In the packed lunch guide, there are 24 lunch ideas with photos. But I wanted to add more! So, when my oldest was in first grade, I photographed the lunches that I packed for the first month. I wanted to share some of the real-life lunch box examples. If you want even more resources with real lunch box photos, check out these posts:.

Before we start, I do have several posts with snack ideas that can be helpful when packing school lunches:. And if you need after-school ideas check out Healthy After School Snacks here.

At first, I was alternating between bentgo box lunch ideas in the Bentgo Fresh lunch box and a Lunch Bots lunch box aff links but I now use just the Bentgo.

I pack the Bentgo box every evening and store in the fridge. In the morning, I put it inside this Arctic Zone insulated lunch bag and add an ice pack. In that case, you could invest in a thermos or practice eating things at different temperatures at home so they get used to it.

These OmieBox lunch boxes aff link have a built-in thermos and would be a great option to invest in if your kids tend to prefer hot lunches.

So here are some of the actual lunch boxes I packed. I snapped a photo every day and then just used Pixlr to remove the countertop in the background and make them prettier to look at.

A few things to note-. So there you go — There are 12 of the first 30 lunch boxes I packed for my son. Want to see the other 18? Check out my Month of Packed Lunches for Kids guide! When I put together lunches for my kids I always focus on protein first. This lunch offers a food activity almost every kids loves: dipping.

The pita and veggies are all delicious dipped in the hummus. Homemade muffins are a breakfast favorite at our house.

I like to pack this breakfast-for-lunch option to use up the leftover muffins and add some variety to my lunch box ideas. Next is another breakfast-for-lunch option. I like the peanut butter as a delicious topping for the apples and pancakes. If you do use Kodiak Cakes mix and add in the hardboiled egg, this makes for one protein-packed lunch.

If your kids prefers , you can pack a tuna sandwich instead. I love this DIY version. Simply pack a stack of crackers along with thinly-sliced cheese and sliced up lunch meat. Your kids can then stack them up and enjoy. I usually add in a container or squeezer-pack of apple sauce, as well as a veggie — this version includes red peppers but carrots and cucumbers are also tasty.

This lunch is pretty simple: heat a pan up in the morning or even fire up the microwave to make a quesadilla. Your can throw beans on the side or in the quesadilla, w hichever your child prefers. Watch the size of the mandarins or clementines you have, too.

These mini pizzas are a delicious, easy option for lunches. No more half-eaten lunches—this taco-inspired bento box lunch is a healthy and portable meal your kid will love.

Perfect to pack for lunch to take to work or for a picnic in the park, this vegan bistro box is filled with Mediterranean diet-inspired crunchy vegetables, pita bread, creamy hummus and olives.

This bento box idea makes lunch fun. With its colorful carrots and swirled yogurt, this packable lunch is a healthy meal kids will actually want to eat—no more half-eaten lunches. This fruit, cheese and cracker box inspired by Starbucks' bistro boxes is a fun and healthy alternative to your standard sandwich.

It's the perfect personal-size cheese plate to pack for a work lunch or a picnic in the park. Inspired by Starbucks' bistro boxes, this peanut butter and jelly lunch will be loved by kids and adults alike. Accompanied by sandwich sides including a yogurt parfait, fruit, veggies and popcorn, this healthy packable lunch will keep you full until dinner.

These tailgate-inspired lunch bowls can be assembled in about 15 minutes using just a handful of ingredients from your local specialty grocery store, like pregrilled chicken and spicy Buffalo-flavored hummus.

We're packing these up with crunchy veggie sticks and blue cheese so you can savor all the game-day flavors but for a fraction of the calories. This bento box idea is full of your kid's breakfast favorites, even waffles.

This lunch is packed with healthy foods you will feel good about serving and kids will actually be excited to eat. This kid-friendly twist on classic Cobb salad gives children the choice to eat all the healthy ingredients—veggies, turkey, eggs, bacon and avocado—together or separately.

Packing it all in a bento box makes it easy to tote to school and keeps all the ingredients from touching, a plus for picky eaters. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising.

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Rice paper rolls Pasta salad or rice salad Cheese

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Cheap lunch box ideas - Mini Quiches Rice paper rolls Pasta salad or rice salad Cheese

The great thing is that frugal lunchbox options are also healthy and environmentally friendly as well. Before writing about frugal living, Mel worked as an accountant. As well as a diploma in accounting, Mel has an honours degree in humanities, including writing and research.

She also studied to be a teacher and loves sharing the things that she has learned and helping others to achieve their goals. Using tortillas or flat bread and cooking these under the grill or even in a sandwich press makes these pizzas super quick and easy. Use up leftovers for a cheap, quick yet tasty meal.

Looking for ideas on how to use leftover cooked vegetables? Great for lunch or have with an egg for breakfast to get in your five serves of veg a day! Vegetable fritters are quick, inexpensive, quick and tasty — adults and children alike love to eat these.

Everyone will love these easy to make pizza scrolls. Made from puff pastry for minimal fuss. Making your own healthy DIY trail mix will save you money on snacks and you can mix and match ingredients to suit your tastes.

Here are some ideas. Your email address will not be published. This is not so much a comment on your post as on marmite. I have never tried it nor seen it for sale here in Canada. I have heard of it as well as Vegemite, which I think was mentioned in a song.

Just last week I read an article mentioning various foods that are illegal to import or sell here. One of them was marmite. The agency said the products were not a health hazard. Hmm, I think Marmite is English and Vegemite is Australian although now owned by Kraft US and as far as I know they taste slightly different.

Skip to content. Save time and stress on school mornings by having a lunchbox planner and doing a little prep work 10 minutes only! on the weekend. Facebook Pinterest WhatsApp Email Save Tips and tricks to help you save money on school lunches.

Looking for ideas to reduce the cost of packing school lunches every day? Below are…. Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Linkedin Pinterest. Previous Previous. Next Continue. Similar Posts Using tortillas or flat bread and cooking these under the grill or even in a sandwich press makes these pizzas super quick and easy.

A light summer vegetarian meal of zucchini noodles, topped with garlicy tomato and basil. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Start Here Blog Frugal Recipes Frugal DIY Toggle child menu Expand.

Frugal Home Toggle child menu Expand. Budgeting Toggle child menu Expand. Simple Living Toggle child menu Expand. I pack the Bentgo box every evening and store in the fridge.

In the morning, I put it inside this Arctic Zone insulated lunch bag and add an ice pack. In that case, you could invest in a thermos or practice eating things at different temperatures at home so they get used to it.

These OmieBox lunch boxes aff link have a built-in thermos and would be a great option to invest in if your kids tend to prefer hot lunches. So here are some of the actual lunch boxes I packed. I snapped a photo every day and then just used Pixlr to remove the countertop in the background and make them prettier to look at.

A few things to note-. So there you go — There are 12 of the first 30 lunch boxes I packed for my son. Want to see the other 18? Check out my Month of Packed Lunches for Kids guide! When I put together lunches for my kids I always focus on protein first. I make sure to always include a protein source and then build around that.

If my kids are home for lunch, especially during the school year when most days they eat a cold lunch, I always try to mix in hot lunches for variety.

I try to keep my freezer well stocked with healthy freezer snacks that can double as lunch on occasions like this. Some of my kids favorite warm lunches include mini pizzas, pancakes or waffles, nachos, oatmeal and omelets. Smoothies are another great option for home lunches because they can be tricky to send to school.

Not liking sandwiches is very common among kids and can take some work on your end to get them to accept and eat them.

Sometimes a sandwich can seem large and overwhelming, especially to smaller kids. You can start by getting them used to eating toast with toppings or an open-faced sandwich.

Or try things like build your own mini sandwiches on crackers to get them used to foods being stacked on top of one another. Thinner breads like sandwich thins or tortillas can also be helpful! Be sure to follow any allergy restrictions for your school. Get my free Table Talk email series where I share bite-sized nutrition information about carbs, protein, and fat, plus bonus information about snacks and sugar!

Lindsay Livingston is a Registered Dietitian and new mom from Columbus, Ohio. On her blog, she shares simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, workouts and snapshots of her life. Follow her on Twitter LeanGrnBeanBlog and Instagram TheLeanGreenBean and be sure to subscribe via RSS or email so you never miss a post!

I was looking through these lunches for kids. They look amazing and they look like my special needs children would eat them. Is this book PDF only or can you get in paper form???