Back To School Lunch Box Ideas

Are you ready for your kiddos to head back to school yet? I for one am ready and I think secretly the kids 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 were 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 too 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's 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. 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 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 our local Walmart and purchased a variety of  items. If you already know what your kids like to eat then you can go from there. If they're 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. Let's start off with storage items and ice packs, and then we can move on to lunch ideas from there. 

Good storage options are a must. I like to purchase different container sets for my kids. The first set that I like is the 9 piece Great Value Storage Container with Attached Lids.

This 9 piece storage container set can be found in the foil and trash bag isle. The Rubbermaid TakeAlongs (pictured above) are located in housewares by the thermoses. I love the sandwich size containers because the lids are attached and they just snap in place

These containers are very in expensive and re usable as well. I run them through the dishwasher after each use. On the smaller containers I splurged a bit more and purchase the Rubbermaid 1.2 oz Take Alongs.

My reasoning behind this was the smaller containers (1 cup) will be used for liquid storage, so I need them to be pretty sturdy. I chose the TakeAlongs 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 options, 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 jars of applesauce are only $1.68. Both make several individual sized cups. Boxed Jell-O and instant pudding cost pennies per box. Plus they come in a variety of flavors as well as sugar free.

Here is a list of items that you can add in those cute little containers.

• Pudding, jell-o, applesauce, yogurt, cottage,cheese,
• Fresh fruit (strawberries, watermelon, berries, grapes. etc).
• Canned fruit in juice, dips, peanut butter, ranch dressing or hummus for dipping veggies.

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The storage containers with attached lids are not only perfect for sandwiches, but also great for making your own DIY 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 caused from the moister of the meat and cheese. Instead 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.

I wanted to include a link on how to make DIY Pizza Lunchables . The Pizza Lunchable are my son's absolute favorite. I make homemade mini pizza crusts and store them in the freezer.

For the pizza sauce you can use homemade or store bought. Arrange everything in the storage containers and snap the lid shut.

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're healthy.

These yummy little peanut butter balls fit perfectly in the storage containers. I usually add about 2-3 to a snack size baggie, but no more or that's all Carson will eat. .

We pack the usual sandwich favorites, but we also like to make DIY 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 honey, nutella & bananas, plain cheese, cream cheese and jelly, cream cheese & sliced strawberries or your favorite turkey or ham & cheese sandwich.

Store them in sandwich bags and add all of them to a large labeled freezer bag and freeze. You can also make them the night before like we do and store in the sandwich containers in the refrigerator.

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're 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're so easy to make and pretty much please everyone. Customize them with you kids favorite meat and cheeses.

Another great sandwich idea 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.

Let's talk about snacks and sweets. 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 crackers 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 try and go with the baked version, sun chips or the new veggie sticks.

A few other favorites snack items are animal crackers, teddy grahams, granola, ants on log or cut veggies to dip in ranch dressing or hummus.

You can also add apples slices. Make sure to toss the apples in a mixture of lemon lime soda for about 10 minutes 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 ginger ale, pineapple or apple juice.

Seems like I am really stressing the uses of the snack size bags, but I just can't help it they're so darn handy.

I like to bake up big batches of mini muffins and toss those into the snack size baggies as well. 2-3 mini muffins fit perfectly in one snack size 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. If you need a few muffin ideas here click here.

Some kids like to have more than just sandwiches for lunch my kids included. Our schools don't have microwaves, so we 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're 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:

• leftovers, soup, macaroni & cheese, spaghetti, casseroles
• mini corn dogs, mini corn dog muffins, beanie weenie, noodles & veggies
• add a cold hot dog to hot water in a thermos
  (store the ketchup, mustard & bun on the side to make their own hot dog for lunch).

To prepare the thermos for food first fill the thermos with boiling water, close the lid and let sit for about 5 -10 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.

We do the same with their DIY Lunchables and sandwiches. I forgot to mention above in sandwich storage that I add the sandwiches to sandwich bags before I place them in the storage containers. This helps keep the sandwiches soft.

I hope you 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 also money..

For even more Lunch Box Ideas click on my Back to School Lunch Box Ideas for 2012. A few ideas are the same, but I have added some new ones as well.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Walmart. 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.