Healthy Lunchbox Ideas

I put this together a while ago, just never finished it. So, today I finished it and figured I would post it here as well. Hope this helps someone!

Healthy Lunch Box Ideas


Sandwiches:
- Lunch Meat (Nitrate free) & Cheese
- Egg Salad
- Tuna Salad
- Chicken Salad
- Peanut Butter (or another nut butter) with Jelly, Honey, or Banana
- Cucumbers & Cream Cheese
- BLT (Bacon [Nitrate Free], Lettuce, Tomato)
Note – try placing the sandwich on different breads, use a bagel or english muffin instead, try different spreads like cream cheese or hummus instead of mayonnaise. You can also make “sandwich puzzles” by cutting the sandwich into different angles & shapes and having the child figure out how it goes together.

Wraps/Pitas:
- Veggie wraps (shredded carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, hummus, olives, bell peppers, cheese, cream cheese, avocado)
- Rice & Beans
- Turkey & Cheese
- Chicken Salad
- Tuna Salad

Thermos:
- Soup
- Leftovers from dinner the night before
- Spaghetti
- Whole wheat past in varied shapes with pesto or just plain butter
- Ravioli
- Tortellini
- Macaroni & Cheese
- Fried Rice
- Stir Fry
- Rice & Beans (add sausage or natural hot dogs)
- Homemade chicken nuggets

Other Ideas:
- Make your own sushi
- Salad with dressing packaged separately
- Make your own “lunchables” with crackers, lunch meat, etc.
- Fruit, Meat & Cheese with pretzel sticks (like toothpicks) for picking up
- Small pizzas (you an put them on English Muffins)
- Quesadillas
- Pasta Salad (with Veggies, Chicken, or even Tuna)

Neat Sides:
- Ants on a log (celery with peanut butter and raisins placed to look like ants)
- Fruits (strawberries, grapes, pears, apples, oranges, watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, pineapple, mango, peaches, nectarines, plums, bananas, tangerines, kiwi, papaya, cranberries or any other favorite fruit))
- Fruits & Dip like yogurt
- Yogurt or organic yogurt tubes
- String cheese
- Raw Veggies (carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, snap peas) & Dips (hummus, ranch)
- Chips or Pita Wedges with Hummus, Guacamole, Salsa, or Spinach Dip
- Cooked veggies in a thermos (broccoli, peas, carrots, spinach, potatoes, sweet potatoes, black beans, pinto beans, green beans, lima beans, corn, or any other favorite vegetable)
- Rice
- Cheese & Crackers
- Pickle spears
- Apples with peanut butter
- Nuts
- Chickpeas
- Hard boiled eggs
- Applesauce
- Graham crackers (with or without a dip like peanut butter)
- Dried Fruits
- Pretzels
- Homemade muffins or breads with fruits or veggies added (carrot, banana, zucchini, etc.) or cookies
- Fruit Leathers
- Rice Cakes
- Carob chips
- Granola
- Apple Chips
- Banana Chips

Note – When possible, use organic so that you can avoid trans-fats and high fructose corn syrup along with other undesirable ingredients and preservatives.