School Lunch Ideas for your Chaos Crew

Pumpkin everything, cool nights, cozy hoodies, and autumn scented candles are just a few of my favorite fall things. I do love the slower pace of summer and the free-for-all snack times, but with back-to-school in full swing, it’s time to buckle down and pack those school lunches. I have a teenager and a preschooler and I was racking my brain for easy and (mostly) healthy lunch and snack ideas, and I thought I’d share what I found with you guys.

Preschool/Toddler Crew Lunches:

• Pasta with mixed vegetables. I recommend Bird’s Eye Frozen Pasta with Veggies.
  • One of my toddler’s favorites is the pasta shaped like Frozen movie characters. I microwave the pasta the night before and store in the fridge and give it to her cold – more like a pasta salad. If you want to keep it warm it should be fine in an insulated thermos.
• Mandarin oranges. So easy to pack and they stay fresh!
• Raisins. Perfect for little hands.
• Annie’s bunny cookies and crackers. So many options with these: salty, sweet, even gluten-free if you need them!
• Hard-boiled eggs. We love any lunch that you can prepare the night before (we have a flock of chickens so we always have extra eggs!)
• Avocado. Add a squeeze of lemon to prevent browning

Elementary Crew Lunches:

• Rainbow Hummus Veggie Wraps.
• Homemade pizza rolls. A fun alternate to school lunch pizza Friday
• Savory Triangles. You can add just about anything to these:
  • Leftovers from last? Perfect, add them to the triangles:
    • Tacos
    • Veggies and chicken
    • Spaghetti sauce
    • Rice
  • You can also use:
    • Pizza toppings, pizza sauce, and cheese
    • Ham and cheese
    • Spinach and ricotta
• Turkey and ranch wraps. My oldest loves whole wheat and spinach wraps

High School Crew Lunches:

• Lettuce wraps. Such a fun alternative to sandwiches!
• Bagels. our teens are always in a rush so it’s nice to have an easy lunch/snack ready. They can eat bagels the traditional way with cream cheese, plain, or peanut butter (sun butter/ almond butter), and jelly.
• Smoothies. Another great way to sneak some fruits into your teen’s diet. My now coffee-obsessed teen has reached for a smoothie instead of coffee a couple of times last week (mom win!)

If you’re anything like us your meal prep looks like: a strong cup of Cold Brew, followed by several other reheated cups of coffee throughout the day. Finally, you sip on a cup of one of Surviving Motherhood’s teas while you reflect on the chaos of the day.

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