Healthy Lunch Box Inspiration for Kids

lUNCH BOX INSPIRATIONTaking the time to get organized and plan healthy lunches for your kids not only ensures they have something nutritious to fill their little tummies – research shows that children’s attention span, concentration and memory are all impacted by the daily nutrition they receive, which makes packing a healthy lunch all the more important.

Yet, if your house is anything like ours trying to come up with a variety of nutritious lunch options that the kids enjoy can be a real challenge.

The good news is packing a wholesome lunch doesn’t have to be difficult. All it takes is a little preparation and some great ideas to build your healthy lunchbox repertoire.   Read on for a list of some healthy family-friendly lunch recipes and snack inspiration.

Rainbow Veggie PinwheelWrap it or Ditch the Witch

Pinwheels (a.k.a. wraps) are a tasty, fun and attractive alternative to the traditional sandwich.  Apparently, the cute little roll-up makes everything look and taste yummier and there are tons of options for even the pickiest of eaters.

Non-sandwich lunch options are not only great for those who are gluten-free or grain-free, but they also provide a healthy escape for anyone experiencing sandwich boredom, plus they can be super fun for the kids.

Alternately if your kids are into sandwiches and you don’t have a lot of time you can jazz things up by cutting out their sandwich into a cute shape with a cookie cutter.

FROM LEFTOVERS TO LUNCH

A favorite at our house and talk about convenient! Packing dinner leftovers for lunch is one of the easiest methods for ensuring a delicious healthy lunch.

HEALTHY HOMEMADE “LUNCHABLES”

Kids are always excited to try the unhealthy packaged lunchables and they can be tempting as they are convenient. But there’s no need sacrifice good nutrition when you can create easy homemade lunchables that are far more nutritious and affordable!

 GO FOR A DIP!

Looking for a change of pace? Nutritious dips and spreads make a great light lunch, or add several satisfying sides for a heartier meal.

Fruits and Veggies

How to sneak the dreaded fruit and veggies into the brown bag.  For most kids this is the least favorite part of their lunch.  More often than not the fruit always makes its way back home, a little bruised but not eaten. 🙁

I can’t blame them the standard apple or banana can get boring real fast.  Change things up by cutting their fruits and veggies into fun shapes, or better yet create fun kabobes to win them over.


 Snacks:

Adding a healthy snack makes lunchtime extra special. Here are a few quick and easy recipes that are sure to be family favorites.

I recently tested these recipes out with my Step-son and can happily report that they are kids approved. The homemade fruit roll up is still a work in progress, I am going to try making it in a foot dehydrator to see if i have a bit more success.

So there you have it, healthy lunches don’t have to be tasteless or boring, hope you found some lunchbox inspiration to help you on those busy school nights. Have something to add, would love to hear from you.

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47 thoughts on “Healthy Lunch Box Inspiration for Kids

  1. Jane says:

    This post is awesome. although I’m looking for lunches for the hubs and myself, I think I’m going to have to use these idea. it’s making me hungry just reading about them.

  2. August says:

    OOh! Homemade fruit by rhe foot? I’m so trying that recipe. I just went back to college and I’ve been bringing my lunch. PB&J gets old! Thanks for these ideas.

  3. Kiwi says:

    I swear Americans have the worst lunch options ever. Thanks to blogs like this, Pinterest and just the overall internet I am so happy parents can help their child eat better when they go to school.

  4. Elizabeth O says:

    This is such a great idea. I really love those fruit kebab and homemade fruit roll ups. It is important to have an fruits in lunch boxes, especially for kiddos.

  5. Claire says:

    Yes!! I saw this on Pinterest and knew I had to pin it. I love making healthy food for lunch/dinner. I’m all about eating healthy. It also saves time and money!

  6. Valentina says:

    I don’t have kids yet but I wouldn’t mind trying those wraps myself! ahah It’s great that you take the time not only to make such incredible lunch boxes for your kids but to share it with us as well! I will definitely forward this to a couple of my friends who actually struggle to get their kids to eat fruits and veggies!

  7. lisa says:

    Wow some of those foods look divine and yummy to eat! I wish I had the time to do all that it looks more like an art! And what a great way to get kids to eat veggies. Interesting read.

  8. Jeuelle says:

    How creative! My girls have just fallen in love with bento box lunches and now I have to come up with a hundred different combinations to keep lunchtime interesting lol.

    • VenusFitness-Shannon says:

      The oven ones were a bit uneven and took a long time. Food dehydrator was much more convenient but both were delicious.

  9. Akshay Malhotra says:

    It is very difficult to make these kids eat something, specially regular healthy vegetables and fruits are something they avoid! But using above tips I am sure they will love to try them out. Thank you for these great tips! I am sure every parent will find it helpful 🙂

  10. Dr. K. Lee Banks says:

    These are great ideas! Your mention of roll-ups reminded me of when I helped my daughter prepare food for a bridal shower in August. One of the things we made was roll-ups with ham, cream cheese, and dill pickles! They tasted delicious! We also made caprese bites with grape tomatoes that we cut in half, and mozzarella cheese cut into chunks. We briefly marinated the cheese chunks in balsamic vinegar and basil first, then used toothpicks to spear the half tomatoes onto the cheese chunks . Yummy!

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