that at the end of the day my family goes to bed with full bellies and happy hearts, and that makes it all worth it.

What do you pack in your child’s lunch?