Creative Nanny Wednesday: Back to School Lunch Ideas

Back to School: Lunch ideas by Glenda Propst

I hate to mention it but summer is almost over………again! Yikes…where does the time go? I can’t believe it’s already time to start thinking about buying school supplies and back to school clothes and in no time at all, we will be asking ourselves that looming question: What can I pack in my child’s lunch so that I know that they are getting something nutritious to get them through the day. My charges are older now. My youngest will start middle school this year (how did THAT happen? But it seems like only yesterday when making lunch exciting and fun was part of the morning routine.

Here are a few ideas that I used with my kids that I thought you would enjoy too. At the end of this post, please feel free to add your own. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the bread, the meat, the cheese, whatever is big enough to cut. It’s so much more fun to eat a sandwich shaped like a butterfly or an airplane. ( I used to put the extra pieces in a baggie so that they could eat it all or I just kept the sandwich in one piece and let them take it out like a puzzle. Cookie cutters come in all shapes and sizes. Use a small cookie cutter to make little heart shaped sandwiches and then stack them up with a piece of bread, a piece of cheese, a piece of meat, a piece of bread and repeat. You could also use a mini bagel or an English muffin. Kids love things like this and if you read the article about bento boxing and have been wanting to try bento boxing the smaller size is perfect for a bento box.

If you love the idea of a bento box and don’t want to buy one without trying it out first, here are some easy ways to use the bento concept without a bento box. If you have a larger rectangle or square container, you could use cupcake papers to separate your sections. You can buy these in the $1 section at Micheals or JoAnns. Another idea would be to use silicone muffin cups, they are brightly colored and add a fun touch to the lunch. If you still want to know more about Bento boxing, I found a great blog about bento boxes http://lunchinabox.net

Here some are more ideas of things to add to your childs lunch to keep it from getting boring.

Frozen Grapes

Baby Tomatoes

Carrots

Celery

Jicama

Bananas

Sliced strawberries (wrapped together so they don’t get mushy)

Pineapple

Mandarin Orange slices ( or add all of them together and make fruit kabobs)
You can find lots of fun party picks at Oriental Trading or other party supply stores.

And don’t forget that kids love dip.

Hummus

Ranch dressing

Salsa

Peanut Butter and Maple Syrup are some of our favorites.

If you want to go green or greener, you can get some lunchskins. Reusable bags for packing lunches in. Consider buying your child some reusable water bottles for drinks. Some schools even allow children to keep water with them at their desk these days.

Putting a note in your child’s lunchbox with a funny joke, a riddle, or a reminder of what’s going on after school is one way to remind them they are loved, in the middle of the day.

I have attached some here if you would like to print them out and use them or you can make your own with card stock or scrapbook paper.

After I did this post, the local CBS affiliate here in St. Louis did another great feature on Healthy Lunches for kids. You can check it out here! Great Day St. Louis

We would love for you to share your lunch ideas with us!

Just add them to the comment section.