Lunch Ideas for Back to School

Back to school time is the perfect opportunity to start packing a healthier lunchbox with these healthy kids lunch recipes and kids snack ideas. Our easy lunches for kids are quick to pack, especially our bento lunchbox recipes. Pack our Pizza Roll-Up Bento lunch for a healthy kids lunch your child won’t be willing to trade!

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/egg_salad_bento_lunch.html

Egg Salad Bento Lunch

This egg salad bento box is a hearty lunch and snack all in one. Spoon the egg salad into a lettuce “bowl” to keep it looking pretty and enjoy with cocktail bread and veggies. Toss banana and blueberries with yogurt to keep the bananas from turning brown. Save the chocolate chips and pistachios for an afternoon pick-me-up.

Pizza Roll-Up Bento Lunch

This easy pizza-inspired roll-up is a kid-pleaser. Make crunchy vegetables more appealing by selecting colorful varieties like orange and purple cauliflower—and don’t forget the dip! Keep ’em smiling with watermelon cut into fun shapes with cookie cutters.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/bbq_chicken_sandwich.html

BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Toss leftover cooked chicken with barbecue sauce and crunchy carrots for a quick and healthy lunch.

Turkey, Corn & Sun-Dried Tomato Wraps

Fresh corn kernels, tomatoes and lettuce fill these hearty turkey wraps. This wrap is great for picnics or when you need to have dinner on the run. Add some crumbled feta or shredded cheddar for another layer of flavor. Serve with carrot sticks, sliced bell pepper or other crunchy vegetables plus your favorite creamy dressing.

Salmon Salad Bento Lunch

Watercress acts as a tasty divider between the salmon salad and crackers. Multicolored peppers and grapes add color to this bento and boost your daily servings of fruits and veggies.

Broccoli-Cheese Pie

If you want to give this a fancy name, call it a crustless quiche. For a vegetarian version, simply omit the Canadian bacon.

Soy-Lime Tofu & Rice Bento Lunch

Tofu, rice and vegetables are classic bento ingredients. Make extra rice for dinner and roll leftovers into balls for lunch. To keep green veggies vibrant and crisp, cook them briefly and immediately dunk them into a bowl of ice water. You can also use cubed store-bought baked tofu in place of the roasted tofu.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/tuscan_style_tuna_salad.html

Tuscan-Style Tuna Salad

This streamlined version of a northern Italian idea is perfect for a summer evening: no-fuss, no-cook and big taste. You can even make it ahead and store it, covered, in the refrigerator for several days. If you do, use it as a wrap filling for the next day’s lunch.

Cottage Cheese Veggie Dip

Stir lemon pepper into cottage cheese for a quick and healthy vegetable dip. We like carrots and snow peas, but any crunchy vegetables you have on hand will do.

Zesty Bean Dip & Chips

Stirring salsa into versatile canned refried beans makes a quick and healthy bean dip. It also works well as a sandwich spread with your favorite vegetables and a sprinkle of cheese.

Frogs on a Log

Give this childhood treat a savory twist by swapping the peanut butter and raisins for cream cheese and olives. For a spicy snack, try chopped pickled jalapenos instead of olives.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/lemon_parm_popcorn.html

Lemon-Parm Popcorn

Perk up your popcorn with a bit of lemon pepper and Parmesan cheese.

Chocolate-Banana Grahams

A graham cracker smeared with Nutella and topped with banana and coconut is a light way to satisfy your sweet tooth.