Once you settle in to a new school year, it gets tricky to think of creative packed lunch ideas. Here are 25 resources to help give you inspiration!
By Hilary, Contributing Writer
Now that the lazy, schedule-free days of summer are becoming a sweet memory and students everywhere are heading back to school, it’s time for families to get back in the swing of things. We’re talking homework. Permission slips. Early bedtimes and earlier mornings. Packed lunches.
You may be brimming full of ideas for packed lunches right now, but in a month you may need some inspiration. Or, you already know your creativity is spent and you need some different options.
The good news is lots of other moms face the same challenge … and some real food mamas have written blog posts to help you with your packed lunch inspiration challenges!
Image by Pixabay
25 Resources for Packed Lunch Inspiration
- 40 Things to Pack in a Lunch from No Place Like Home
- 3 Steps to an Easy School Lunch from Beauty Mommy
- 4 Sure-Fire Tips to Help Picky Eaters Actually Eat That Healthy School Lunch from Keeper of the Home
- 5 Easy Real Food School Lunches Ready in 30 Minutes for Less Than $5 from The Humbled Homemaker
- 5 Tips for Planning Healthy Lunches Kids Love at Keeper of the Home
- 6 School Lunch Ideas *Besides* Peanut Butter & Jelly! from Raising Generations Nourished
- 9 Essentials for Packing a Waste-Free Lunch from The Humbled Homemaker
- A Full Month of Sandwich-Free Lunches at Creative Green Living
- Back-to-School Lunch Box Ideas & Healthy Snacks! from The Nourishing Home
- Back to School with All New School Lunch Ideas from Embracing Imperfect
- Ditch the Bag of Chips: 15 Healthier Ideas for Lunches from Keeper of the Home
- Easy Back to School Lunch Ideas from Creative Green Living
Image by Pixabay
- From Leftovers to Lunch … 3 Easy Lunches Using Leftovers at The Nourishing Home
- Gluten-Free, Dairy Free Lunches and Snacks from Beauty In the Mess
- Healthy Homemade Lunchables from Don’t Waste the Crumbs
- Healthy Lunches for Work from A Proverbs 31 Wife
- How I Am Packing My Kindergartener’s Lunch This Year : Gear, Packing Tips, & Lunch Ideas from Raising Generations Nourished
- How to Transform Leftovers into Healthy Lunches Kids LOVE! From Keeper of the Home
- Lunchmeat Ideas (Healthy, Nitrate Free Options) from A Proverbs 31 Wife
- Making Boring Lunches Fun from The Humbled Homemaker
- Pack Lunches with Safe Options from No Place Like Home
- Safe and Simple Packed Lunch Ideas from No Place Like Home
- Simple & Healthy Lunch Ideas from Thankful Homemaker
- Tips for Packing Better School Lunches (Plus 150+ Healthy Lunch Recipes and Ideas) from Creative Green Living
- Toddler Lunch Ideas from Our New (England) Life (These 10 ideas would be great for any packed lunch!!)
If you’d like to pack a healthy lunch for your children but aren’t quite sure how or where to begin, check out my 3 Steps to Packing a Healthy Lunch! And if you wish you had different options for afterschool snacks, check out these 75 Afterschool Snack Ideas!
Kelly @ The Nourishing Home
Thanks so much for the kind shout out on my healthy lunch box recipes! What an awesome round-up! I’ve pinned this so I can refer back to it over and over! 🙂 xo
Hilary Bernstein
Thanks for your great recipes, Kelly! 🙂
Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life
So many ideas here! Thank you for putting this together. It’s helpful whether lunch is packed or served at home!
Keelie Reason
These are great ideas. I was looking at a few lunch ideas the other day. My kids are taking their lunch this year, and they do not care for peanut butter and jelly as it is.
They do a lot of sliced cheese, yogurt, fruit, cut vegetables, nuts and raisins. I am still looking for other good ideas for them too.
Thanks for putting together this great roundup.
Hilary Bernstein
Your lunch ideas of sliced cheese, yogurt, fruit, cut vegetables, nuts and raisins sound so good, Keelie!
Nada Manley
Thank you so much for featuring my post on school lunches! Packing healthy portable food is a challenge and a passion for me! 🙂 My kids always ask for Lunchables, which I won’t buy because I don’t think they are healthy, but I just discovered a new healthy organic lunchable meal from Revolution Foods. I plan to keep those on hand for an occasional treat. 😉