Looking for healthy school lunch ideas? School lunch has quickly become one of the most deplorable American meals – comprised of low-cost, commodity items like CAFO-raised beef, canned fruit and vegetables. Standard lunches of chocolate milk, overcooked peas and mealy french fries lack versatility in nutrients, flavor and, most importantly, they lack inspiration. So, per reader request, I’ve put together a list of ten satisfying, flavorful and nourishing meals that can be easily packed in a lunchbox, thermos or bag along with a bottle of chilled milk, fresh cider, water kefir or even milk kefir. So print this post and pin it to your fridge in preparation for next week’s lunch plans, then share your favorite and healthiest school lunches.
Day #1: Salmon Cakes
- Salmon Cakes with Wasabi Mayonnaise over fresh greens
- Fresh cucumbers seasoned by sesame seeds and fish sauce or tamari
- Pineapple
Day #2: A Roast Beef Sandwich
- Cheese, Vegetable and Grass-fed Roast Beef Sandwich on Sourdough Bread or Sprouted Wheat Bread with Homemade Mayonnaise
- Sour Pickles
- Sliced Apples
Day #3: Ham and Melon Roll-ups
- Pasture-raised ham and melon roll-ups with fresh mint
- Homemade crackers with raw cheddar cheese
- Carrot sticks
Other Posts on Kids and Food
Day #4: Black Bean Soup and Muffins
- Black Bean Soup with Chicken and Chilies
- Cranberry Masa Muffins
- Cortido (pg. 14 in Get Cultured)
Day #5: Egg Salad Sandwiches
- Pesto Egg Salad and Fresh Lettuce on Sprouted Wheat Bread
- Soaked and deydrated nuts
- Fresh Oranges
Day #6: Leftover Pot Roast
Day #7: Almond Butter and Banana Sandwiches
- Roast almond butter and banana sandwiches on sprouted wheat bread
- Carrot and celery sticks
- Raisins
Day #8: Chicken Nuggets (The Real Food Way)
- Chicken Nuggets with Almonds
- Preserved Lemon Gremolata
- Chopped Vegetables with Crème Fraîche Dip
Day #9: Hummus and Lamb Kebabs
- Spicy Lamb Meatballs with Fresh Yogurt
- Hummus with Carrots and Celery
- Pomegranate
Day #10: Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Sauerruben
- Fresh Pear
Don’t forget to share you favorite, healthiest school lunches in the comments!
I am always on the lookout for nourishing lunches for my husband to take to work. Thanks for the ideas!
I needed more lunch ideas and these are great- thanks! What the cafeteria serves in our elementary school is just sad. We had funnel cake on our breakfast menu the other day. Unbelievable.
Great ideas!
How about wild-caught Pacific salmon salad sandwiches? With homemade mayo, onions, red peppers, on sprouted grain bread or wraps.
Hummus with a bunch of chopped vegetables.
Homemade chicken corn chowder or cream of potato soup with pastured bacon or ham. Homemade crackers.
And pizza can always be made healthy and tasty. Use whole wheat dough, fresh chopped tomatoes, basil, low fat skim mozzarella and ricotta cheese and turkey sausage topping….the list of healthful things to top it with is endless. Not to mention fresh veggie soup with whole grain crackers. I rage at the Lunch Ladies on Jamie Oliver’s show. This is not rocket science.
These look great!
We can’t do meat dishes in our school because of kosher issues, so it does limit my options tremendously. My kids love Caeser Salad with sprouted bread croutons and I also pack them cucumber sushi with the fermented soy sauce.
Thanks for putting this together. It seems I’m always trying to find enticing new meals for my kids to eat and we get tired of the same old thing. Hummus with veggies is a regular for us as well as the almond butter banana sandwiches, but a lot of the other ones are new ideas. Awesome, thanks!
Love these lunch ideas! I needed them so much! Lunch time can be crazy in our homeschooling house. Everyone is so hungry. Thank you for the inspiration.
Joann -
I’m glad you like the lunch ideas! Soups are frequent lunches here, and it’s always good to share what works, you know?
- Jenny
Rebecca -
I loved your idea about salmon salad sandwiches! That sounds seriously yummy. I might make some for supper tonight
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- Jenny
Those look awesome, but you can’t heat up soups and other dishes in typical school settings, so that might present a problem. With our younger elementary children, we really try to stick with (travel-friendly) less messy foods for practical reasons, too – less work for the teachers, too.
And lastly (I’m such a pain in the butt, I know!) we really need to watch sending nuts to school, just in case of allergies with other kiddos. Sometimes the schools won’t publicize a child’s severe allergies to other parents for “privacy reasons” I have learned, so it never hurts to be extra-careful.
I’ll eat it all, though! Mmm!
What ideas do you have or currently use that don’t need to be heated? I’d love to hear.
These are some delicious ideas Jenny!
I can come up with cooler weather lunches just fine, but what about warm weather lunches? My little ones will eat only so many salads.
Runaway,
We have stainless steel thermoses that I can send hot foods to school in! And it stays hot, too.
Kelly
I need help with school lunches! It is way too hot for soup here, and she is getting bored with frittata and sandwiches. Our school also has a no nut policy. Pizza is a good idea. Anyone got anything for me?
I know this may sound boring but we usually just send leftovers with my daughter to school kept warm in her thermos. We are usually in such a rush in the morning and I try to focus on giving them a healthy breakfast that lunch is usually over-looked as a special meal. I am going to try making the chicken nuggets in large batches and freeze them, and I also love the hummus idea! They only have 15 mins to eat lunch (horrible, I know) so it has to be something she can eat fast. Plus my kids are pretty picky eaters. Now that I have another kid starting school next fall and another one after that I need to start putting more thought into their lunches. Great post Jenny!
Thanks for this, I am trying to find healthy, interesting and affordable for my school lunches. I think the soups will be great for them!
Great ideas, I will be using them all! And you can go wrong with avocado, bacon, lettuce and mayo with some bean sprouts for extra crunch on sprouted toasted bread!!
My kids love finger foods for lunch. I frequently pack crackers or flatbread with goat cheese, apple slices or strawberries and some sort of protein- tablespoon or so of almond butter or leftover chicken. Kind of like a healthy lunchables.
Another great idea is edamame or other snap peas-fun to eat and good at room temp.