Easy Snack-Inspired Lunch Box Ideas

A new school year brings lots of change for our house with our oldest off to full-day kindergarten. While we’ve had some practice packing lunches over the years for summer camps and lunch bunch programs, this will be the first time I plan and pack a lunch every day.

As we ease into this new school year with many “firsts,” the mama bear in me wants to make sure Teddy’s lunch is filled with familiar favorites that remind him of home and that he loves. At the same time, my registered dietitian nutritionist brain will look to balance a tasting of colorful and wholesome choices with a little sweet treat to make sure he’ll have energy to keep his busy mind and body fueled until the afternoon.

We’re big on snack-inspired meals in our house so Teddy’s lunch box fixings will include a little of each of his favorite foods. A fun new reusable, insulated Bento box lunchbox from Fit & Fresh and colorful silicone baking cups will help make the lunch “presentation” a feast for the eyes, but doesn’t require Pinterest-worthy cooking and baking skills. 🙂

Here’s a list of our familiar favorites (that are kid and registered dietitian nutritionist-approved) that will be on our rotation this week and for weeks to come.

Download my week of easy lunch box ideas to save to your desktop or phone for lunch packing inspiration this year. (Or click the image to save to your Pinterest account!)

At the end of the day, what’s most important is that Teddy EATS his lunch and if that’s the same thing every day, then that’s totally fine!

Whether you’ve been packing kids’ lunches for years or are starting now like us, what are your favorite items to include?

XOXO,

Emily