Easy-to-Pack School Lunches

We polled our GSOFamilies members on Facebook and asked them about their favorite foods to pack for school lunches. Here are some of the responses:

"My kids love those bento-type boxes. (Or the version at target. I think they are Lunch Blox or something.) We try to pack a variety of cheeses, crackers, fresh veggies and fruits. A favorite is ham and cheese roll ups in tortillas." - Cheryl R.

"I bought my daughter a Thirty-one insulated lunch tote three years ago and it's still in perfect condition. She loves fresh fruit cut up, meat/cheese rolls plain, gogurt that has been frozen and took out(yes it will be thawed by lunch) and she really likes the individual bottles of Gatorade" - Dawn L.

Photo by Leslie W.

"This is my new favorite way to make lunches. I have two bins in the pantry and one in the fridge. This way I can fix enough lunch items for the week on Sunday night and just toss it in the bag that morning. I even do apple slices ahead; just sprinkle with lemon juice and put in a ziplock bag to keep them from turning brown. I also put pb&j sandwiches and yogurt tubes in the freezer. So much better than trying to do it every night or morning. My kids are big snackers so I don't worry too much about having a designated main dish so to speak. I usually do a mix like cucumbers and dip, cheese stick, yogurt, crackers, applesauce or fruit cup, and cookies. I might do a sandwich or wrap too. The apple slices and cucumber slices are a big hit so I send a good size bag of those. I also make ahead little dips. Oh and the sandwiches don't get soggy. If your little one has early lunch, you can set out the sandwich the night before just to make sure it's thawed. Just don't ever put it in the fridge because it will be very stale." - Leslie W.

"I gave my son a choice every morning if he wanted to buy lunch or take lunch. I read off the school options during breakfast and he chooses. I will do the same this year for both boys. They enjoy ham or turkey roll-ups/sandwiches, pb&j, or pepperoni and cheese. They pick a fruit, a veggie (carrots, celery, etc) a crunchy (pretzels, cheese-its, etc) and a sweet (cc cookie, go-gurt or fruit snack). They drink milk at school everyday. In the car on the way home from school, they usually eat whatever is leftover..." - Colleen S.

Photo by Bonnie P.

"We love PlanetBox A little on the high end price wise, but totally worth it when you consider we are beginning our 6th year with the same lunch box. Wraps cut into spirals are a big hit in our house!" - Bonnie P.





"Grapes, berries, apple sauce, cracker, cheese, fruit snacks, lunch meat (not in a sandwich) pretzels, nuts, raisins or other dried fruit are all popular choices in our house. I bought some bynto boxes for this year so we'll see how those work. Previously we used the glad 3/section containers that they have now discontinued. I want a planet box badly but can't afford two of them right now." - Leah S.

"LOVE yumbox. We used them everyday last year (except for the dreaded disposable lunch days for field trips). My kiddo is a creature of habit so it was usually PBJ, yogurt, crackers, apple slices, and whatever leftover veggie I could find inside a thermos. Plus water." - Heather M.

"we do all sorts of lunch main courses- bagel with cream cheese or pb, wraps, meat/cheese slices, leftovers from dinner, salads, breakfast (sausage, mini pancakes), hummus and pita, etc. always include fruit and veggies. my high schooler says she'd rather have my lunches any day, and asked that i still pack it for her." - Heather C.