Five Back to School Luncbox Ideas and Recipes

The long summer nights are soon to be replaced by bedtimes and alarm clocks. As July draws to an end it is time to start planning for school. With picking out new clothes and gathering school supplies, planning lunches often gets pushed to the back burner when it comes to getting prepared for the new school year. This guide offers a full weeks worth of school lunch ideas that are loved by kids.

Monday

Quesadillas- These are great because they can be customized to suit your child's tastes. Start by placing a soft flour tortilla in a hot frying pan. Cover ½ of the tortilla with your fillings. Fold over and heat both sides. Cut with a pizza cutter into triangles. Try filling with different things each times. Pizza sauce and Mozzarella for pizza flavored, or chicken and cheddar cheese are two very popular ones among kids.

Tuesday

Sandwich Roll-ups- There are several ways to serve these, so they are a very customizable finger food for kids. Try wrapping ham or turkey, lettuce, and cheese in a soft tortilla secure with four toothpicks and slice in between each toothpick for bite size pieces. If you prefer to not use the tortilla try spreading cream cheese on ham and rolling the ham and securing with toothpicks.

Wednesday

Mini Dogs in a blanket-These are a huge hit and are great served with ketchup and mustard. You can use lil' red smokies or cut regular hot dogs in half. Wrap each piece with refrigerated crescent rolls dough and bake in the oven until the bread is finished baking.

Thursday

Cheesy Ham Roll-ups '" Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Separate refrigerated crescent rolls into 8 pieces. Next, place one piece of ham and a slice of cheese on each piece of dough. Fold ham over to match the triangle shape. Roll up each piece and place on the ungreased baking sheet with tips down. Bake about 15 to 20 minutes until the bread is golden brown.

Friday

Leftovers- Friday is the end of the week, and you probably have a few leftovers in your fridge, this is a great way to use them up. Lots of leftover foods taste great cold, some things that can be packed into a great lunch for your child is spaghetti, pizza, or lasagna. Leftover chicken, meatloaf, turkey or bacon can be made into yummy sandwiches or spreads that kids love.

Some great sides and snacks to include with any lunch would be cubed fruit, mini muffin, favorite cookie, trail mix, raisins, or a small slice of pie.

Planning out your child's lunch menu in advance puts you at an advantage by giving you time to pick up the ingredients from the store and prepare the lunches without feeling rushed or like you have to throw something together. It will also allow for a smooth transition into the beginning of a new school year. A filling lunch is necessary as afternoon at school can be filled with lots of physical activies as well as all the energy he or she will be burning when they get home from school in the hours between the end of the school day and dinner time.