Top 20 Lunchbox Ideas for Busy Parents | Kepler Academy

Guest blog by Sarah Remmer (RD), Kepler Academy’s Head of Nutrition

Parent on the go? Need some ideas for back-to-school lunch packing?

I’ve got you covered. Below, I’ve shared 20 lunchbox ideas that are tried and true in my household.

Top 20 Lunchbox Ideas for Busy Parents

Leftovers

1. Leftover spaghetti and meat sauce + raw snap peas + unsweetened fruit sauce + whole grain granola bar
2. Leftover taco salad (meat + fixings like cheese, salsa, lettuce, crushed taco shell) + an apple + homemade wholegrain muffin + Greek yogurt
3. Leftover lentil soup + whole grain crackers + fresh blueberries + carrot sticks + hummus + cheese
4. Leftover homemade Hawaiian pizza + sliced pear + veggie soup + homemade protein bites
5. Leftover pulled chicken or pork + whole grain bun + canned fruit + school safe kiddie trail mix (seeds, unsweetened dried fruit, whole grain cereal) + bell pepper strips

Brekkie for Lunch

1. Leftover French toast + Greek yogurt for dip (Greek yogurt + seed butter + chia seeds or hemp hearts + cinnamon) + sliced peach + cucumber strips + dip
2. Leftover muffin-tin veggie omelet + fruit salad + cottage cheese + homemade granola bar + cucumber strips + Milk
3. Whole grain pancakes + Greek yogurt + berries + little bit of maple syrup + carrot sticks + hummus
4. Homemade flourless zucchini blender muffin + leftover breakfast sausage + banana + yogurt or cottage cheese + assorted raw veggies
5. Build-your-own Greek yogurt parfait (Greek yogurt + whole grain granola + sunflower or pumpkin seeds + berries) + Fruit/Veggie pouch + homemade granola bar

Lunchbox-ables

1. Whole grain crackers + cheddar cheese cubes + length-wise sliced grapes, raspberries + snap peas + dip + roasted chickpeas + protein/energy ball
2. Leftover hamburger/turkey burger cut into bite-sized pieces + ketchup to dip + homemade yam fries + apple slices with cinnamon sprinkled on top + baby tomatoes + homemade or whole grain granola bar
3. Sliced hardboiled egg + whole grain waffle strips + yogurt to dip + watermelon sticks + carrots + cucumber + dip
4. Homemade whole grain mini muffins + nectarine slices + turkey pepperoni sticks + kiddie trail mix (seeds, unsweetened dried fruit, whole grain cereal)
5. Tortilla “sushi” (whole grain tortilla with either seed butter or cream cheese + fruit, wrapped up and sliced into bite-sized pieces) + raw veggie strips + hummus + apple slices + Greek yogurt to dip

Sandwiches & Wraps

1. Whole grain tortilla wrap with leftover meat, cheese, spinach + unsweetened fruit sauce + leftover broccoli salad + homemade whole grain banana loaf
2. Mini whole grain pitas + cheese and leftover meat or chicken + bell pepper strips + hummus + pear slices + whole grain granola bar
3. Tuna salad or egg salad sandwich on whole grain bread + fruit salad + snap peas + homemade protein/energy ball
4. Wafflewich (whole grain waffles + seed butter + banana slices) + homemade veggie soup + melon cubes + cottage cheese or yogurt
5. Crackerwiches (whole grain crackers + deli meat + cheese) + leftover roasted veggies + roasted chickpeas + homemade whole grain muffin + Milk

Be sure to follow along on Kepler’s Facebook and Instagram pages for inspiring recipes, ideas and helpful nutrition tips on #foodfriday!