In my opinion, the true secret to making great school lunches is making sure to pack items that are both kid and mom approved. I have my own criteria for lunchbox food and my sons have theirs. That’s why I always check their lunches for items that come home uneaten more than a few days in a row and ask for my boys’ input regularly. Looking for kid-approved ideas for your child’s meals? Here are four foods my boys are always happy to find when they open up their lunchbox!
1) Real Cheese
So much more delicious than processed cheese slices and great either on a sandwich or as a snack, my boys love finding different types of cheese in their lunch. As soon as I started adding it to their sandwiches with the deli meat, they started eating more of their main course. And many varieties are available already sliced and ready to serve to help save me time in the morning!
2) Mini Mandarin Oranges
Easy to peel, easy to eat and delicious…who doesn’t love a mandarin orange! This tasty fruit is inexpensive when purchased by the bag and is something that I know will always be gone when my boys get home from school. While there are lots of other fruits to choose from when packing a lunchbox, this is the one I come back to over and over since the oranges travel so well and both boys love them!
3) Motts Fruitsations +Veggie Fruit Snacks
With just eighty calories per package and made with fruit and vegetable juice from concentrate, it’s the taste of these chewy snacks that my boys love best. Zackary says he loves them because they’re juicy and taste like his favourite kinds of fruit. Benjamin loves the fun shapes and being able to have a few during his snack break and the rest after his lunch. And both love the sweet taste and great texture!
4) Homemade Snacks
Both my boys have a weakness for homemade snacks, but finding time to cook up fun food for their lunches isn’t always easy. So about once a month, I’ll make a big batch of cookies, muffins or squares and then freeze them for the lunchbox. The boys are always excited when they find that homemade snack at mealtime!
Contrary to popular belief, I haven’t really found variety to be a necessary part of packing popular school lunches. My boys don’t mind having the same food over and over again…as long as it’s food that they love! And with their input on which snacks are their favourite, I can rest easy knowing they’re eating enough to get the energy they need for a busy school day!
Alison Braidwood says
November 1, 2016 at 7:49 pmReal cheese is SO much better than the horrid processed sliced stuff. Once you get a taste for the real thing, you never go back.
Florence Cochrane says
November 2, 2016 at 5:12 amI no longer buy processed cheese. Real cheese is the best. Great selection of snacks.
Debbie Bashford says
November 2, 2016 at 7:11 amwe love cheese as a snack we live very close to a cheese factory so always stocked up
Cheryl says
November 2, 2016 at 7:32 amThanks for the tips it is so hard to get snacks that are healthy that our kids will eat!!
DORIS HUMBER says
November 2, 2016 at 9:24 amThis is a nice variety of snack choices. Love the ideas!
kathy downey says
November 2, 2016 at 2:26 pmThanks for the tips,sometimes it can be hard choosing snacks the kids will actually eat.
kristen visser says
November 2, 2016 at 2:35 pmoh my gosh this is amazing 🙂 makes me feel good. my oldest daughter started school this year. she is autistic and very picky so sticks with the same foods. she only goes for half days so i pack snacks which is what you mentioned above except instead of homemade goodies i put in keilbasa, grapes and apples 🙂
Lynda Cook says
November 2, 2016 at 3:14 pmYour above lunch looks exactly how I packed my girls lunches when they were in school, and it’s so much easier cutting your own cheese and making snacks!!
Doris Calvert says
November 2, 2016 at 8:59 pmAll good snacks, love cheese the best, we only buy the real cheese
heidi c. says
November 2, 2016 at 9:37 pmMy little guys love the Fruitsensation snacks!
Cheryl says
November 3, 2016 at 6:59 amGreat, simple, easy choices fo lunches!
Silvia D says
November 3, 2016 at 8:49 amgreat snacks! love mandarin oranges!
angela m says
November 3, 2016 at 12:36 pmAll good choices with my girls.
Stephanie LaPlante says
November 4, 2016 at 7:59 amThese snacks all sound delicious! Love that they’re healthy!!
Edye says
November 5, 2016 at 9:53 amCheese is always a great snack!
sandra says
November 6, 2016 at 9:47 amCheese is a great snack but my son complains it gets soft by first break. any suggestions.
Stacy Scott says
November 6, 2016 at 5:57 pmAwesome Post. I am always Looking for Healthy easy food ideas for my kiddies, Can’t wait to try these’s!
debbie s says
November 8, 2016 at 4:18 amim always on the lookout for new snack ideas!
Angela Saver says
November 8, 2016 at 10:26 amThese would all be a hit with my kids! Oh & how we love cheese!
Chandra O"Connor says
November 9, 2016 at 6:08 amcheese and crackers are a must in our house
Janet M says
November 18, 2016 at 5:32 pmThere is nothing better than real cheese and crackers.
Mary Jewers says
November 21, 2016 at 8:18 amSo nice to see real food in school lunches:-)
Robyn L says
November 25, 2016 at 5:10 pmthanks for suggestions for snacks for lunch boxes. Mom always had homemade cookies for our lunches.
Maryanne says
November 25, 2016 at 5:48 pmReal cheese is a staple here. Gonna go broke from how much gets eaten!
Anne Taylor says
November 27, 2016 at 1:59 pmWe gave up “fake” cheese many moons ago! My grandson and granddaughter love cheese!