6 Easy School Lunch Ideas that are No Fuss
If you’re like me and need kids lunch inspiration here are 6 easy school lunch ideas that are no fuss and take very little effort. I am not the mom that cuts sandwiches into cute shapes and makes art out a bento box. Don’t get me wrong, I’m in awe of the moms who do (you guys rock) but, in gentle honesty, I couldn’t be bothered.
This post is sponsored by Welch’s® Fruit Snacks. I am being compensated for this post. All comments and opinions are my own.
Easy School Lunch Ideas
I know back to school is right around the corner, but it won’t be long now where you’ll be stuck for lunch ideas.
It happens to all of us, we have the best of intentions, but we get stuck in our own routine.
That’s where I come in.
Do you have a great lunch idea that you want to share? Let me know your favorite kid’s school lunch in the comments.
Easy Kids Lunch Ideas
Here are 6 easy school lunch ideas that I’ve personally packed for my son.
It’s easy enough to make swaps to suit your child. Swap a vegetable for a vegetable, fruit for a fruit, and if your child loves sandwiches as much as my son does – add their favorite instead of the options I listed below.
I will add that you don’t have to come up with new lunches every single day, that adds to mommy burn out. Swap one or two of the foods and trust me, the kids are happy with that.
Lunch 1
- Turkey sandwich
- Carrots
- Hummus
- Welch’s® Fruit Snacks in Mixed Fruit.
Lunch 2
Growing up, this would have been my favorite. I personally love the “snack style” lunches with crackers, meat, and cheese.
- Peas
- Crackers
- Deli meat roll-ups
- Dill pickle
- String cheese
- Welch’s Fruit Snacks in Mixed Fruit.
- Raspberries
Lunch 3
- Drinkable yogurt
- Blueberries
- Welch’s Fruit Snacks in Berries ‘N Cherries
- Turkey sandwich
- Carrots
- Energy bites
Lunch 4
- Popcorn
- Welch’s Fruit Snacks in your favorite flavor variety
- Cucumbers
- Raspberries
- String cheese
- Turkey roll up
Lunch 5
Okay, there’s a face here but I swear that happened by accident (and I was super excited when it did).
- Cinnamon roll muffin (the “frosting” is Greek yogurt and a little bit of sugar).
- Carrots
- Welch’s Fruit Snacks in Berries ‘N Cherries
- Hard-boiled egg
- Energy bites
- String cheese
Lunch 6
- Sunflower butter and jam roll-ups
- Welch’s Fruit Snacks in your favorite flavor variety
- Cucumber and carrots
- Apple sauce
- Energy bites
Bento Box Snack Ideas
In addition to the typical sandwich, wrap, or stuffed pita here are some snack ideas for recess.
Welch’s Fruit Snacks
Whenever my son has Welch’s Fruit Snacks in his lunch, I’m the hero of the day. They’re one of my favorite choices for back to school. They’re a treat for my son and they’re made with real fruit which makes them so delicious!
Fruit is the first ingredient in this snack time favourite and with it having natural flavours and colours is one less thing I have to think about. They’re gluten free too! They’re the only fruit snack we ever have in our house.
Veggie of Choice
A house rule with kids school lunches is that there have to be vegetables, but they get to choose it. Some of my son’s common vegetables for school lunches include:
- Carrots
- Snap peas
- Cucumbers
- Bell peppers
Popcorn or Tortilla Chips
I will add some air popped popcorn or tortilla chips for a fun crunch for bento-style lunches.
Other options you can add are crackers, pretzels, and roasted chickpeas!
Muffins/Breakfast Cookies
I will add the odd homemade muffin or breakfast cookie. I say breakfast cookie because I don’t add sugar to them, so they fuel my son while giving him a treat.
Try these: Blueberry Breakfast Bars
or these Almond butter balls (substitute sun butter if it’s a nut free school).
Dipping sauce
It’s not often my son brings a sauce to school with him (he’s not as into dips as I am) but when he does, he likes hummus or guacamole. Guac can be tricky since it turns brown, but you can buy individually packaged ones that make it easier.
Another good dip to add to lunches is ranch dressings, most kids love it (but for some reason mine doesn’t), and it just may encourage them to eat their vegetables!
You can find out where you can purchase Welch’s Fruit Snacks here.
Want to save some money? Save $1 by bringing this coupon to your local store.
I love the idea of popcorn in the lunch. My boys need some new ideas for lunches and these are ones that I like.
I love that it’s so easy too. Either pop some in the microwave or buy a bag of Skinny Pop or whatever I see at the store.
I love your lunch trays! We do low sugar in our home and no dyes. Do these Welches have dyes and do you know how much sugar is in them? I am sure my kids would enjoy them!
The coloring is “natural colors” (no added dyes that are listed) and the pack I have on hand has 7g of sugar. That’s the Canadian version anyway, the US version you can find the nutritionals here: https://welchsfruitsnacks.com/product-categories/fruit-snacks/
Thanks for sharing these! We’re going to need them soon! I loved our year in Utah with school lunches provided by the school! haha
Oh that would have been so nice! lol I want to get a few more of these boxes so I can do more than one at a time, even two would be nice.
I love these options. So great. I know sometimes we struggle with what to pack our kids and with 6 in school it gets tough sometimes!
My kids love Welch’s Fruit snacks and always request this brand because they taste good. They love grape the best!
So many healthy and yummy options! Lovely ideas. Will for sure need to use some as the time is quickly approaching!
For us too, three more weeks!
I like all these great lunch ideas. I do something very similar for my kids when they decide to take home lunch. They love Welch’s fruit snacks as well.
I need to get some of these little organizer bins. My kids go through way too many plastic bags.
When my girls bring lunch to school, we tend to run out of ideas quickly. I’m grateful for the ideas! We will definitely use some of these.
You have such a great list of ideas for school lunch that I cannot even think of anything to add to your list. These are brilliant and easy enough for me to whip up for the kids no matter how busy I am. Love this resource for back to school lunch ideas.
Brandy thank you so much for your comment! I’m glad I could help 😀
I am loving all of these lunch ideas. I want to make them for myself even though I work from home. Welch’s fruit snacks are the only ones we ever buy.
Good to see you are up to healthy options. It looks tidy and delicious. Welch is one of my all time faves.
Love all these lunch options! Such great choices for kids! Also love how you’ve organized everything!
I love those lunch trays! Would it be wrong to get one for myself to have at home? Your lunch ideas are perfect! My favorites would definitely be the snack style ones. I do those for myself all the time and Walter loves them too. He is not quite old enough for Welch’s Fruit Snacks yet but once he starts school, you can bet he’ll get to have some! I love that they’re made with real fruit. (They still make an appearance in our home even though Walter is too little. My daughter and son in law like taking them sometimes in their lunches too! 😉 )
My friend has these lunch boxes for their husband because they’re so good!