Getting lunches ready and kids out the door in the morning is tough! Today I'm helping you out with school lunch ideas made with five ingredients or less!
School Lunch Tips and Tricks
Making school lunches can become a very tedious task very quickly. Especially when you're doing it day in and day out. After ten plus years of making school lunches, I've learned a few tips and tricks for making school lunches:
- Make a meal plan for the week
- Prepare lunches, backpacks, clothes and more the night before. I'll go through a checklist with the kids and make sure we go through all of their classes, lunches are made and we are ready to grab and go in the morning.
- Minimal ingredients: Complicated school lunches can get tough really quickly. Making lunches with minimal ingredients will save money.
- Save time or save money? This was a tough one for me. I used to cut and prep all of my apples and vegetables and then quickly realized that working one full time job, a part time job and trying to save a few pennies for lunches wasn't working. I started to buy already peeled apples to save myself time.
- HERE ARE SOME OTHER TIPS FOR PACKING LUNCHES WITH NO REFRIGERATION
Lunch Ideas:
This is an easy mix and match lunch idea. I'm going back to old school and when I plan a lunch I plan a protein, carbohydrate and fruit or vegetable. Feel free to mix and match. I also have a printable version available here:
Protein
Protein options for lunches include plant based and non plant based ideas. Proteins are so important for helping you feel fuller longer. It's also the building block for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and tissue.
- Chicken skewers
- Chicken breasts
- Lunch meat
- Beans
- Chickpeas
- Eggs
- Greek yogurt
- Tuna
- Salmon
- Nuts-almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, sunflower
- Cheese
- Seitan
- Tofu
- Protein Bars
- Milk (Non dairy or dairy)
- Edamame
- Quinoa
- Cottage Cheese
- Pumpkin seeds
- Cheese sticks or mozzarella balls
- Jerky
- Protein balls
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are important for you too! They give a quick pick me up after a day of studying or working and help give you energy to make it through the rest of the school day! Carbohydrates are needed for concentration, recovery and fluid balance.
- Quinoa
- Crackers
- Bread or toast
- Cereal
- Muffins
- Rice cakes
- Tortilla
- Tortilla chips
- Rolls
- Pretzels
- Pita bread
- Naan bread
- Popcorn
- Trail Mix
- Biscuit
- Pancakes or waffles
- Bagel
- Rice or rice cups
- Chips
- Granola bars
- Oat bars
- Dried fruit or vegetables or fruit leathers
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are important for providing the nutrients a body needs. Vitamins are great, but getting the fiber, nutrients and vitamins a body needs come from the natural food sources.
- Broccoli
- Apple slices
- Bell pepper
- Tomatoes
- Watermelon
- Grapes
- Oranges or tangerines
- Bananas
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Kiwi
- Melon
- Pomegranate
- Papaya
- Mango
- Pineapple
- Peaches
- Apricots
- Plums
- Cranberries
- Cherries
- Guava
- Jackfruit
- Carrots
- Cucumbers
- Avocado
- Squash
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Eggplant
- Pumpkin
- Peas
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Mushroom
- Okra
- Snap peas
- Radish
- Soybean
- Spinach
- Sweet potato
- Zucchini
- Jicima
- Salsa
Mix and Match!
The possibilities are endless now! We've mixed and matched some fun five ingredient or less lunch ideas below from the list above.
CHIP AND DIP
- Tortilla chips
- Salsa
- Cheese stick
- Jicama stick
- Drink
OG SANDWICH
- Chicken salad sandwich
- Bell pepper
- Copycat Trader Joes Cheese Crisps
- Drink
PIZZA! PIZZA!
- Pizza lunchable
- Carrot sticks
- Drink
LET'S GO HIKING
- Jerky
- Peanut butter and jelly trail mix
- Watermelon
- Drink
BREAKFAST TIME
- Pancake bites
- Greek yogurt cup
- Fresh fruit
- Drink
STICK IT UP
- Chicken skewers (we found ours at Costco)
- Vegetables and cheese skewer (try our fun themed Halloween skewer!)
- Drink
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