It’s back to school time for many kids (and a lot of parents are saying ‘yessssss’ right about now) which means that it’s time to get creative with the lunchboxes again.  I thought you could use a little school lunch inspiration!

I was grocery shopping the other day with my two little ones when my 5 year old, Allison, pointed to a Lunchable and asked what it was.  To which I replied “ohhh, that’s just a package of chemical filled junk”.  I get it though – they’re quick, easy, and kids eat them (hey, I ate them as an adult a kid too!).  But they’re not doing your child any favors and they’re far from what I would consider a healthy choice. 

Instead, make your own at home by purchasing a quality lunchmeat, sliced cheese off the block, and organic crackers.  My goal is to always keep my children’s food as ‘real’ as possible.  This starts by turning the package over to look at the ingredient list and asking myself “would I stock all of those ingredients in my pantry?”.  You can find a great post by Lisa over at 100 Days of Real Food on this very subject.

I have a few favorite websites that I would recommend for school lunch inspiration:

100 Days of Real Food – Pictures of her daughter’s lunchboxes and a linked up recipe index that includes many of the recipes pictured.

Weelicious  – Awesome lunchbox inspiration pics on Catherine’s Facebook page so I’m linking to one of her albums there.

Super Healthy Kids – Lots of fun, kid-friendly recipes to try out!

Although we don’t officially pack ‘school lunches’ everyday, I do still pack a lot of meals to take with us while we’re out of the house.  It’s the easiest way for us to avoid the temptation of grabbing something while out. 

Also, our kids love packing their PlanetBox Rovers.  I try to get Allison and Nolan involved in their meal prep as much as possible.  They’re more likely to eat it when they’re the ones who picked out and prepped the food in their boxes.

Bonus – don’t forget the cute printable lunchbox notes and jokes (like this one or this one).  Just a little something to bring a smile to their face 🙂

Reader Feedback: Do you pack school lunches daily?  Where do you find inspiration when you’re in need of new ideas?