Packing lunch for your kiddo can feel stressful and overwhelming at times.  You might be thinking, “What should I pack?  Will she even eat this? Is she getting enough protein? Is this enough food? Is this too much food? ”  Mom-to-mom, I totally get it.  Below are 10 tips for packing a tasty, filling, and nutritious lunch that you can feel good about sending your child to school with.  These tips are in line with an intuitive eating approach to eating and living.  

Goals for Packing School Lunch

The goals we are looking to achieve when packing a lunch are to: 

• Get enough food to meet your child’s nutrition needs 
• Promote satisfaction 
• Include variety as able

1. Include a mix of food groups

Kids need a lot of energy throughout the day from a combination of foods containing carbohydrates, protein, and fat. 

Aim to pack a grain + a protein-rich food + a fruit and/or a vegetable + something to drink + (if possible) something extra for satisfaction and to help fill them up. 

So let’s go through some items you can pack from each of these categories. 

• Grains 

• • Cooked rice, pasta, couscous, quinoa, barely 
  • Crackers or pretzelsGoldfish, cheddar bunnies, saltines, oyster crackers, rice crackers  
  • Muffin
  • Bagels, mini-bagels
  • Granola or cereal bars
  • Dry cereal 
  • Sandwich bread, bread rolls or buns 
  • Pita bread, tortilla, naan 
  • Pancakes, toaster waffles, biscuits 

(Include some whole grain options if your kiddo likes and eats them) 

• Meat and meat alternatives (protein source) 

• • Leftover meat, poultry, fish 
  • Leftover pizza, soup, casseroles 
  • Nut/seed butters, nutella 
  • Nuts and seeds (as able per child’s age and depending what school allows) 
  • Deli meats 
  • Canned tuna or salmon 
  • Cooked beans, refried beans, chickpeas, lentils 
  • Tofu, edamame 
  • Hard Boiled eggs, scrambled eggs
  • Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tostadas 
  • Potstickers 
  • Cheese (cubes, slices, sticks, strings) 
  • Cottage cheese
  • Yogurt cups, tubes, drinks 

• Fruit and vegetables 

• • Apples, Oranges
  • Peaches, plums, nectarines, pears 
  • Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
  • cherries , grapes, bananas 
  • Pineapple, canned or fresh 
  • Mango, kiwi 
  • Melon
  • Canned peaches, pears, pineapple, mandarin oranges 
  • Applesauce 
  • Salad – lettuce, spinach, kale 
  • Carrot sticks, cucumber slices, celery sticks 
  • Cherry tomatoes, pepper strips 
  • Broccoli, cauliflower 
  • Sugar snap peas, frozen peas 

• Something to drink 

• • Milk 
  • Fortified soy milk 
  • 100% fruit juice 
  • 100% vegetable juice 
  • Water 

• Sweets & extras

• • Cookies, baked dessert bar, cupcakes, candy 
  • Pudding cups
  • Raisins, prunes, other dried fruit 
  • Potato chips 
  • Tortilla chips, sun chips, other salty/crunchy snack they like 
  • Pickles, olives

2. Pack slightly more than you think they will eat

You won’t be able to fully predict how much they will need to satisfy them and fill them up, so packing slightly more than you think they will eat will help to ensure they get enough and don’t under-eat or go hungry. 

3. Include a variety of tastes and textures

• Aim for a variety of salty, sweet, crunchy, and soft foods
• Use what you know about your child’s preferences 
• You may need to pack a dip or sauce for the meal as well if the school doesn’t have those things available (like ketchup, fruit dip, hummus)

4. Consider getting an insulated food jar

If you have a child who prefers warm dishes, consider getting an insulated food jar to pack warm foods like pasta dishes, soup, meats, and casseroles.  I have the OmieBox lunch box that comes with an insulated insert, so it works for both hot and cold entrees. I love it!

5. Try to switch things up so they don’t get bored 

Even small changes can help to mix it up.  Maybe offer the same entree, but change the fruit or vegetable up.  Instead of using the same bread for the sandwich, use a tortilla, naan, toaster waffles, pancakes or english muffin.  Adding a new dip could be an interesting twist as well.

6. Include foods that you know your child typically eats and enjoys

If you pack something new, just make sure to include something else that is familiar and that they can fill up on. School does not have to be the time where you introduce new foods.  On the other hand, sometimes kids are more willing to try new things at school.  Here are some examples of how I approach it with my daughter.

• Example: My 4 year old seldomly eats lunch meat, but once in a while she will eat it.  It’s more of a hit-or-miss food for her. So if I include chicken lunch meat in her lunch, I will serve it rolled up next to highly acceptable foods like pepperoni, cheese, and naan bread + apple slices and carrot sticks. 
• If I offer her a highly acceptable entree like mac and cheese or sunbutter and jelly, I might pack a fruit or vegetable that is more of a hit-or-miss like orange or cucumber slices.  Serving hit-or-miss foods next to comfortable and familiar foods helps them to be more comfortable with the less-preferred food and you also know they have plenty of other foods to fill up. 

7. If your child eats mostly refined grains and carbohydrate-rich foods throughout the school day, don’t fret…it’s okay!

Carbohydrates are super important and they are using a lot of them for all the work their brain and bodies are doing. Also, their protein intake may be lower during school hours, which I also would say, “don’t fret.”  They will likely make up for this at meals at home.  Of course, if you have concerns about your child’s intake and growth, talk to your doctor and seek help from a registered dietitian who can thoroughly evaluate your child’s diet and make recommendations to help meet their needs.

 8. Let your child choose what and how much to eat from what you provide (remember the Division of Responsibility)

• Try not to get too concerned about how much they eat. I wouldn’t suggest opening up their lunch box and start interrogating them about what they did or did not eat. Instead, try to tune in to how the day went and how they are doing. That matters more than focusing on the contents of their lunch box. 
• If you notice that there are items they tend to eat, keep them in the rotation. If there is an item that is always coming back uneaten, perhaps save that for meals and snacks at home. 
• Use this lunch box card from The Feeding Doctor (Katja Rowell, M.D.) to let teachers and caregivers know that you would like them to follow the Division of Responsibility, as well. Print it, fill it out, laminate it, and include it in your child’s lunchbox.

9. Communicate your concerns with their teacher

If you have concerns about how your child is eating at school, talk to their teacher.  The teacher will be able to observe how lunchtime is going, let you know what is going on, and if there is something you can work on to improve the situation.

10. Ask for you child’s input when needed

If it seems like they’re not eating much of their lunch and you’re feeling kind of stuck, ask for your child’s input. There also may be something else going on at lunch time that is affecting their intake and has nothing to do with the food. 

1. Cheese and black bean quesadilla + strawberries + sliced black olives + plantain chips + milk (you can also add salsa, avocado/guacamole, sour cream or plain greek yogurt) 
2. Sunbutter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread or wrapped in a tortilla + apple slices + carrot sticks + goldfish crackers + fruit snacks 
3. Rolled up chicken lunch meat and cheese + pepperoni + naan bread/ mini bagel/crackers + olives + pear slices + pudding 
4. Scrambled eggs with cheese + muffin + berries + yogurt + water 
5. Rotini pasta + peas + chopped tomatoes tossed in pesto sauce + mozzarella cheese + canned peaches (in 100% fruit juice) + water
6. Grilled chicken pasta salad: cut up chicken pieces + rotini/bowtie pasta or pearled couscous + bell pepper + chopped olives + feta/mozzarella  + olive/avocado oil + S&P .  You can also toss this in a dressing like lemon vinaigrette or Italian dressing.  Pair with grapes + bread roll + drink.   
7. Brown rice + hummus + chopped cucumber and tomatoes  (mixed together) + fruit snacks + cheese + milk
8. Chicken/tuna/egg salad on bread/bagel/bun or with crackers to dip + carrot slices + apple slices + potato chips + milk/juice 
9. Mac and cheese + chickpeas + broccoli and ranch + candy + %100 fruit juice
10. Chicken nuggets + Greek yogurt + berries + pepper slices
11. Buttered noodles or rice + edamame + orange slices + pudding + milk

Sources:

Brooks, Sumner. Severson, Amee. How to Raise an Intuitive Eater. St. Martin’s Essentials, 2022.

Satter, E., 2017. Packing a good-tasting and filling school lunch. [online] Ellynsatterinstitute.org. Available at: <https://www.ellynsatterinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Handout-Packing-a-good-tasting-and-filling-school-lunch.pdf> [Accessed 16 August 2022].