Hello parents!
It’s back to school time, which can be an overwhelming season for parents as we start to consider how to continue to feed our kids nutrient-dense foods while they are away at school.
I want to start with a disclaimer that I am not a nutritionist! However, I do have a love for being conscious about what I give my 2-year-old son and what I feed our family. I am passionate about making whole foods at home and buying better-for-you snacks.
As I mentioned, my son is 2 years old and just started preschool so I am by no means an expert on creating school lunches. However, I know that some moms struggle with this and my hope is that this blog can provide some ideas and also take some of the mental load off your plate by laying out a full two weeks (10 days) of ideas for school lunches.
My son, Oliver, uses this bento box which he loves and his teacher has commented works so great that he can “swing it around and nothing fall out” (she actually said this), it keeps each item in its compartment, and is easy for him to open.
For snacks, I use this bowl and this bento box and find that both work well.
I include a mix of homemade snacks and store bought as I find that most parents want to be nutrition-forward and also realistic about what will fill their kids up (plenty of protein) and also minimize prep work for themselves. I’m with you!
These meal plans include options to swap fruits and veggies depending on your kid’s preferences at the moment. Currently Oliver has been less interested in eating veggies so I tend to provide more fruit for him and save the exposure to veggies for breakfast and dinner at home. I want him to be full at preschool to keep his blood sugar stable which is correlated with a better mood overall so I aim to send him with nutrient-dense options that I feel confident he will eat them.
Okay, now let’s get into the ideas.
Snacks
I give Oliver a “snack bowl” every day and I vary what I include in it. Here are some ideas: nuts (Oliver is obsessed with cashews), lesser evil power curls (I love these because they have egg whites for protein), simple mills sweet thins (these do have some sugar, so I tend to include just a few here and there), siete chips (he loves the corn tortilla chips and the chili lime chips), and granola (We love Purely Elizabeth).
I also often will include a fruit option as well: apple slices, mandarin wedges, grapes.
Other options: meat sticks (we love these (code: REALFOODOLOGY for a discount), but other options are here, here, and here, here, and here) and skout organic bars (code: ALECTREFFS for a discount or you can also get a discount by using their “subscribe and save” option).
Lunch
Because Oliver uses a bento box with 5 compartments, I offer 5 ideas for each lunch. You can adjust to your kid’s preferences, appetite, and spacing in their lunch box.
Day 1:
- peanut butter (or other nut butter) and honey on sourdough – cut into small squares (I do bite-sized for Oliver)
- raspberries
- 1/3 of a banana (peel on to keep it fresher)
- mini blueberry muffin (I use this recipe and this mini muffin mold – pro tip: make a double batch and freeze a bunch to make it easier on you for weeks to come!)
- 2 chopped chicken sausage links (We buy organic chicken sausages by Jones Dairy Farm at Costco)
- mini blueberry muffin (I use this recipe and this mini muffin mold – pro tip: make a double batch and freeze a bunch to make it easier on you for weeks to come!)
Day 2:
- homemade smoothie in this reusable pouch: I like to blend frozen blueberries, ground flaxseed, collagen (5ish grams or 1/2 scoop of this one), a little vanilla MCT powder (can sub a tsp or two of honey or maple syrup), and milk)
- salami
- grapes
- PB chocolate protein ball
- mandarin orange slices
Day 3:
- chocolate PB banana smoothie in this reusable pouch: I use this chocolate bone broth protein powder (code REALFOODLOGY for a discount), organic peanut butter (just peanuts) which I buy at Costco, 1/3 of a banana, ground flaxseed, and milk.
- ham
- strawberries
- skout organic kids bar (code: SASHA or ALECTREFFS for a discount)
- grapes
Day 4:
- Once Upon a Farm smoothie pouch
- Teton Waters Ranch beef polish sausage (I buy at Costco)
- 1/3 banana
- slice of pumpkin bread (tip: make a loaf and then freeze all but 1/3 and pull it out a few weeks later to keep variety in lunches!)
- 1 homemade cookie
Day 5:
- leftover air fried or grilled chicken with BBQ sauce (look for one with low or no sugar – places like Sprouts and Whole Foods have good options)
- kiwki
- string cheese
- apple slices
- Simple Mills Sweet thins
Day 6:
- Prune pouch (great option if your child is a little constipated)
- turkey and cheese on sourdough with avocado mayo (I like the brand Chosen which I buy at Costco) or mustard (I buy the Primal Kitchen dijon mustard). Optional to add pesto and avocado if you child will eat it.
- blackberries
- PB chocolate protein ball
- mandarin orange wedges
Day 7:
- maple bacon pork stick (code REALFOODOLOGY for a discount)
- skout organic kids bar (code SASHA or ALECTREFFS for a discount)
- cucumber slices
- mini blueberry muffin (I use this recipe and this mini muffin mold – pro tip: make a double batch and freeze a bunch to make it easier on you for weeks to come!)
- strawberries
Day 8:
- ground beef with Siete mild taco seasoning (keep in bigger chunks)
- string cheese
- peach slices
- carrots with hummus
- 1 homemade cookie
Day 9:
- leftover homemade pancakes and banana (I use this mix and add an egg, collagen and MCT powder or vanilla protein powder (code REALFOODOLOGY for a discount), flaxseed and milk)
- broccoli cheddar meatballs
- blackberries
- cherries
- PB chocolate protein ball
Day 10:
- leftover shredded chicken with Siete taco seasoning
- Siete corn tortilla chips with guacamole cup (which I buy at Costco)
- peaches
- grapes
- skout organic kids bar (code SASHA or ALECTREFFS for a discount)
This is just a small sample of the variety of lunches you can put together for your child! I hope this helps as a jumping off point to give you some ideas of what might work. Of course all kids like different things (just ask them on any given day!) so as parents we are constantly adapting to what our child needs. Wishing you a wonderful school year of delicious and nutritious lunches!
