14 School Lunch Ideas That Are Absolutely Genius!
Check out these fun & easy school lunch ideas! These clever hacks will make your mornings easier!
These genius school lunch ideas make mornings easier! Check out these fun tips that make packing lunch a breeze.
After you pick out your favorite best lunch bags for kids, you’ll be mastering these on-the-go school lunches like a champ in no time. 🙌
1. DIY Lunchables are a fun & frugal school lunch idea!
Instead of buying expensive prepackaged mini-meals, it’s actually pretty easy (and way healthier!) to cut up a few pieces of cheese and lunch meat, or pre-assemble mini sandwiches, and design your own simple bento-style lunch.
You can buy containers with onlinepartments, or just wing it by separating everyday Tupperware with stackable containers and cupcake wrappers. I love that you can customize for each child and use up odds and ends of crackers, cheeses, and fruit & veggies from the fridge.
2. Prevent apples and other fruits from browning before lunchtime.
Soak apple slices in pineapple juice or lemon juice first, then place them in lunch bags to prevent them from turning brown so quickly in the lunch box. This works for banana slices, too!
Ball Fruit Fresh can also keep produce from getting brown before lunchtime! Our recipe blogger, Lina, loves this product and wrote a whole review here.
3. Create organized grab-and-go baskets for stress-free snacking.
We love finding clever ways to keep our kitchens organized, and having a dedicated snack basket does just that! Place a storage basket filled with snacks in both the fridge and the pantry so everyone knows where to go to find quick snacks for school lunches without searching.
We love these stylish wire storage baskets from Target for $8.99 😍 + save an additional 5% when you use your RedCard!
This is also an awesome method for keeping the healthier snacks up front! When I’m super hungry, I tend to grab the first thing I find, whether it’s leftovers from last night’s healthy salad or a less-than-nutritious bag of chips. 😆 If you make an easily accessed snack basket with fruits, nuts, trail mix, and other healthy treats, the fam is more likely to go for those wholesome options.
4. Making DIY Uncrustables is one of our favorite clever school lunch ideas!
Skip the expensive and unhealthy store-bought version and make a bunch of homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwiches ahead of time to freeze for future lunches!
These handy crust cutters slice off the crust and seal the edges when you press down on the sandwich. You can also buy a less expensive plastic version or you can even use a large cookie cutter and then press the edges using a fork as an alternative.
Is your school nut-free? Use a nut-free peanut butter alternative like Wowbutter or SunButter. Also worth noting, the cut and seal tool can be used to cut the crust off other sandwiches, too – not just PB&J!
5. Making peanut butter and banana sandwiches in hot dog buns is an easy school lunch idea that also eliminates waste!
Got leftover buns from the last outdoor barbecue get-together? Throw some peanut butter and bananas in ’em for a fun and waste-saving snack!
To use this idea for school lunches, spread the peanut butter in the bun and then send the banana with the peel still on. When your kiddo’s ready to eat, they can peel the banana and place it inside the bun so it’s still nice and fresh!
6. DIY frozen smoothies/juices are a frugal and healthy school lunch idea!
Use these long freezer pouches to pre-make homemade smoothies, and then pack them in your child’s lunch for a refreshing and healthy snack! Check out a few easy & healthy ice pop recipes.
7. Pre-portioned snacks make school lunch-packing time a breeze!
Save money by buying or making snacks in bulk and dividing them out into smaller snack-sized baggies, instead of buying the pricier, individually wrapped snacks.
You get to be in control of the ingredients, save money, and make lunch packing easier, so it’s a win-win-win. 🙌
Hip Tip: Stasher bags make durable snack-sized silicone bags that are dishwasher-safe and endlessly reusable.
8. Make DIY ice packs out of sponges to save space and keep lunchboxes cool.
We think this school lunch idea is genius! Instead of taking up valuable lunchbox space with bulky ice packs, freeze a water-soaked sponge inside a plastic baggie and use that in its place. They’re slimmer than most ice packs but work just as well!
Get this 4-pack of sponges at Target for only $3.49!
You can also use frozen juice boxes, grapes, and yogurt tubes that double as extra cold packs, yet will be defrosted for lunchtime!
9. Serve a hot lunch with ease by using an insulated container.
School lunches don’t all have to be cold sandwiches! You can pack everything from warm chicken nuggets to mac & cheese, to soups, or even last night’s dinner using these helpful insulated food containers. This way, your kiddo can still enjoy a hot meal without having to worry about finding a way to reheat it at school.
If your kiddo is a little older and likes taking hot or cold drinks with them to classes (or you like having your own coffee within reach while driving them to school 😆), we also have a roundup of the best travel coffee mugs for those mornings when everyone is on the go!
10. Invest in some reusable wraps.
Our Hip team thinks the reusable Bees Wraps are the best on the market! If you find yourself using a lot of single-use plastic wraps or containers to store your lunch snacks, these wraps are a frugal, reusable, and eco-friendly alternative! Plus, they’re antimicrobial and great at keeping your fruits and veggies fresh. 🙌
Hip Tip: I shared a bunch of eco-friendly product swaps if you want to ditch more wasteful products in your home.
11. Use cookie cutters to make eating fruits & veggies fun!
This tip is best for younger kids and picky eaters who seem hooked on one or two lunchbox staples. Kids seem to think that everything tastes better when it’s made into a fun shape. Use cookie cutters to make your fruits and veggies into stars, dinosaurs, or any neat shape you want! It’s a fun way to fit some fruits and veggies into their lunch boxes, and they’ll actually look forward to eating them. 🙌
If your cookie cutters are a little too big for produce, you can get this set of super cute mini cutters made specifically for fruits and veggies!
12. Prep school lunches ahead on the weekends.
The best tip for making lunchtime go as smoothly as possible is simply being prepared! If you’re able to carve out some time on the weekend to prep meals ahead, then creating fun & nutritious meals during the week will be so much easier and stress-free.
Check out these easy, make-ahead lunchbox favorites:
13. Use wraps instead of bread for sandwiches.
This may go without saying, but using a wrap instead of bread can mix up lunches and make them feel a little more elevated. You can either use flour tortillas or consider corn tortillas as a great gluten-free option. We even have a keto cheese wrap hack idea on our sister site for low-carb lunches!
14. Use a mason jar to pack a onlineplete salad.
If you have a way to keep glass safe for your lunch using a mason jar for a salad is a genius hack! Mason jar salads are a great way to prepare healthy salads ahead of time for fast meals during the week. Make sure to first layer salad dressing, then veggies, and top with lettuce so your salad will stay fresh in the fridge for up to five days!
You can also consider layering yogurt, granola, and fruit in smaller mason jars. Keep the granola separate until ready to eat to maintain its crunchiness.
We rated the best lunch bags for kids!
