The Mix-and-Match Formula for Stress-Free School Lunches
Back-to-school season is here, which for many families means it’s time to pull the lunch boxes back out and start thinking of fresh, easy school lunch ideas! It’s no secret that a healthy, well-rounded lunch is important at any age, but especially when it comes to fueling our kiddos for the school day. When my daughter was in school, I was always looking for ways to add variety to her lunches beyond the traditional sandwich, chips, and fruit cup. That’s when bento boxes became one of my favorite easy school lunch ideas! My daughter loved all of the different lunch combinations, and I loved how simple they were to put together. They’re a practical way to pack balanced lunches with plenty of variety, making it easy to keep lunches interesting all school year long.
The secret to an easy bento box school lunch is following the rule of threes. Start with a main dish, then add a fruit and/or vegetable, and finish with a side or small treat. Since bento boxes are already divided into sections, packing a balanced school lunch couldn’t be easier. Simply choose one item from each category, arrange everything in your bento box, and lunch is ready to go! To help spark a little inspiration, I’m sharing a few of my favorite bento box combinations to try this school year.
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Build Your Perfect Bento Box
Every child is different, but one of the things I love most about bento boxes is how easy they are to customize. Mix and match these ideas to create lunches your child will actually look forward to eating. Consider this your inspiration list for building simple, balanced school lunches all year long!
Main Dish Ideas
If you’re looking to switch things up from the traditional turkey sandwich, here are a few of my favorite main dish ideas to add to your bento boxes!
- Mini Sandwiches
- Grilled Chicken or Beef Skewers: I recommend removing the protein from the skewer for the sake of school safety.
- Turkey Tortilla Pinwheels
- Turkey Muffins: Try out my tried and true recipe!
- Quesadillas
- Clean Ramen Noodles
- Crockpot Chicken: This is a great way to utilize leftovers!
- Avocado Toast
- Egg Muffins
- Mini Bagels: Either keep the toppings simple with cream cheese or create a bagel sandwich!
- Mini Quiches
- Hard-Boiled Eggs
Side Dishes
Now that we’ve decided on the main dish, let’s explore a few great side dish options!
- Whole Grain Crackers
- Pita Chips
- Hummus
- Baked Chips or Tortilla Chips
- Yogurt Dip
- Mini Muffins
- Pasta Salad
- Pretzels
- Trail Mix
- Cheese Cubes
- Popcorn
- String Cheese
- Edamame
- Beef Sticks or Mini Beef Jerky
- Rice Cakes
- Goldfish
- Animal Crackers
- Rice
Fruits & Veggies
It’s so important to eat the rainbow, and that starts with your daily helping of fruits and veggies! I love using these little containers for smaller portions.
- Apple Slices
- Grapes
- Orange Sections
- Berries
- Kiwi Slices
- Watermelon Cubes
- Pineapple Chunks
- Dried Apricots
- Baby Carrots
- Cucumber Rounds
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Bell Pepper Slices
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Celery Sticks
