5 Simple Kid-Friendly Lunch Ideas

5 Simple Kid-Friendly Lunch Ideas

1.  At Home Lunchables

Is it just my kids that are obsessed with lunchables?  I get them occasionally for special occasions but they are easy to replicate at home.  You can even get containers like these (we have them for school) and they even look like lunchables.

Add in some meat (my kids like turkey, salami or pepperoni), some cheese (either cubed or string cheese), some crackers (they love goldfish, club crackers, Ritz or Town House crackers), a fruit and/or vegetable and a mini candy bar for dessert if you really want a mom win.

You could even do it all on one big tray as a snack tray or charcuterie board.  Less cleanup and the kids love it.

2.  Sandwiches

Sandwich Bar

Pull out the sandwich meats and let your kids make a sandwich how they like it.  You could even pack it up and take it outside or on a picnic.  

Grilled or Baked Sandwiches

 

3.  Something Pizza Inspired

Pizza Roll-Ups

I keep a sleeve of crescent rolls in my fridge at all times.  They make a great base to whatever you want to add inside.  From hot dogs to string cheese, breakfast sausage or pepperoni.  Bonus — your kids will love helping roll them up.  These are perfect for kids to help prepare.  I have found when you invite your children to help prepare the food, they are way more likely to eat it.   See the full pizza roll-up recipe here.

Other Pizza Inspired Ideas:

Frozen Pizza

Breakfast Pizza (see recipe here)

Pizza Bread (see recipe here)

 4. Freezer Favorites

• Pizza rolls
• Taquitos
• Chicken nuggets
• Mini corn dogs
• Frozen Pizza
• Pizza Bagels

5. Breakfast For Lunch

I mean everyone’s favorite meal of the day is breakfast so why not have it for lunch?  You can either make up some homemade pancakes and freeze them or buy pre-made frozen pancakes or waffles to microwave or toast!   Cut them up in strips, triangles, or bite-size for fun twists.  You can serve eggs, breakfast meats, and fruit smoothies too.  Check out these simple smoothie recipes!

Don’t Forget About Leftovers…

Never underestimate the power of a good meal rewarmed.  I know not all meals are a hit but plan your dinner meals to include extras for leftovers.  Leftovers my kids especially love leftovers are pizza and taco/Mexican dishes.  I try to include both of these into our menu every week for this purpose.

These recipes make great leftovers – 

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Baked Mexican Casserole

Slow Cooker Chicken Stuffing Bake

When All Else Fails…

Sometimes, you just need to go through the drive-thru or text a friend to meet at Chick Fil-a!  One friend used to always go out on Friday for lunch with her kids.  Remember variety isn’t as important to them as it is to us.   If all else fails, having some fun items to make eating more appealing never hurts.  Here are a few ideas to add to your wish list!

Mix up Your Meal  with Fun Utensils

We have these plates and I pull them out when we are going through a particularly rough phase with eating or I know dinner might not be a favorite ;).  My kids also love to eat with different utensils so those cute animal toothpicks are so fun.  We have the construction silverware and they are in high demand along with these spoon/fork combos.

Just remember this when it comes to kid-friendly lunch ideas…

Mealtime with littles can be downright crazy but hopefully, these kid-friendly lunch ideas will help you to get on the right track to smoother meal times so everyone enjoys eating.  If you have a picky eater, check out these 15 tips to get your picky eater to eat.  

As moms, we feel the need to serve a great variety because we like variety and we feel the pressure too!  I have come to find if I stick to these basic and simple kid-friendly lunch ideas and rotate, everyone is happy.  What kids lunch ideas do you have?

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Until next time keep on keeping on with a simple purposeful life!

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