It’s back to school season, which means we’re back to packing lunches for our kids. Packing nutritious lunches that our kids will actually eat is definitely a balancing act. Not to mention how time-consuming this can be on a busy weekday morning.
Regardless of where your kids end up eating their lunch, we’ve put together six easy lunch box ideas that require minimal to no cooking and have loads of flavor. To keep these lunches on-budget, we’ve doubled up on a few ingredients that were on sale on the Flipp app, and repurposed them in multiple recipes.
Pizza Box
This is the easiest pizza you’ll ever make, and your kids will love it. Spread a couple of spoonfuls of pizza or pasta sauce on a whole wheat pita bread. Sprinkle it with shredded mozzarella cheese, and pop it in a preheated 400° F oven or toaster oven. Bake for 10–15 minutes.
Assemble your lunch box by adding the pizza and a few sides:
- Pita pizza, sliced
- Turkey pepperoni
- Cherry tomatoes
- Baby carrots
Snack Box
If your child loves Lunchables snack packs, you know you’re mostly paying for the branded packaging. Good thing you can create your own healthier version for a fraction of the price. To keep the appeal of the original, assemble the snack box with each ingredient separately to allow your child to stack their desired toppings onto the crackers.
This is what we’d include:
- Whole wheat crackers
- Cherry tomatoes (halved)
- Sliced turkey
- Sliced cheddar cheese
- Side of hummus
Rollup Box
These fun, little rollups are a great alternative to sandwiches, and are extremely customizable. Since turkey was on sale at our local grocery store, we added turkey, cheese, and hummus to our rollups. Spread some hummus on a tortilla wrap, add turkey and cheese, and roll the tortilla wrap shut. Then, slice into wheels.
Here’s everything we put in this box:
Protein Box
The name says it all. For an easy and affordable protein boost, hard boil an egg or two and slice in half. Serve with some whole wheat pita bread topped with your child’s favorite butter. We chose peanut butter. For nut allergies, some great alternatives are Sun Butter, which is made from sunflower seeds, or Wowbutter.
Assemble your box and include some yummy sides:
- Hard boiled egg (halved)
- Whole wheat pita bread with peanut butter
- Baby carrots
- Grapes
Taco Box
If you have leftover chicken, pork, or beef from the previous day, add it to your child’s lunchbox for some easy tacos. Assemble your box with all the ingredients separately in their own compartments so that the tacos don’t get soggy.
Here’s what’s in our box:
- Protein of choice
- 2 flour tortilla wraps
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Salsa
- Kernel corn
- Tortilla chips
Energy Box
If your child is a fan of PB&J sandwiches, they’ll love this lunch box. Instead of jelly, this rollup uses bananas for a sweet kick that provides loads of nutritious energy. Spread a couple spoonfuls of your preferred nut butter on a tortilla wrap and add sliced bananas. Roll the wrap shut and slice into wheels. Optional: sprinkle some maple syrup or honey for added sweetness and turn it into dessert.
For nut allergies, some great alternatives are Sun Butter, which is made from sunflower seeds, or Wowbutter.
Add your roll up and some fruity sides:
- Nut butter & banana roll up
- Blueberries
- Sliced strawberries
We hope these lunch ideas have given you some inspiration to start the school year strong. Have some school lunch ideas of your own? We’d love to see them! Tag us on Facebook or Instagram.
