We all love to do those little extras, but we don't always have time. So, we need to prioritize! Oh yes, those words are more than just words when it comes to streamlining the back to school rush!
So if you're working to have healthy, fun, and easy school lunch for yourself, your kids or your spouse, think "outside the lunch box" and surprise your family with these new recipe ideas!
This is why I put together a list of more than 30 Fun and Easy Lunch Box Ideas for School or Work that you, your spouse and your kids are sure to love! From creamy turkey pinwheels, burrito bowls, taco mac and cheese, chocolate cherry banana bread, pasta salad with bacon and tomatoes, and more, these recipes will help you take your family's lunch to the next level!
Check out the selection below and start making some healthy, delicious and nutritious meals!
When it comes to lunch, don't compare yourself to others, especially if you see too many Pinterest-worthy lunches from people you barely know. Instead, find inspiration and pack something your kid will actually eat! That's the important part anyway!
Momable's The Santa Fe Chicken Lunch Sandwich is a must try for anyone who loves a variety in their normal chicken sandwich. Easy to make and something that everyone in the family can enjoy!
Yummy, Healthy, Easy: What more could you want? Well this Creamy Turkey Pinwheel is more than your average grocery store version - it is made from fresh ingredients and when you add in the tooth pick to hold it, it won't come apart and is the perfect size for even the youngest kid. Add in a few more for your tween or even for your lunch!
What I love about this Lunhbox snack mix is that it is one thing that tastes yummy while not needing to look great. Throw it together in a small container and you're good to go!
Do you want to keep up with Jones' or just have a more eco-friendly lunch box? Then follow this from Happiness is Homemade!
Burritos are always a fun option, but they don't always hold up well through a kid's rambunctious hop to the bus stop, so try them as Burrito Bowls instead!
This is a great list of 6 ideas for your lunch box, which are especially fun if you want to be creative every once in a while.
This is totally worth google translate! You may need to adjust a few things based on your taste, but OH MY, talk about inspired for lunch. They had me at Chutney!
Quiche for lunch? Absolutely! Nutritious and fun from Mommables! Since they're mini, you can pack as you need and still get good crust for the crust lovers of the family!
Make your child's day special with their special letter in their bento, like this one from A Mom's Take.
Talk about cute, without going over board! This lunchbox idea uses mini skewers to make fruit kabobs and more! Love it!From an inverse letter sandwich to a "you eat buns" funny, this is a great list from a mom's 1000th day bento!Gluten free for lunch! Yes, it can be done. This is a nice twist on classic mac n cheese!
Eat Good for Life gives a few ideas for using a separated lunch box to make lunch full of variety, including a fun tortellini salad dish.
Are your kids sick of a sandwich in their lunch? Here are some fun ideas to try!From quesadillas to roll-ups, here's another list of ideas for you to be inspired to skip the sandwich lunch!Does your kiddo love chicken nuggets but you need to avoid grains? This works and can keep until lunch if packed right!
Quiche, as I said before works well for lunch. Try this mini broccoli quiche for a protein packed lunch!
Get in all the food groups in this packed banana bread! Yes, protein, fruit, and everything else all in one!Are you looking for ideas that don't include processed food? This "unprocessed mama" helps you find inspiration.More and more families are gluten free. From GF macaroni to to deviled eggs, find plenty of options here.
I'm loving this belly-full fondue idea, plus there are plenty of other great options from bellyful!
Culinary Hill never fails - and this one is great too. Try this pasta salad that is packed full of protein with the add-ins!Nom Nom Paleo gives a weekly rundown of lunch ideas, including Asian-meatballs! Yum!
This is so cute! I love this butterfly inspired bento, even if I have to make it for myself.
For a pre-school or kindergartener, bentos that are based on the letter of the day are super fun! Try this one for the letter E!While you can get bagel sandwiches from the frozen aisle, it may be more healthy and even cheaper to make them yourself!
Make that first day special, by including a lovely printable note for your kiddo who is heading back to school. Sweet!
Looking for something that kids will actually eat and that you'll eat as well? Then try this chicken salad idea!
I Pack Lunch gives some good ideas for both adults and kids, including pita pizza!
Are you a bento-101 person? Just starting out? These are some simple ideas for bento-style lunches.
While we'd love to be able to make everything from scratch (okay, maybe not!), there's a time and place for pre-packaged food and yogurt is one of them.
What do you think about these lunch box ideas? Do you have other fun ideas of your own? Please share in the comments!
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I have no kids but I am digging that butterfly bento for myself it's super cute! 🙂
There are so many cute lunch box ideas here! My daughter loves the butterfly ones.
Packing lunch can be so frustrating. Thanks for the easy ideas, I am always looking for ways to refresh our lunch routine. Nice to kick off the year with some new ideas.
These are such cute (and healthy!) lunch ideas! We don't take lunches to school as much anymore, but the girls prefer to take one at least once a week. These will be perfect for them
I love these ideas for school lunches. MY kids doesn't like lunches serve at school so I prepare them everyday.
These are great lunch box ideas. I love the way these lunch boxes look for the kids. It's so important to get creative when packing lunches for little ones.
The twins will love most of these lunches, for sure. Thanks for sharing these ideas.
Holy moly! You are amazing! What gorgeous lunches!! I admit I do like to pack a creative and yummy lunch but you really gave me some inspiration here!
These are fabulous ideas! Not only are they colorful and healthy but they are fun!
These are some of the cutest packed lunch boxes I've ever seen. So colorful and full of healthy food. I just bookmarked the page so I can come back to it for ideas when I pack picnic lunches
The post I've been looking for! My kids have been resorting to stuffing deli meat in a little baggie and just taking snacks! It's driving me crazy!
These are great ideas. I love that they're unique but still easy to make. These make it much more convenient to mix up the kids' lunch routines.
These look like some super cute lunch box ideas! I love Tillamook cheese!!
We struggle with switching up our son's lunches. He's pretty picky and has food allergies. Sometimes it's easier to pack what we know he'll definitely eat.
Wow my school lunches never looked like this. I love the presentation and all of the healthy delicious options!
Those pinwheels would be great for my daughter. She's looking for something new to take to school this week.
You need to come pack my lunch for me, haha! These are way better options than I pack for myself.
These lunches all looks so filling and healthy. What's best is it looks really colorful and appetizing. As the saying goes, "Half the meal is the eye appeal."
Packed lunches are more awesome when it looks like this! I am loving your ideas as well, they're healthy.
These are great ideas for lunch! I love making lunch fun for the kids especially when they're having a tough time in school. It brightens up their day.
My husband usually takes sandwiches and a fruit of some type in his lunch. I think he is getting a little tired of it now. I will have to put together some of these ideas for him.
What great ideas you have! We've been in a lunch idea draught and will have to use these tips!
These are so fun and adorable! I will definitely try these!
That packed banana bread looks absolutely delicious! Love all of the colors used in that box as well - all of these lunches remind me of bento boxes!
That butterfly Bento is super cute. These are all great places To go for lunchbox inspiration.
Ah, these are so creative! I wish I would have tried a few more things when my kids were in school. There are so many possibilities.
I feel like such a slacker when I see any of those great lunches you showed. I am a sandwich giver but I do like to give some fruit with it. Little notes are so sweet to remind your kids you miss them.
I love these! They're all so wholesome, and there's nothing cheap and junky in them. They're perfect for my kids. Thanks!
I love all of these so much because they're so healthy! It's so important to feed the kids healthy foods now so they'll eat them for a lifetime.
These are all excellent ideas. My kids all take their lunch with them to school, and I think these will help keep it interesting.
These are all great ideas. I am sure my kids would like most of these.