Here is a look at the first 10 days of school lunches for my kindergartener.  I hope these 10 unique school lunch ideas (no sandwiches!) serve as inspiration for your school year ahead!

Three weeks.  We are officially three weeks into Kindergarten, guys!  I cannot believe it.  Hunter LOVES school.  So much. He loves recess the best, art, and comes back home singing new songs.  I love seeing his drawing he brings home and hearing about the fun he has at school and all the new buddies he’s making.  It simultaneously makes my heart happy because he is happy and having a blast, but also sad because I miss him!  It’s a strange place to be having a kid in school.

One thing I love doing is packing his lunches!  We made a bit of a challenge for the school year.  No repeat lunches.  That could be as easy as having the exact same lunch but with a different fruit, or a completely different meal all together.  I find it’s a fantastic way for me to use leftovers and keep a nice variety going.

I shared my general outline for packing lunches and what I try and include, but here’s a quick look at it.

What to pack for lunches?

If your compartments look like mine – 5 different sections, here’s a tip on how to pack.  Fill the 5 sections with these options: a protein, a carbohydrate, a fruit, a veggie and a bonus (nuts, dip, treat).

The two lunchboxes I use

Planetbox Rover and Lunchbots Cinco Bento and I love them both!

Now let’s see it in action!

10 unique school lunch ideas

Day 1

Teton Waters Ranch mini beef franks with ketchup, green smoothie muffins, cucumbers, grapes and salted cashews

Day 2

Chicken strips (leftover) with special sauce (half mayo half ketchup), banana, grapes, peanuts and raisins

Day 3

Tuna with mayo and relish, simple mills crackers, cantaloupe, cucumbers and dates

Day 4

Plain whole milk yogurt with strawberry rhubarb jam, banana egg oat pancakes (leftover), baby carrots with hummus, strawberries and chocolate peanut butter snack bar.

Day 5

Greek feta beef burger wrapped in lettuce (leftover), corn tortilla chips, grape tomatoes, hummus and grapes.

Day 6

Corn tortilla quesadillas with cheddar and (leftover) pork carnitas, cantaloupe, grape tomatoes, dill pickles, almonds and raisins

Day 7

Burrito bowls (leftover taco meat, rice, shredded cheese, plain whole yogurt, tomato and spinach) plus raisins

Day 8

Applegate farm salami, rice crackers, grapes, baby carrots, grape tomatoes and hummus

Day 9

Mozzarella tomato skewers, zucchini pumpkin muffin, banana, Vermont smoke and cure mini meat stick and dates

Day 10

Deviled egg salad, toasted whole grain bread, grapes, snap peas and pistachios

The two lunchboxes I use

Planetbox Rover and Lunchbots Cinco Bento and I love them both!

Too much food?

Hunter is a big eater and with the exception of day 7 he pretty much eats everything!  I forgot to pack utensils for the taco bowl day which is why he didn’t eat much.  At school they do an afternoon snack, and I always pack fruit, nuts, green smoothie or a meat stick for him, but I know he’ll also eat any lunch he has leftover during snack time.  If he brings home lunch I encourage him to eat it as an after school snack or even after dinner if he’s still hungry! No food waste happening around here.

If you love seeing lunchbox ideas, leave a comment below letting me know!  What have been some of your favorite lunchbox options so far this year?

Heather

Looking for more lunchbox inspo?  Check out the series HERE!!