HAPARI’s Back-to-School Lunch Ideas

(Image via Clean Eating Online)

If your kiddos aren’t back in school yet, they will be starting very soon! This time of year is always hectic - between the school supplies, the school clothes, and getting your kids back on a regular schedule - we’re here to help you take one of the (many) things off your to-do list: school lunch ideas!

At HAPARI, we feel your new-school-year pain, it can be exhausting getting back into a routine, amiright?! That’s why our blog post today will show you ideas to create nutritious, easy lunches for your kiddos!

HAPARI’s Back to School Lunch Ideas

(Image via Ethical Uniform)

Drink Ideas

To start your kiddo’s lunch, let’s first view the drink options. One of the best things for growing kids is milk! Encourage them to have either milk, water, or a real fruit juice with their lunch. To save time, resources and money, I like to use a refillable thermos. Fill with their drink of choice, add an ice pack to their lunch bag, and they’re good to go!

Pick a Protein

Next, pick a protein for your little one. Do they love sandwiches? Great! Make them a PB&J or a ham and cheese sandwich and you’re golden. Have a picky eater? Trust me, I was the crazy picky eater. Try one of these protein ideas to add yummy snacks to their meal that even the pickiest eater will love:

• Cheese sticks
• Pretzels
• Nuts and Seeds
• Yogurt
• Peanut Butter

Verrrrry Good Veggies!

Encourage your kids to eat veggies! Try experimenting to find the veggie they’ll love. Here are a few of our favorite veggie ideas:

• Baby carrots with ranch
• Cucumber slices
• Snap peas
• Salad (romaine, cheese, croutons, side of ranch)
• Avocado slices (to prevent browning: slice flesh into bite-sized pieces inside the skin, scoop out flesh and replace into shell, drizzle with lemon juice, cover tightly with plastic wrap)
• Edemame

Fun Fruit Ideas

Add some fruit to your kids lunch for a natural sugar boost! One of my all time favorite options for fruit is a banana. It’ll give your kids an instant protein boost and help them feel full for the rest of the day. Plus, bananas are easy to pack and eat! A few other ideas we love for fruit:

• Grapes
• Real applesauce
• Apple slices
• Raisins
• Orange slices

Tasty Treats

Now that they’ve had a nutritious and delicious meal, add a treat to your kids lunch! Favorite treats in my house include:

• Crackers
• Granola bars
• Cookies
• Muffins
• Small popcorn bags

Mmmmm…. just writing this is making me hungry! We hope this list of nutritious and easy school lunch ideas helps you prep for the upcoming school year. Good luck my friends! :) For more posts like this, check out the Hapari blog. We’re like your favorite lifestyle blog but better - mostly because we follow the Hapari code of great quality and content. See you there!