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    Home » lunch

    School Lunch Ideas Made With Five Ingredients or Less

    Published: Jul 28, 2022 by burntapple · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    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
    Image via BurntApple

    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:

    Image Courtesy Pexels

    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
    Image Courtesy Pexels

    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
    Image Courtesy Pexels

    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

    More Great EASY Lunch Recipes Here!

    Are you a lunchtime salad lover? Grab some new salad recipes here!

    « Five Ingredient Gluten Free Protein Muffins
    Copycat Trader Joes Cheese Bites »

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    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 →

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