Back to School Lunch Ideas
Although breakfast is the most important meal of the day and we’ve given you plenty of options to choose from with our School Day Breakfast Ideas for Kids the next important is Lunch. I think the saying goes “Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a prince, and Dine like a pauper”. With kids at school packing up a good lunch for them is essential and it’s especially important if they have after-school activities or I know that we will be eating late due to work or events. So we’ve hunted out some fantastic ideas for Back to School Lunches.


Don’t forget to check out our Lunch Box Essentials with our recommendations for the equipment you may need to pack these up!
Alternatives to Sandwiches for School Lunches
We have included affiliate links to products we recommend. If you purchase via these links we may earn a small commission.


Subscribe for Tasty Treats Straight to your Inbox
Back to School Lunch Ideas
Tasty lunch ideas for busy moms ideal for packed lunches and picnics.
Greek Pasta Salad Family Picnic Recipe
Make ahead lunches are always good with my family - especially if it's something that we all like this Greek Pasta Salad from Kitchen Counter Chronicles is perfect for that and is one that I can then eat as well whilst working from home.
Build your own Lunch
Build your own lunch is a great way to make sure that your kids get a mix of different food groups and you can tailor it to exactly what your children like so you know that they will actually eat it. This is my daughter's favourite lunch it takes very little prep and using our Sistema to Go Salad container which you can buy on Amazon.
Super sushi
So this is for the more adventurous i.e. my daughter rather than my son and it really doesn't take as long as you think it will Super Sushi from Kidgredients and check out all of the suggestions on what you could use to fill. Tuna and Mayo is T's favourite.
Simple Lunchbox Quinoa Salad
Another favourite make-ahead sandwich free lunch idea that both of my kid's love (although I skip the cheese with my son) is our Quinoa Salad. It's so great that my husband and I also will pack it for lunch and you can often find me eating it whilst working at my desk.
Mini Everything - Fun Kids' Lunches
Go mini and make lunch fun with this Mini Everything Lunch from Chaos and Clutter. Scroll down to the end and she has other suggestions on what to include in a mini lunch. I'm adding this for my daughter next school year.
Easy and Quick Apple and Cinnamon Muffins
Delicious anytime these apple and cinnamon muffins are perfect for throwing into the lunchbox for a delicious treat for the kids at lunchtime.
Easy Mini Quiches Recipe
Perfect for a tasty savoury treat these easy mini quiches are great to make and taste delicious. Just add 1 or 2 to your kids lunch.