Easy School Lunch Ideas

“Do you have any ideas for easy school lunches that don’t require a microwave?” Hands down this has been the biggest question from clients in the past week with the start of school. It’s a tough one! Especially since most students and parents don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to packing and preparing lunches every day but still want to pack a balanced, nutritious lunch. The good news is you can have both convenience and nutrition.

I’ve put together a list of easy, nutritious options as well as what to look for when choosing new options and different brands.

What should a nutritious easy school lunch consist of?

Building a nutritious lunch should consist of a few things. Think of this framework when building a lunch that is going to provide the carbs, fat, and protein needed and also keep you satisfied throughout the day.

Starting lunch with a carb source, bonus if it’s a whole grain which contains more fiber. An example that you can create a lot of easy-to-prepare options out of is whole wheat tortillas. I used a whole grain tortilla to create the banana, peanut butter, honey roll up and cheese quesadilla. Also, it would be great to use as a wrap with turkey and cheese or chicken salad. Other examples of whole-grain carb sources would be the wheat thins and Kodiak Cake muffins.

Protein can from multiple sources. For example, in the photo above protein is in the greek yogurt, Kodiak cakes, hummus, chocolate milk, nut butters, Laughing Cow cheese, peanuts, and Kind Bars. Other ideas for easy lunch ideas might be deli slices, beef jerky, dried chickpeas, edamame, or boiled eggs.

Next is fat sources which are super important to satiety levels (how full you feel). Fats that come from plant sources are going to contain more unsaturated fats which promote heart health. Those would be the fats in the nut butter and oil in the hummus.

Next, you’ve got a vegetable and/or fruit. However, is your child not a fan of either? Check out this blog post from Jennifer Anderson, the dietitian behind Kids Eat in Color and her suggestions for those picky eaters.

Mixing it up with fruit leathers is definitely an option. My favorite are from That’s It and are 100% real fruit.

Need ideas for quick, nutritious breakfast before school? Check out this make ahead freezer burrito recipe. 

Should you stay away from convenience items?

Convenience items can be a lifesaver! You might pay a little bit more for them, like the individually packed hummus versus portioning hummus but they can be a great option.

Here’s some of my favorite time-savers:

• Yogurt cups or yogurt drinks like these Chobani Probiotics yogurt drinks.
• Granola/protein bars. This is always a big question- what protein bar is best? It depends a bit on what you are eating it for. If you are just looking for a quick well balanced snack I love Kind Bars or the Kind Protein bars. If you are looking for for a bar that’s going to provide some carbs for energy then the Z bars are great. There are tons out there on the market so my suggestion is sticking to ones with familiar, whole foods ingredients and keeping in mind the added sugar content.
• Nut butter packets. I love these ones from Justin’s and pretty much always have one in my desk drawer at work. They are perfect paired with an apple or banana and come in different flavors.
• Cheese sticks or wedges. These are a great addition! I used Laughing Cow to have with some Wheat Thins.
• Individual dips like hummus or guacamole.
• Milk carton or bottle. This is a great addition to kids lunch to encourage them to have enough calcium in their diet. Chocolate milk is also a great post practice snack to refuel on carbs, protein, and electrolytes.
• Fruit leathers or dried fruit.

What to include in school lunch for student-athletes

Students that are busy with sports might need a few extra items packed in their lunch box to either be eaten with lunch or before practice. Here are a few of my favorite items for student-athletes:

• Nuun electrolyte tablets. These are great to keep in a backpack and pop a tablet in your favorite waterbottle. For athletes that are having practiced outside this would be a great way to stay hydrated. What they don’t provide are carbohydrates like Gatorade or Powerade so they aren’t a great swap for those items if athletes are needing those extra carbs as well as electrolytes during a long practice.
• Chocolate milk. Like I mentioned above, this is a great post practice snack for athletes because it provides a combination of carbs, protein, and electrolytes.
• Bars that provide carbs like a Clif bar or Z Bar for a snack before practice.

Dietitian approved easy school lunch ideas

• Cheese quesadilla + hummus + carrots + chocolate milk + Kind Bar
• Banana, peanut butter, honey roll up + grapes +
• Cheese + crackers + peach + yogurt + trail mix
• PB & J + cheese stick + apple + Z bar
• Kodiak muffin + orange slices + turkey & cheese roll up
• Chicken pesto sandwich + fruit
• Pita bread + cut up bell peppers + hummus +yogurt + blueberries
• Yogurt + blueberries + granola + trail mix

Hopefully, that gives you some ideas for school lunch that are easy to pack and prepare! Bonus for me is that these are all great items for my lunches to bring to work and have that sorted for the next week 🙂