We all know that packing our own (or spouse’s) lunch for work each day or kids’ lunches for school is a great way to save a LOT of money over the course of the year vs. buying a lunch every day. But, after a while the same ‘ol peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese sandwiches can get pretty boring. We’re trying to find some fun new additions to the lunch box routine before back-to-school rolls around. (It will be here before you know it!)
Who say’s lunch needs to be boring?
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- #1. Apple Sandwiches
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- #2 California veggie sandwich
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- #3. Tuna Spring Rolls
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- #4. DIY Pod sandwiches
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- #5. Southwest Turkey Wrap
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- #6. Tropical Fruit Spring Rolls
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- #7. Easy Chicken greek salad
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- #8. Chicken nuggets
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- #9. Asian Tuna Vermicilli
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- #10 Super Hero Lunch
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- #11. Angry Birds Bento Lunch
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- #12. Homemade Pizza rolls
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- #13. Chicken Salad
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- #14. Ham and Cheese Rollup
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- #15. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sushi
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- #16. Healthy Bento Boxes
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- #17. Protein Bars
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- #18. Peanutty Peanut Butter Squares
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- #19. Lunchbox Kabobs
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- #20. Quesadillas.
Apple Sandwiches Recipe from Thrifty Jinxy- These snacks are packed with good-for-you things like apples, raisins and peanut butter. If peanuts are off the list at your house or school, just substitute almond butter, sun butter or another spread of your choice.
California Veggie Sandwich from Peas and Crayons-This California Veggie Sandwich is my favourite! The trick to making this vegetarian sandwich downright irresistible is the homemade spinach dip spread! You’re going to LOVE it!
Tuna Noodle Spring Rolls with Dipping Sauce from Fearless dining- Are your kids tired of sandwiches already? Give these simple tuna spring rolls with a tangy dipping sauce a try!
DIY Pod Sandwich Recipe from Sweep Tight- because at one point of another we all have had to deal with “that child”who refuses to eat their crusts! Plus you can make them ahead of time and pop them in the freezer for those crazy mornings when the last thing you want to do is make 5 different lunches!
Southwest Turkey Wrap Recipe from Thrifty Jinxy –with a tangy homemade sauce is a great way to spice things up a bit. If you don’t like things spicy, you can leave out the chipotle chile and it will still be very tasty!
Tropical Fruit Spring Rolls-From Blueberry and Basil- a creative, delicious and healthy fruit desert that will delight your kids taste buds. No trading here!
Easy Chicken Greek Salad Wrap Sandwich from Snappy Gourmet-a quick healthy lunch recipe that can also easily be made gluten-free.
How to Send Chicken Nuggets in a School Lunch from Passion for savings –If you’ve ever wondered how to send chicken nuggets in a school lunch, here’s the BEST way i’ve found to keep them warm till it’s time to eat!
Easy Asian Tuna Vermicilli Noodle Salad from Fearless Dining-Kids love noodles and this tuna salad is gluten free, nut free, dairy free, soy free, and egg free making it safe for any child with food allergies.
Super Hero Lunch to Help Children Feel Brave! from The joys of boys-Any type of change or new situation can cause children to feel the jitters. This Super Hero Lunch is designed to help them feel brave and courageous so they can feel “SUPER” as they face new situations.
Angry Birds Bento Lunch from Sweet shoppe Mom –inspired by some of the best bento lunch bloggers this Angry Birds lunch will be a huge hit!
Homemade Pepperoni Pizza Rolls for School Lunches from Crazy adventures in parenting – for when your kids craving pizza but ordering a 14′ inch just won’t feed the entire class.
Easy School Lunch With Ocean Spray, Chicken Salad and Trail Mix from Just stop screaming- something easy, something good, something they will eat and is ready in minutes.
Ham and Cheese Roll Up from Practical mommy- cheesy, hammy and quick and easy. I could eat about three of these and not feel guilty at all!
Peanut Butter & Jelly sushi bento boxes from jman and miller bug- Creative and fun, perfect for the picky eaters!
Packing a Healthy Bento Box School Lunch from Scratch Mommy- healthy foods to make mom happy without sacrificing yummy foods your kids love and will actually be happy to eat!
Homemade Vegan Protein Bars from Fearless Dining-These homemade vegan paleo protein bars are so good, nobody will suspect they are healthy.
Peanutty peantut butter bars from Maegan Blinka- perfect after quick school snack while your little ones finish up those last few spelling bee words 😉
Lunch box kabobs from it is a keeper-super easy to make and can even be assembled the night before! There are so many yummy ways to make these to so the possibilities are endless.
Quesadillas from thekitchn- They’re kid favourites for a reason — and contrary to our adult biases, they don’t need to be piping hot to be delicious.
Get the lunch box!
Like to pick up a bento lunch boxes?
- EasyLunchboxes-3-Compartment-Bento-Containers-Classic, $9.99 at amazon
Even I get bored with lunches. There are some really cute and tasty ideas here for sure. Should keep the kids (and adults) interested and well fed.
So many amazing lunch ideas! I love the idea to put chicken nuggets in a thermos to keep them warm. I just pack everything cold, and my poor kids have to either eat it cold or ask a teacher to help them warm it up. haha.
So many great ideas! These guarantee my boys won’t have any more boring lunches 🙂
I love these ideas even for my picky High School daughter. We paid for her to get lunch but she does not like what they serve.
These are all great ideas! I struggle to give my kids creative lunches and not the same thing every time. My 8 year old daughter has recently decided to be a vegetarian, she has never been huge into meat. But not having the option of a quick turkey sandwich is making me struggle even more. I will be using some of these ideas, thanks!
Boy, I could have used this years ago when my kids were little. I think I sent them with peanut butter sandwiches every day of elementary school!
I’m always looking for interesting lunch ideas for my picky kiddo. So many wonderful choices here!
These are some great ideas! I make lunch for both my boys everyday- I could certainly use the inspiration!
These are great ideas and they all look so good! I can’t wait to try some of these for my kiddos.
So may unique lunch ideas to choose from, it’s hard to pick which one to try first! I always seem to run out of ideas when it comes to packing lunches. My kids will love these!
This a great list of fun and tasty back to school lunch ideas. I love the Angry Birds Bento Box. I will be sharing these ideas with my sister since she has to start packing a lunch for my nephew this year.
Kids get as bored with their lunchboxes as we do packing them. It’s fun to throw in some new ideas like this!
That is very good when they will not want to trade…LOL. Sometimes I think parents do not take the time to properly plan kids’ lunches
Ahh.. I could spend a lot of time looking at these! My son was in a daycare for two years that served two meals, and my daughter mostly buys lunch, but this year I’ll have to pack one every day for preschool. Gotta be prepared!
great ideas to spicy lunch up a bit…the lunch kabobs are my favorite! my daughter says she is goin to take her lunch this year so this will come in handy
so many options! you did a great job with lunch compilations so the kids should never be bored with the variety!
The lunches look so good and such a great selection to choose from. Now I’m trying to decide which ones my picky daughter would like.
All of these look so tasty!! I wish I had things like this packed in my lunch, when I brought my lunch to school all those years ago!
my kids would love these selections. I have made them the apple sandwiched in the past and they were a hit.
These are wonderful back to school lunch ideas. I like having options fro son to choose from.
These are some great lunchbox ideas. That tropical fruit rollup one is a must make! I’ll be pinning this page for inspiration for Mini Me’s lunchbox.
omg so many fun lunch ideas!!! I bet my daughter would love all of these. I will have to try a few out!
I love all of these lunch ideas – especially the healthy bento lunch box and the chicken greek salad wrap! I will have to see which ones my kids want to start having. Thanks for sharing!
Back to school time coming up, this is so ideal and appropriate. Love all your ideas. Can’t wait to try them out!
My son is one of the pickiest eaters, but I know he’d love some of these ideas. Thank you for sharing!
I see some great lunch ideas on here. My kids are so picky and I can always use more ideas.
These not only look tasty but also healthy. School lunches can be crappy. Kids need a good healthy meal for lunch. Looks as though you have accomplished just that.
Great round up of lunches! These ideas look so fun. I’ll have to visit some of these sites and check them out.
YUMMY! Is it lunch time yet? Pinning this – my kids make their own lunches so I will let them decide what thy want to make from these great ideas!
There are so many great lunch ideas here! I don’t have any children, but I do have a boyfriend I can make these for haha! Which one is your biggest hit?
My guys love the peanut butter and jelly sushi! They would eat that ever day if there were allowed. The school they go to is nut free so we aren’t allowed to pack them so they have it for breakfast sometimes 😉
We have to be careful what we pack as my kids school does not allow any nuts of any kid. So no, Nutella or peanut butter sandwiches. We get more creative this way I think.
great list of choices. I’m trying to step up my lunch game for the boys this year. thanks for the ideas!
These all look amazing! I have been trying to compile a good list of meals to try on my kids – they have a very small list of what they will eat, and I want to expand it!
What a great round-up! These are all such fun ideas – and every mom needs more great lunch ideas.
I adore seeing all these create lunchbox ideas. School lunch doesn’t have to be the same old same old. Everyone likes a bit of variety.
Great ideas! I’m going to try the Apple Sandwiches for sure.
The California veggie sandwich looks so good and I am intrigued by the sound of apple sarnies! These are great back to school lunch ideas!
Amazing ideas! As a mom it’s a struggle to come up with lunch everyday and it’s sometimes too much pressure to make it look fun as well. These are going to help a lot, thanks!
These are all such fun ideas! I really struggle with coming up with school lunches, so these are perfect!
Those are lunches I would love, too! I really love bento boxes. That would be so fun to dig into!
I like these ideas a lot. I was just having this back to school lunch discussion today with my daughter about my grandsons too. I’ll have to share this post with her.
These lunch ideas are awesome! I think the Tropical Fruit Spring Rolls are a must try! They look delicious!
Wow – so many delicious options to choose from! I am always about roll-ups and the healthy fruit. Now is a great time to benefit from these berries and other yummies! Thanks for this great collection of lunch ideas!
I like the lunch kabob ideas! These are fun and the kids will want to eat them. The more creative, the better!
Ohhh, this list gives me lots of idea for my son! I hope he will eat lunch at school, but if it he doesn’t, I don’t want to stick with boring sandwiches. I will be trying some of these if needed!
I will only be making one lunch this year, instead of 3. These are some great suggestions to mix things up a bit.
These lunch ideas look so good and not boring at all! My kids are always looking for fun things to eat at lunch so this is a great list to get started on!
Okay i am officially hungry. these are awesome lunch ideas for school.