5 Back to School Lunch Ideas

Skip the boring turkey sandwich and whip of some of these easy lunch ideas for your kids.

1. Kid-Friendly Sushi 

Make kid-friendly sushi by wrapping up julienned carrots, cucumber, hummus and turkey and slicing it like a sushi roll. You could also include a thinly sliced apple to take the place of ginger.

2. Pack a Bento Box

Forget the prepackaged Lunchable-style meals. Purchase a bento box from Pottery Barn Kids, which has several small compartments that you can fill with fruit, carrot sticks, kidney beans, lunch meat, cheese, raisins, crackers and other less processed options.

3. Pasta Salad

Add frozen peas with a pasta salad. The peas will gradually defrost and keep things cold. 

4. Sandwich on a Stick

Make a sandwich skewer. Cut up cubes of bread, cheese and lunch meat. Slide the cubes on a skewer with other foods such as a grape tomato, an olive, a pickle or a piece of lettuce. Add a little container of mustard for dipping.

5. Homemade Hummus

This Mediterranean dip is made from chickpeas (protein power). Very delicious and easy to make, this dip can accompany cut up veggies, crackers and whole grain breads. Kids love to dip their food. You can get hummus at the health food store or make it yourself.

Here is my favorite homemade hummus recipe:

1 garlic clove, peeled

2 cups of cooked chickpeas (canned if you want)

3 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp. of tahini

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. sea salt water  

With the food processor running, drop in garlic clove and process until minced. Turn off processor, scrape down sides and add chick peas, olive oil, tahini, cumin, lemon juice and salt. Restart the processor and slowly add water, making hummus slightly thinner than desired. Chill to combine flavors before serving.

—Recipes contributed by Becky Brindle and Lisa Consiglio 

What are you packing your kids for lunch this school year? Tell us in the comments section below.