Making school lunches for your kids can get tedious, and often bland. There are only so many options, right? Well, there may be some creative ideas that you’re overlooking. Here are a few fun school lunch ideas your kids will actually be excited to eat.
PB&J Roll-Ups
Let’s start with a spin on a classic. It’s as simple as it sounds: Instead of using white bread, spread your peanut butter and jelly on a tortilla or a piece of pita bread. To spice it up even more, add banana or apple slices.
Ants on a Log
This surprise treat takes less than five minutes to make. Plus, it’s delicious and good for you, too. Just spread cream cheese (or peanut butter) on celery sticks and place raisins along the stalk. For added enjoyment, use chocolate-covered raisins.
Quick Quesadillas
It’s amazing what you can do with tortillas and cheese. The best part: you can add anything else you want. Have some leftover chicken? Throw it in there. Want it to have more of an Italian feel? Spread some pizza sauce over one side.
Not-Quite-Lunchable Pizzas
Kids go crazy for Lunchables, but buying them everyday can really add up. So, why not make them yourself? For pizza, put all of the ingredients (cheese, sauce, your choice of bread) in separate sandwich bags and let your kids assemble it themselves. They’ll enjoy it, and since it’s homemade, you can put your own twist on it.
Frozen Fruit Cups
When you buy fruit cups, there’s so much added sugar and chemicals. If you make your own, you can give your kids fresh fruit and make sure you use the fruits that they like. Just chop up fruit into small tupperware containers (keeping as much of the juice as you can) and pop them into the freezer.
Cinnamon Apple Chips
Just slice apples, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, and bake at 200 degrees until dry (turning them every 15 minutes). These are delicious and much better for your child than potato chips.
Taco Roll-Ups
You do everything you would normally do to make a taco, except you roll the tortilla and cut it into small, bite-sized pieces. Kids will love these, and they’ll be able to share with their friends (if they don’t eat them all first).
Chocolate Peanut Butter Frogs
This is straight out of the mom handbook. Melt chocolate to attach M&M’s (eyes) to Oreos (bodies), using pretzels as legs. These are absolutely delicious and adorable to boot.
Tortilla Stars
Cut tortillas into star shapes, sprinkle with cheese and seasoning of your choice, and bake until crisp. Food always tastes better when it’s in a fun shape.
Frozen Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
Throw a few of these in the freezer for a good lunch on the go. They will stay fresh for a while and somehow the coolness brings out the flavor of the jelly. Plus, it’ll be a conversation starter for your kid at lunch.
