Back To School Lunch Box Ideas

Are you ready for your kiddos to start back to school yet? I for one am ready and I really think secretly they are ready to get back to school themselves. Summer vacation is always fun, but when it gets towards the end they tend to get a bit bored. I have finally purchased all their school supplies, backpacks, lunch totes and my daughters uniforms. I'm still working on my little guys school clothes and new shoes, but for the most part we are done. Goodness so much to do in preparation for a new school year.

My kids start back on Monday and it will be here before I know it. My kids are not big on buying lunch at school. My daughter is better than my youngest son. Mackenzie usually buys at least three days a week. Carson well he is a whole different story. That boy is as picky as they come. In fact he only buys lunch on pizza day which is Friday, so he packs the remaining four days. One dilemma that I struggle with is what to pack in their lunches. I'm sure that's the case for most moms everywhere.

Walmart challenged me to come up with a few Back to School Lunch Box Ideas and share them with my readers. So today's post is all about what to pack in your kids lunch boxes. I will share with you what works for us in the hopes that it will give you a few new ideas for yourself. I for one can use a a little lunch box inspiration myself, so if you have any ideas please by all means leave them in the comments section below.

We got started by heading out to Walmart and getting a variety of items to make their lunches. If you already know what your kids like to eat then you can go from there. But if they are picky then sit down with your kids before you go to the store and make a list of things they will eat.

You can also suggest a few things yourself because you will be surprised at what they like from your suggestions. As you can see from above we chose a variety of different items. Lets move on to lunch storage containers and ice packs and then I will show you some of the things that I prepared for the kids to pack in their school lunches.

The first thing to start off with is storage options. What I do is purchase different storage container sets for my kids. The first one I chose was the 9 piece Great Value Sandwich Set with attached lids. These are very in expensive and re usable as well. On the smaller containers I splurged a bit more and got the Rubbermaid 1.2 oz Take Alongs.

My reasoning behind this was the smaller containers are going to be used for liquid storage, so I need them to be pretty sturdy. I chose the Take Alongs because the lids twist on instead of snapping closed. This is a must with lunch boxes and liquids. So when choosing storage containers get what works or you will just be disappointed in the end.

There is also a variety of ice packs to keep things cool. You can use the hard ice packs or the soft gel ones ($1 each). Both are great, but by far my favorite ice pack is just freezing the kids juice boxes and using those as ice packs instead. It works out perfectly because when lunch time rolls around the juice box will be thawed out so the kids can enjoy their drinks. Don't you just love things when they work out like that?

One thing I do instead of buying those expensive jello, pudding or yogurt cups is make them myself. I do this for two reasons, one because it's so much cheaper, and two because you get more for your money. You can purchase a large container of yogurt for about $1.97. The large 48 oz jar of applesauce is only $1.68. Both of these make a lot of little cups.

Boxed jell-O and pudding cost pennies per box plus you can pick your own flavors. Here is a list of some of the items that you can add to those cute little containers. Pudding, jell-o, applesauce, yogurt, fresh fruit (strawberries, watermelon, grapes. ect.) canned fruit in juice, dips, peanut butter or hummus for dipping veggies and fruits.

OK let's move onto the larger storage containers. I chose the sandwich size containers because they are perfect for not only sandwiches but also for making your own Lunchables. I purchase large packages of lunch meat (turkey, ham, bologna, or your own favorite), different cheeses and a large box of crackers. Just cut the meat and cheeses in smaller sizes and let the kids arrange everything into the storage containers to customize their very own Lunchable.

If I have learned one thing about making your own Lunchables its about cracker storage. Don't just toss the crackers in with everything because they will end up being soft by lunch time. This is from the moister of the meat and cheese. What I do to prevent this is store the crackers in a snack size zip lock bag and then add it to the container. You can also add a packaged cereal bar or a small sweet treat as well.

A favorite in our house is my Healthy Peanut Butter Balls. My kids can devour those things in an instant. The best thing about it is they don't even know they are healthy. They just know that they are good. These yummy little peanut butter balls fit perfectly in their Lunchable container. I usually add about three to a snack size baggie, but no more or that's all Carson will eat. I love the sandwich size containers because the lids are attached and they just snap in place.

We pack the usual sandwich favorites, but we also like to make our own Uncrustables as well. Making them yourself is so much cheaper. Have you seen the price of those things? They are outrageous and my kids go through them like lightening. For $1.97 I purchased a Sandwich Sealer N Decruster. I love this thing! It removes the crust and seals the edges around the whole sandwich. Carson loves these and says they are better than the store bought ones.

Plus you can use wheat bread instead of white which is what the Uncrustables are made with. You don't have to just make the usual peanut butter and jelly Uncrustables. Think outside the box and make a few other ones. Try peanut butter and sliced bananas, peanut butter and raisins, plain cheese, cream cheese and jelly or your favorite turkey or ham & cheese sandwich. Store them in sandwich bags and freeze or make them the night before like we do and store in the sandwich containers.

My daughters favorite sandwich is anything with ham, turkey and cheese. I have been purchasing the little King Hawaiian Honey Wheat Rolls and making her little turkey and ham sliders over the summer. These have become her new favorite way to eat a sandwiches. The bread is slightly sweet and really compliments the ham and turkey.

Plus they are perfect size for little hands. I usually pack her only two because with everything else she ends up with plenty in her lunch box. A few other sandwich options are instead of bread use mini bagels, pita pockets or tortillas to make sandwich wraps. My daughter loves these yummy Ham and Cheese Tortilla Pinwheels. They are so easy to make and pretty much please everyone.

Another favorite is Peanut Butter and Jelly Sushi Rolls. I know it's really just a basic PB & J sandwich, but its all about presentation with the kiddos. You can also stack chunks of lunch meat, cheese, bread cubes, cherry tomatoes and pickles on a stick and make a sandwich on a stick. Pop it in a zip lock bag and toss in their lunch box.

Lets move onto snacks. Trying to find a few healthy alternatives is always hard. My kids love chips, but quite frankly they can eat their weight in them. Try buying a big bag of pretzels or goldfish instead of chips. Again package them up using the snack size baggies. This way you get the perfect serving size. I like to buy dried fruits and mix together little trail mix bags. Dried apples, cherries, banana chips, raisins, yogurt raisins, pretzels, cherrios and goldfish are a favorite in our house.

If they do want chips try and pick a healthier version. My kids have gotten hooked on the Multi grain Pringles over the summer. If they insist on chips than try and go with the baked version. A few other favorites snack items are animal crackers, granola, ants on log or cut veggies to dip in ranch dressing.

You can also add apples slices. Make sure to toss the apples in a mixture of lemon juice and water first and then drain. Store in the snack size zip lock bags and squeeze all the air out. This will prevent the apple slices from browning. I have also heard that you can dip them in lemon lime soda, gingerale or pineapple juice.

Seems like I am really stressing the uses of the snack size bags, but I just can't help it they are so darn handy. I like to bake up big batches of mini muffins and toss those into the snack size baggies as well. Three mini muffins fit perfectly in one bag. Just toss all of them in the freezer for storage and take them out as you need them. I pop the muffins into the kids lunch boxes frozen because they will be thawed out by lunch time. I do the same with batches of brownies and cookies.

Some kids like to have more than just sandwiches for lunch my kids included. There are no microwaves at school so, we have to rely on a thermos to keep their food warm. When buying a thermos make sure to get a good one. The plastic ones just don't hold the heat so they are really just a waste of money. I invested in a stainless steel thermos for each of my kiddos. They can be a bit pricey at $11.97, but so worth it in the long run. The stainless steel thermos will keep food hot for 5 hours.

A few food ideas for a thermos lunch is leftovers, soup, macaroni & cheese, spaghetti, mini corn dogs, beanie weenie or a hot dog. Store the ketchup, mustard & bun on the side. To prepare the thermos for food first fill the thermos with boiling water, close the lid and let sit for about 5 minutes. When your food is hot and ready to add to the thermos, pour out the water. Immediately fill with your food and replace the lid and store in your kids lunch box.

The kids and I prepared a few cups of yogurt, applesauce and fruit. Look how perfectly they store in the fridge. Now all they have to do is grab what they want and toss it in their lunch box.

The same with their DIY Lunchables and sandwiches. I hope you have found some of these lunch box ideas helpful. Some of them require a little prep work, but in the end it is so worth it. Not only will it save you time but money as well.

This is a sponsored post. I am participating in the Walmart Moms Program. Walmart has provided me with a GC and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. Participation in this program is voluntary and the opinions stated above are entirely my own. Check out my fellow Walmart Moms for more Back to School Lunch and Meal Ideas.

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