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17 Healthy and Simple Back-to-School Lunchbox Ideas

Summer is nice and all, but you’re not, like, that disappointed when it’s time for the kiddos to head back to school. (Nine-to-five childcare? Yes, please!) Here, 17 lunchbox ideas to help you send them on their merry way.

The Best 5-Ingredient School Lunches


Mason Jar Taco Salad

Turn lunchtime into a fiesta.

Rainbow Hummus Wraps

Colorful and nutritious.

Light & Easy Chicken Salad

Shhh it’s even gluten-free.

Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders

We recommend making extras for yourself.

Mini Avocado & Hummus Quesadilla

We’d like to eat all of our lunches in mini form.

Vegetarian Pizza With Zucchini And Bell Peppers

Your kid will love eating pizza for lunch and you'll love loading them up with veggies. Win-win.

Veggie Sheet Pan Nachos

They’ll never fight you on nachos.

Chicken Caesar Pita Pockets

The best way to make your kids like salad: Disguise it in a pillow of carbs.

cucumber cream cheese sandwich
Pip and Ebby

Cucumber Cream Cheese Sandwiches

Definitely better than a bagel.

Get the recipe

Thai Lettuce Wraps

A lunch that lets them get their hands dirty.

Peanut Butter, Jelly And Banana Hot Dogs

Dear Mom, just wondering why you didn’t think of this.


Turkey Sandwich Kebabs

Skewers are wayyy more fun.


Cranberry Chicken Salad On Apple Slices

This DIY meal will be a classroom favorite.

Slow-cooker Meal-prep Burrito Bowls

A big-batch recipe you can cook once and eat all week.


Citrus Chicken Quinoa Salad

Portable and packed with protein.

Blt Pasta Salad

They won’t even notice the veggies.

Additional reporting by Alexandra Hough



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Freelance Editor

From 2015-2020 Lindsay Champion held the role of Food and Wellness Director. She continues to write for PureWow as a Freelance Editor.