Easy Lunchbox Ideas for the Family

Collage image of 5 different packed lunchbox ideas

Back to school is in full swing around here. I now have a 1st grader and a preschooler! Wowzers!

children with backpacks on and holding lunchbox bags

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Needless to say there will be a lot of lunch making going on over here, and I hope to post a round-up like this each Friday 🙂  Hopefully I can help  ya’ll with some easy lunchbox ideas for everyone in the family. I try to keep the assembly of each lunch under 10 minutes.

Although some may look “fancy” it really only takes a couple extra minutes to use a cookie cutter on a sandwich, roll up some lunch meat or skewers some grapes.

Easy Lunchbox Ideas for the Family


{ School Lunch } For this Planetbox lunch there is an almond butter sandwich, alphabet cookies, fresh blueberries, oranges, cheese cracker and some chocolate for dessert.

top down image of packed metal lunchbox


{ School Lunch }  I packed an EasyLunchbox of basically the same lunch for Little D for her first day of Preschool

back to school themed packed lunchbox


{This was big D’s FAVORITE lunch this week!}

{ School Lunch } Turkey rolls, olives, fresh blueberries and pineapple, celery bites (with small container of dip), Anne’s Organic fruit snacks and snack mix.

metal lunchbox packed with kid friendly food


{ School Lunch } Turkey sandwich, fresh grapes and oranges, veggies (with small container of dip), jelly beans and black olives.

top down picture of a metal lunchbox packed with a variety of finger foods


{ Mommy Lunch } Simple salad with olives and tomatoes, raw cashews, Lara Mini bar and quinoa.

salad, couscous, nuts and larabar packed in a lunchbox


{ Mommy Lunch } Curried chicken salad on a bed of lettuce, raspberries and some mini wheat cracker.

Curried chicken salad on a bed of lettuce, raspberries and some mini wheat cracker - packed in a lunchbox

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TOOLS USED FOR THESE EASY LUNCHBOX IDEAS FOR THE FAMILY

Lunchbox: Here are the lunch boxes I used for this lunch.
Small  Sauce Container: These little containers are also great for packing salad dressing!
Metal Lunchbox: Here is one of our favorite lunchboxes used in this post.


HERE ARE MORE LUNCHBOX IDEAS WE LOVE!

Post updated September 2020

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19 Comments

  1. I was a very privileged child who was raised by a Mommy…..My mother always made me nice lunches,nice surprises even though we were very poor.Unfortunately do parents really take the time to make beautiful lunches like these????? To much Trouble for them !!!!!!! I am foster family for special needs children ,They cannot wait to open their lunches !!!!!Have a nice day.

    1. From which planet are your kids, that they eat black olives? Couliflor? quinoa? please, be more realistic. My kids do not drink soft drinks, they do not consume loads of sugar, that is one thing, but to honestly think that they will joyfully eat these foods is a bit going into full fantasy mode!!!
      Hoping to hear your comments, thanks.

      1. Well, I guess we all have different tastes. I know a ton of kids who love these foods. One of my girls LOVES cherry tomatoes, the other hates them. One likes green olives the other loves black olives. Little D can eat gallons of cottage cheese, but won’t touch string cheese. So I guess you just have to find what foods your kiddo likes and go with it 🙂

      2. I think a lot of it depends on your kids exposure to foods from the beginning. I have an 8 yr old who loves sushi, olives, vegetables of all kinds, Greek yogurt, quinoa, mushrooms and the list goes on. Children in other countries can have very diversified diets, so it’s not fantasy for a child here to have one also.

      3. My 2 year old granddaughter loves black olives, tofu, quinoa, tomatoes, broccoli, etc. so, to answer your question, I guess we live on the planet of “teaching healthy eating habits from the beginning”.

  2. I love these lunch ideas. I have a 4th grader and for a couple of years now I have been doing the bento box idea, the school lunch staff can’t wait to see what I come up with. I often get told by my sister (who has 3 girls) and many of my friends that this type of lunch takes too much time. I can actually make her breakfast and lunch in about 20 minutes. I do my best to grab any cupcake liners, picks, print notes and find anything BPA free to use in her lunch. I simple note can make any childs day and if I forget she will let me know! Your an awesome mom and hats off to all other moms who take just a couple mintues of their time to make their childrens meals special.

    1. Thank you so much Kath for taking the time to write such a sweet comment. I am so happy to hear that you also love making lunches 🙂 Yes, a couple extra minutes goes a long way!

    2. I could not agree more with Kath. You can take a moment to make a sandwich and all place them in baggies why not use that same time to use a bento box and a cookie cutter easy peasy! GO GREEN

  3. You are so creative! Love these ideas! I can’t wait to start making lunch for my little guy to take to school even though he is not even one yet, ha!

  4. Just wondering about lunches that do not need refrigeration. My kids eat lunch late in the school day and i am worried about food safety and keeping it cold enough. Can you post some ideas for lunches that are ok at room temp and products that are good for keeping things cold? Thanks for sharing your ideas with us…i really appreciate them 🙂

  5. great lunches love you show your kiddos any yours

  6. I just found your site and I was wondering if you could share what brand of alphabet cookies these are?

    1. Those are from Trader Joes. LOVE them!

  7. These look so good, I think I will be using them for myself at home. Thanks

  8. i have two kids in college and I work full time. I have always made them and me lunch and breakfast I sometime have time to make smoothies on top of that. It’s all a part of organizing your time. It’s not unrealistic at all! Some people are just lazy and do t care. Thank you for this article

  9. Ohhhh I wish my Mom could have made me lunches as cute as these! Amazing!

  10. Love all of these ideas! Thinking of purchasing the planetbox stainless steel Box. Curious to kNow if the insert will fit in a regular LUNCHBOX. And my 4Yo loves black olives BTW! Thanks 🙂

    1. Haha! Yay for black olive love! What do you mean by the insert? I would be happy to help 🙂