Best Healthy School Lunch Menu Ideas

Parents want to send a nutritious, well-balanced lunch to school with their kids, and kids want to bring a lunch that tastes good. The good news is that this can be a win-win situation.

Packing a school lunch that satisfies both parents and kids doesn't have to involve counting calories, carbs, and sodium grams. A good guideline is to pack a sandwich, a fruit or vegetable, a drink. and a very small treat.

The sandwich provides grain (bread) and protein (meat or otherwise). The fruit and/or vegetable provides vitamins and fiber. Kids need to hydrate with a healthy drink like water,100% fruit juice, or milk. It goes without saying that a small treat is always appreciated. Examples of small treats are a fun-sized candy bar, a serving of cookies (in the case of Oreos that would be two), or individual snack packs.

The best school lunches can be made the night before- that way there's one less thing to do in the morning. The only other tip I have for packing a school lunch is to remind you to use an ice pack if there's a dairy product (milk, mayonnaise, or cheese) in the lunch.

If you're looking for variety in school lunch ideas, check out the seven school lunch menu ideas below.

Healthy school lunch idea #1:
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Apple
Potato chips
Juice box

Healthy school lunch idea #2:
Turkey sandwich
Red grapes
Fun-size Snickers bar
Bottle of water

Healthy school lunch idea #3:
Ham sandwich
Orange sections
Cheetos
Milk

Healthy school lunch idea #4:
Cheese sandwich
Peach
Sun Chips
Juice box

Healthy school lunch idea #5:
Tuna salad sandwich
Nectarine
Pretzels
Bottle of water

Healthy school lunch idea #6:
Baloney sandwich
Celery and carrot sticks
Fun-sized Twix bar
Milk

Healthy school lunch idea #7:
Nutella sandwich
Banana
Reese's peanut butter cup
Milk

Involving your children in the lunch making process is an awesome idea. It makes them feel like they have some say so in what they're eating. It's also a good way to teach kids a little about nutrition and responsibility. You (or they) can create a school lunch menu by mixing and matching from the menus above. (Just be sure to take an item from each line so that Junior doesn't end up with a lunch box full of snacks!)

Packing a healthy school lunch that satisfies both parents and kids is easy!