• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Burnt Apple
  • START HERE
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Colitis
  • Shop
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Amazon
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • START HERE
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Colitis
  • Shop
  • ×
    Home » Kid Friendly

    Easy Kid's School Lunch Ideas That Don't Require Refrigeration or Heating--Perfect for Young Kids to Teens!

    Published: Aug 24, 2020 · Modified: Jul 12, 2023 by burntapple · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    It's a very different look to this year. Not only do we have to plan on backpacks and pencils but we also have to pack masks and individual hand sanitizers. And I'm sure that your family is probably experiencing some of the same. It's a different year for all of us, and while many may not be going back for many of us we are. We definetely need some easy kid's school lunch ideas this year!

    But the good news is, we all have to pack lunches. And whether the kids are staying at home or going back getting in the routine of packing healthy lunches the night before is important. During quarantine we had lunches at the park, in the front yard and in the backyard just to break up the routine of the day. 

    Image of a variety of kids' school lunch ideas. pancake bites, pasta, corn chips and cookies are shown in the picture.
    kids school lunch ideas

    Getting Started: Easy Kids School Lunch Ideas

    There are plenty of easy kids school lunch ideas that will keep the kids fueled through those afternoon hours. To get started, you'll need some good lunchbags.

    What kind of lunchbags do you use?

    For a long time, we just used paper lunch bags. I got tired of the kids not bringing back expensive lunch bags, tupperware and bento boxes. it was getting frustrating. So I opted to stop. 

    My husband has bought his daughter the Pack It bags. I love them because they have the ice packs built right in. You just throw them in the freezer, bring them out in the morning and pack their lunch and go. It stays cool until lunchtime. 

    Find Your Favorite Pack It Lunch Bag Now

    What's a good routine for getting lunches prepped for multiple kids and adults?

    For us, the night before has always been the easiest for us. We can prep everyone's meals specific to what they want, we leave it in the fridge and in the morning pack it away in the above PackIt or a lunch bag with a frozen drink to keep everything cool.

    How do you keep lunch cool until you eat it?

    We often freeze juice boxes, yogurt or yogurt sticks and water bottles in the freezer and grab them to help keep meals cool until eaten. We often move the juice boxes or water bottles to the fridge overnight so they are unfrozen enough to drink for lunch. With the PackIt's we have stopped freezing juice boxes and things.

    What products do you eat to reduce prep time?

    I work too and want the kids to eat healthy but don't always have a lot of time to prep all our fruits and veggies. The kids really like individually packaged fruits and veggies and I like that a lot of that is simple grab and go for lunches.

    The girls have also really liked the Inner Eco smoothie snacks. At only 50 calories they feel like they are more grown up fruit pouches.

    What meals do you suggest that don't require any Thermos cups or refrigeration to make?

    Here are some simple and easy meals that we make for lunches:

    Breakfast for Lunch: 

    Try some delicious pancake bites with yogurt and applesauce. We also pack individual boxes or bowls of cereal with milk and yogurt.

    Lunch Ideas:

    Little Caesar Italian cheese bread, (my kids freaking LOVE this cold–it’s like cold pizza they say), marinara sauce for dipping, fruit or vegetable, kid friendly gingerbread cookies

    Salad

    I like Dole salads--my teens especially love the Dole salads. We just add some cooked chicken and it's a simple and easy meal. A bag of salad costs me $4 and it has all the toppings and can be easily shared between two kids or myself and one of my other kids.

    Pasta

    Pasta is simple and easy to pack. Kids will love this kids pizza pasta.

    Chips and Salsa

    Dipping some pita chips or cinnamon chips into a cup of Blueberry Salsa, sounds perfect with a cheese stick or meat stick. You can also send kids with a snack like these Trader Joe's copycat cheese bites.

    Trail mix

    Trail mix is another fun lunch. Try some Peanut Butter and Jelly Trail Mix or Chocolate Trail Mix, and include some beef jerky, a frruit or vegetable, drink, and one or two of these delicious baked double chocolate donuts

    Other notable kids school lunch ideas

    Grab a peanut butter cup and pair it with some Chocolate chip graham cracker cookies,for dunking, a fruit or vegetable and don't forget the drink!

    A gluten free pizza lunchable is also the perfect treat!

    **Post contains affiliate links

    More Kid Friendly

    • the barbie movie release is here!! Are you ready? We've got some wonderful five ingredient recipes for birthday parties, movie watching parties and more! The photo shows the barbie logo and pictures of pink foods including pink pancakes, a pink milkshake, pink popcorn and pink lemonade
      Five Ingredient or Less Recipes for the Barbie Movie Release
    • diy treasure hunt dig
      Design a Fun and Interactive DIY Treasure Hunt Dig for Kids
    • five ingredient or less school lunch ideas dairy free nut free soy free fodmap vegan vegetarian
      School Lunch Ideas Made With Five Ingredients or Less
    • delicious gluten free pancake mix made into dog shapes with the use of a dog shaped skillet!
      Chocolate Chip Dog Shaped Pancakes

    Just out! Get Your Copy Now!

    five ingredient or less gluten free bread cookbook

    https://easy-gluten-free-bread-cookbook.milotreecart.com/

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    traci burntapple website featuring recipes with five ingredients or less

    Hi, I'm Traci! Cooking hasn't always come easy. I'm the burnt pancake on one side and perfect on the other pancake person that serves it to you with the pretty side up. I've learned to cook and make it look easy to my family and others. I'm now helping you save time & money with easy simple recipes with five ingredients or less!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • a picture of a twice baked potato with melted cheddar cheese and crispy bacon on top.
      Twice Baked Potatoes
    • A bowl of macaroni and cheese with a creamy cheddar cheese sauce and a sprinkling of paprika. The macaroni is elbow macaroni, and the cheese sauce is made with cheddar cheese, milk, butter, and flour. The paprika is sprinkled on top for garnish. This image could be used to illustrate a blog post about noodles and company copycat wisconsin mac and cheese.
      Copycat Noodles n' Company Wisconsin Best Mac and Cheese Recipe
    • chicken caesar florentine with chicken, crushed caesar croutons, and parmesan cheese.
      Five Ingredient Caesar Chicken Florentine
    • tips for cooking healthy on a budget
      5 Tips for Cooking Healthy Meals on a Budget

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Burnt Apple