Balance Bossin’: The Art of Curating the Perfect School Lunches for your Kid

Back to school is almost upon us, which means many more kid-free hours during the day (amen!) but it also means a bit more of a hectic morning routine, especially if you’re in charge of packing lunches. There’s nothing worse than rolling out of bed and scrambling to pack your kids’ lunch, only to find out that a) your fridge is empty or b) your kid refuses to eat anything you have to offer. As if you don’t have enough to think about during those crucial morning moments. While you might assume that throwing some snacks and a sandwich in a bag is a fairly simple task, it’s a lot harder than it seems. You have picky kids to please. And nutrition recommendations. And judge-y parents who will surely shame you for sending anything with artificial coloring. And did we mention picky kids? 

Packing a balanced, delicious and appealing school lunch is an art form. And ideally, if that masterpiece could be pulled together in under 5 minutes, that would be excellent. 

Luckily, we have gathered some of the best, most well balanced, delicious, good-for-you and impossible-to-mess up school lunches around. They’re easy to make, inexpensive to stock up on, adorable, fresh and dare we say it — your kids will love them. So as you gear up for the first day of school and you start to prepare your school lunch meal plans, consider these tips, tricks and tasty treats which are sure to make your child the most envied kid at the lunch table.

2Breakfast for Lunch

school lunch ideas Belatina
Photo Credit whatlisacooks.com/

Mini pancakes, a hardboiled egg, fresh fruit and a yogurt make for a balanced breakfast, and they can also be a perfectly balanced lunch. Plus, sometimes the idea of breakfast food mid-day seems like a special treat, so you’ll earn bonus points just for serving healthy foods you already have in the house.  

Sandwich Kebabs

Easy Back to School Lunch BELatina
Photo Credit weelicious.com

Deconstructed sandwiches are a fun way to break up the routine while still providing your kids with healthy ingredients and nutrients. With these kebabs you’re serving sandwiches in a fresh, fun format. Plus the varieties and flavor options are endless. 

Peanut Butter and Banana Sushi

Peanut Butter Sushi Easy School Lunch BELatina
Photo Credit nutritionstarringyou.com

Instead of a PB&J, get creative and a little bit fancy with this banana sushi. You can use peanut butter, soy butter or almond butter if your child goes to a peanut-free school. The recipe is simple: smother a whole-wheat tortilla or flatbread in peanut butter and then roll that around a peeled banana. Slice into bites so it looks like sushi and send to school with kid chopsticks for added fun.