Back to School: 10 sandwich-free lunches to send your kids to school with this year
In the past couple of years, I've had to up my sandwich-free lunch game, which is fine with me. There are plenty of other healthier ways to fill up kids during the school day.
Posted — UpdatedMy kids don't love finding a sandwich in their lunch box at school most days. They're OK with an occasional turkey and cheese or PB&J, but it's not a main entree I fall back on often when I'm packing lunches for them - or when I'm showing them what they can pack for themselves.
In the past couple of years, I've had to up my sandwich-free lunch game, which is fine with me. There are plenty of other healthier ways to fill them up during the school day. The lunches that I pack are never as beautiful as the neat Bento box combos that you see on countless Pinterest pages. But, they get the job done.
So ... here are 10 favorite sandwich-free lunches that I stick in my kids' lunch boxes. I always include cut up vegetables and fruit with these entrees. Sometimes I'll add in a granola bar, yogurt tube, a little dark chocolate, a box of chocolate milk or some crackers to the mix. And there's always a bottle filled with water.
I always have a bag of turkey meatballs from Trader Joe's in my freezer. Spaghetti and meatballs is a go-to dinner at my house on busy nights. When I make it, I make a few extra meatballs to stick in lunches in thermoses so they are still warm at lunchtime.
I'm mindful of the additives in deli meat so I don't try to pack these everyday, but they are clear favorites with my kids. Just roll together a slice of deli meat and a slice of thin sliced deli cheese. Provolone with turkey, salami or ham is a big hit at my house. I usually stick in some crackers, most often Triscuits.
This one is preferred by my younger daughter, who gobbles up this protein-packed duo.
I always make sure we stick an extra chicken breast on the grill when we're getting dinner together so that I have leftovers for lunches. And edamame, sprinkled with a little salt, always gets gobbled up at my house.
This one is preferred by my older daughter, who loves making her own salads, full of fresh spinach and veggies, and finding new ways to top it with protein. But, she always comes back to her favorite - chickpeas and feta.
I'll pack a favorite Greek yogurt, along with a separate container of granola and nuts. With this one, I include a bunch of fruit, often strawberries and blueberries. During the winter, when berries are more expensive, I'll throw in a frozen berry mix, which is thawed by lunch time.
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