Lunch Packing Ideas

by Lois Breneman - Copyright - Revised 2010

Walking Apple ~ This great idea was shared with me by my sister-in-law, June Walker, in the 70's and used by our family many times!  Core an apple.  Stuff with various combinations of foods such as peanut butter, raisins, sesame or sunflower seeds, shredded unsweetened coconut, and plug both ends with a dried apricot, prune, or dip into sesame seeds or sunflower seeds to cover the gooey peanut butter.  This is a great treat wrapped in plastic wrap for lunches and can be made ahead up to 3 days in advance, if refrigerated.  This is called a "Walking Apple," because it can be eaten without littering while taking a walk!

Peeled Oranges ~ Always try to include fresh fruit in your child's lunch.  If oranges are too messy or difficult to peel during lunchtime, have an "Orange Peeling Party" with your children around the kitchen table as you listen to music, review scripture verses or call out your child's spelling words for a quiz.  Then divide each orange into smaller child-size servings for the week's lunches.  Zipped snack bags work well.  Your children may appreciate their lunches more if they have a part in them, plus they are learning a valuable life skill.

Other Fruits such as apples, grapes, watermelon, cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines are refreshing to any lunch.

Peanut Butter Balls ~ Also a great toddler treat for kids over a year of age.  Babies under one should never be given honey, as it can cause botulism in children under one year of age.  I suggest using unsweetened coconut and natural peanut butter.
1/2 cup peanut butter                       
2 Tbsp. honey  
2 1/2 Tbsp. nonfat dry milk

1/4 cup coconut          

2 Tbsp. raisins                                     
Mix all ingredients except sesame seeds.  Form small balls and toll into sesame seeds.


Hard Cooked Eggs provide good protein.  Peel before sending.  Provide a salt packet, unless salt is available at lunchtime.

Goody Cups or Goody Packs ~ Get a jump on packing nutritious lunches by filling Tupperware midget cups in advance with peanuts, other nuts, raisins, sunflower seeds, granola, or almond butter/ peanut butter for dipping apple slices or celery sticks into.  Have lots of these types of snacks prepared ahead of time to save valuable time packing lunches the night before.  Veggie dips and salad dressings in midget cups can also be prepared in advance, but of course, need refrigerated.

Fill  Ziplock-type Snack Bags with sesame sticks, banana chips and other healthy snacks found in the health food section of your grocery store or a natural foods coop.  Also fill the bags with baby carrots or carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumber sticks, bell pepper strips, pickles, cheese blocks, wedges or strips to have ready for packing lunches in quick time.  Kids may enjoy the veggies plain or they might rather use a dip of hummus.  Tupperware midget cups would be perfect for this.

Applesauce ~ Buy natural applesauce (without sugar) and if you want to add a little sweetness, use a small amount of stevia to satisfy that sweet tooth.  You can also find natural applesauce in individual throw-away containers in the grocery store.

Whole Wheat Crackers in a snack bag, with cheese wrapped separately.  Or send along a Tupperware cup with egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, pimiento cheese spread, or peanut butter to eat with the crackers.

Fresh Fruit Kabobs using strawberries, pineapple chunks, watermelon, grapes or other fruit.  The fruit could be put into Ziplock snack bags and the child could make his own kabobs, using either toothpicks or shish-ka-bob skewers.  If time is limited during lunch, have him assemble the kabob the night before.

Apple Slices, dipped in orange, pineapple, or lemon juice (to prevent them from turning brown).  Send along peanut butter, almond butter or yogurt for dipping.

Homemade Granola can be stored in snack bags, along with a plastic spoon for lunches or snacks.  Or make a trail mix using pretzels, peanuts, Chex cereal, granola, dried fruit, popcorn, and chocolate chips.  Popcorn alone is a great snack, as well as the other ingredients, but go easy on the chocolate chips.

Yogurt is always a great addition to a lunch.

Green Salad with a dressing to add at lunchtime.

Rice Cakes with Cheese ~ If a microwave is available, your child can melt the cheese at lunchtime.

Carrots or Pretzels with Hummus ~ Prepare Tupperware cups of hummus in advance, as well as snack packs of pretzels or carrots.

Celery Flowers can be made by spreading peanut butter, pimiento cheese spread or cream cheese on 5 ribs of celery.  Place them together with the filling facing toward the center.  Fasten tightly with rubberbands and refrigerate overnight.  Slice with a sharp knife into 3/4" thick slices.  Each one resembles a flower, and is a tasty treat!  An alternative is to spread peanut butter, pimiento cheese spread or cream cheese on ribs of celery and wrap each one individually.

Popcorn can be made with so many flavorings - cayenne pepper, parmesan cheese, cinnamon and stevia, Italian seasonings, onion or garlic.  Make up your own flavorings.

Cheese Sticks can be cut in advance, wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the fridge for lunches.  String cheese is another option.

V-8 Juice, Carrot Juice, Pineapple Juice and other healthy juices are great, but watch out for sugars added to cocktail juices.
.
Quesadillas ~ Assemble shredded cheese on a tortilla.  Fold it over and wrap in plastic.  Send along some salsa in a Tupperware midget cup.  The child can microwave the tortilla until the cheese is melted and dip away.  Or send a few tortilla chips for dipping.  If you'd like to make your own salsa, mix together chopped tomato, chopped green onion, a little garlic salt, sea salt, and chopped fresh cilantro.

Sandwiches can be made ahead a few days and refrigerated.  I like to cut the sandwich in half, stack the two halves, and wrap with the filing showing.  Some sandwiches, including peanut butter and jelly, can even be frozen.  To prevent pb&j sandwiches from getting soggy, spread peanut butter on each slice, and spread jelly over top of the peanut butter. When freezing sandwiches, I used to wrap each sandwich in plastic, and keep them in bread bags in the freezer until packing lunches the night before.  For variety use pita pockets instead of bread.

Dried Fruit is like a dessert - raisins, craisins, pineapple, mango, and other fruit, but keep in mind that dried fruit is loaded with natural sugar.

Quick Breads and Muffins ~ Bake ahead for lunches.  After your home baked breads have cooled, slice into individual servings, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for lunches.  Banana bread made with about 1/3 part whole wheat flour makes it even more nutritious.  You can use other healthy "additives," such as wheat germ or brewer's yeast in quick breads for added nutrition.  Cut way back on sugar too.  To cut down on fat, applesauce can be substituted for at least part of the cooking oil in most recipes for baked goods.

Personal Lunchbox Notes ~ Type out some special notes of encouragement on your computer, print in multiples, cut and save to secretly tuck in lunches.  First sign the notes from Mom, Dad or a sibling.  Grandparents could make some notes to be tucked into their grandchildren's lunches too!  If your grandchildren live far from you, this would really be a fun surprise for them!

"Jesus loves you and so do I!"                   
"I'm praying for you to well in your test today!"

"Remember how much I love you!"            
"I'm praying for your friendships."

"I'm so proud of you!"                                  
"I'm praying for you today, as always!"

Write out encouraging scripture verses to tuck in as well.

Using at least some of these lunch packing ideas, I hope you will be relieved of some frustration, commonly associated with this task - not one of my favorites either.  Hopefully you will save time, have your children join in with you, as you make packing healthy lunches a family effort.  They may be more willing to eat what is packed if they were involved in preparation and they will also be learning new skills that will benefit them the remainder of their lives.