Homeschool Lunch Ideas – The Ultimate Guide
Even though your kids might be home for lunch, having something that is quick, healthy and easy to prepare is a must so that your day isn’t completely interrupted. We have the Ultimate Homeschool Lunch Ideas guide for you with a printable list of ideas!
It is easy to make lunch an afterthought when you are home and you either end up having the same thing every day or just grabbing something quick and not satisfying to get back to whatever you and your kids were doing. On the flip side – no one wants to cook a huge meal in the middle of the day involving lots of dishes either. Our guide to making lunch at home gives you tips and tricks for making it faster and easier, while also making delicious healthy lunches both you and your kids will enjoy!
Prep Ahead for Lunch at Home
Food prepping doesn’t mean spending hours cooking food to put into a neatly compact container and then you have all your lunches made for the week. Food prepping by my definition is batch cooking the items that your kids like to eat so that they are readily available to add to a meal.
These are some of my favorite foods to prep ahead of time and have on hand
- Mini pancakes – freeze and pull out to make a fun pb&j sandwich
- Veggie packs – a small baggie with 2-3 different cut up veggies
- Mini Muffins – make a great ‘dessert’ with lunch
- Hard Boiled Eggs – egg salad sandwich, cut in half with a cheese triangle, sliced with avocado toast
- Dips – if we are eating raw fruits or veggies with lunch (which happens often) I really like to have a yummy dip to serve with them.
Tools to Make Lunch at Home Easier
If you have the right kitchen tools, every meal can be a little bit easier to make, serve and clean up. Each meal is a bit different and so there are different tools that are great for a specific meal type. These are some of my favorite kitchen tools to have for lunch:
- Mason Jars: I use mason jars to store rinsed fruit, cut up carrots and celery, salads that I have made ahead, soups and even leftovers. I like that they are clear and so you can see what is inside, and also they can be heated and frozen.
- Silicone Muffin Cups: These are really great to serve dips in with your lunch items.
- Puj Cups: Instead of getting out multiple cups for each meal, these color coded cups can just hang on the fridge and then your kids know which cup is theirs for every meal.
Get Your Kids Involved with Lunch
One of the great things about homeschool is that you get to also teach your kids life skills – like cooking! Make lunch a part of your school experience by teaching them to cook all sorts of different foods! Check out our list of Recipes Kids Can Make Themselves By Age to get you started with some ideas!
Hot Lunch Ideas
- Homemade Mac and Cheese
- Quinoa Pizza Bites
- Miso Alphabet Soup
- Grilled Cheese with Cauliflower Crust
- Homemade Hot Pockets
- Bacon Avocado Grilled Cheese Dippers
- Hot Turkey Bagel Sandwich
- Turkey and Roasted Pear Panini
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Zucchini Lunch Waffles
Cold Lunch Ideas
- Ham & Cheese Pinwheels
- Chickpea Hummus Sandwich
- Creamy Chicken Pita Pocket
- Lunchbox Gyros
- Non-Diary Tuna Salad
- Pepperoni Pasta Salad
- Carrot Slaw with Lunch
- Chicken & Cashew Salad
- Chopped Chicken Salad
- White Bean Salad Lunch
Packable Lunch Ideas
- Lunch Box Taco Salad
- Pizza Kabobs Lunchboxes
- Lunchbox Pasta
- Protein Packed Lunchbox
- Tomato Avocado Sandwich
- Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Pinwheels
- Chickpea and Cucumber Salad
- It’s a Bento Salad
- Turkey Ranch Wrap
- Lunchtime Kabobs
- Fruity Peanut Butter Sandwich
Lunch Sides
- yogurt & granola
- sliced apples & peanut butter
- mini bell peppers & hummus
- guacamole & whole grain tortilla chips
- cottage cheese
- nuts
- hard-boiled egg
- mixed berries
- pretzels & almond butter
- cheese cubes
- clementines
- carrot & cucumber slices
- dried apricots
- popcorn
Natalie Monson
I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
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