Healthy Kids Lunch Ideas For School

Lunch is the most important meal of the day, but it’s also one of the most dreaded.

Children are often picky eaters, and parents are constantly on edge about packing their children healthy lunches that they’ll like.

A healthy diet includes packing your child’s lunch box with nutritious foods that provide energy for the day ahead. A balanced diet of protein and carbs will help your kids feel full for longer, giving them the energy to concentrate on their studies.

The recipes below are not just healthy but taste great too.

Let’s check 10 quick and healthy kids lunch ideas that all children will love.

Back To School Healthy Kids Lunch Ideas:

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Baked macaroni and cheese is a dish that many people enjoy, especially kids. It is a quick and easy dish that can be made ahead of time, as it can always be warmed up in the oven. This recipe for baked macaroni and cheese takes only a few minutes to do.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz box macaroni
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp butter, divided
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• 12 oz cheese
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 4 TBSP bread crumbs

Instructions:

1. Boil macaroni noodles and then drain the water to cook them.
2. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. Melt butter in a pan on medium heat. Add flour and make a paste. Slowly add milk while stirring, often to keep from lumping. Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes. Turn off the burner and add cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until melted.
4. Place in a large casserole dish or 9×13 pan.
5. To make the topping, mix 2 TB butter and 4 TB bread crumbs in a bowl. Add a dash of pepper before sprinkling over the mac & cheese.
6. Put it in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes.

Healthy Kids Lunch Ideas 2 : Ham Sandwich

Ham sandwiches are one of the most popular types of sandwiches. They are usually made with ham, bread, and different types of vegetables on a slice of bread. Ham sandwiches are often eaten at lunchtime, and kids love them because it is easy to eat, but they are also a great snack to have for dinner.

Ingredients:

• Eight slice sandwich bread
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• Eight slice ham
• Four slice cheese

Instructions:

1. Spread mayonnaise on four slices of bread, then add sliced ham and cheese.
2. Using a knife to cut sandwiches into shapes that you like.
3. Serve it with some grapes, cauliflower, and carrots on the side.

Sausage Mini Quiches

The mini sausage quiche is the perfect shape for individual portions made at home. Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, these mini quiches are super easy that our kids will love to have and would make any breakfast feel like a real holiday morning.

Ingredients:

• Eight eggs
• Two cups milk
• ¾ tsp salt 
• 1 ½ cups sausage
• One cup cheddar cheese
• ½ cup diced tomato

Instructions:

1. After assembling the muffin pan, preheat the oven to 350F degrees and prepare 16 paper liners in each of the two pans.
2. Preparations to make the perfect quiche are quick and easy. You’ll need eggs, milk, salt, pepper, sausage, cheese, and tomatoes for this recipe. The filling is prepared by stirring them all together until it forms a thickened mixture. Divide among muffin cups before baking for 20-25 minutes until the filling is set. Let them cool on the wire.
3. You can transfer your cooled quiches to the freezer and then pack them into freezer bags once they’re frozen.

Healthy Kids Lunch Ideas 4: Chicken Nuggets

Chicken nuggets are a popular type of fried food made from the white meat of a chicken. They can be served as an appetizer or as a main course and combine breading and frying for a crispy outside and moist. Making these chicken nuggets is not difficult and it is more healthy for our kids.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound chicken breast
• One large egg
•  salt
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs, plain
• Two tablespoon butter
• Two tablespoons honey mustard for the dressing

Instructions:

1. In a pot, add water and put the chicken to boil for 20 minutes. 

2. Add cooked chicken breast, an egg, salt to a blender

3. You can either make meatballs using the mixture or simply form small balls out of the mixture. Either way, it’s important to coat in bread crumbs before cooking

4. Put edible cookie dough shapes on a baking sheet. Use butter to give them a crispier texture

5. Bake the cake for 12-15 minutes until it is golden brown and crispy on both sides.

6. Dip in your favorite dip to make for tasty snack time. Options include honey mustard, spicy mustard, bbq sauce, ranch dressing, etc

Easy Egg Fried Rice

This is a great dish to make on the stovetop. For busy parents, preparing this dish for your kid’s lunch from the leftover rice is very easy and it is delicious with many flavors.

Ingredients:

• 200g cooked rice
• 150g of mixed veggies (carrot, peas, corn)
• One tbsp vegetable oil
• Two eggs
• 25g butter
• Two spring onions
• One tbsp Soy sauce

Instructions:

1. Before you cook the rice, wash and drain it and then cook according to the instructions on the package. About 5 minutes before it’s ready, add in the mixed veggies.

2. While the rice is cooking, you should heat some oil in a small frying pan and beat the eggs with some salt. Put the beaten egg mixture into the hot pan and cook it, gradually building up steam – 2-3 minutes on each side.

3. In a wok, put the butter to melt, add the spring onion and stir fry for about 1 minute. Stir your rice mixture with a fork for about 2 minutes more on low heat

4. Cut the omelet crossways into strips and put it on top of the rice before serving. Enjoy the taste

Mini Pizza

Mini pizzas are a great snack for people of all ages. They are easy to make in advance and can be stored in the fridge for later. I think that all kids adore eating pizza and this is the easiest recipe that you can do very quickly before going to school.

Ingredients:

•  25g small red onion
• Two tsp olive oil
• One tbsp tomato puree
• Two tsp sundried tomato paste
• One tbsp water
• Two English muffins
• Two tbsp sweetcorn
• Two slices of ham (optional)
• 25g mozzarella or any grated cheese
• Suggested toppings: mushrooms, pineapple, olives, etc

Instructions:

1. Heat oil, cook onion for 3-4 minutes. Add puree, paste, & water; season with salt & pepper.
2. Halve the muffins and toast as directed. Once preheated, spread tomato sauce over the halves and top them with ham (if using), sweetcorn, and grate on some cheese.
3. Bake the pizzas on the grill for 4 minutes, let the cheese bubble & turn golden, then top them with your favorite toppings. Let them cool slightly before serving them!

Healthy Kids Lunch Ideas 7 :Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken soup is a classic dish that is easy to make with ingredients most people have on hand. It is not only easy to make, but it tastes delicious. Chicken noodle soup is made with chicken broth, pasta noodles, carrots, celery, and onions.

Ingredients:

• Two tsp olive oil
• One cup baby carrots
• ¼ tsp each: garlic powder, onion powder
• ⅛ tsp salt, celery salt, turmeric powder
• One tsp chicken base
• 32 oz chicken broth
• One cup cooked chicken.
• One cup Noodles

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, over medium/medium-low heat, saute the carrots in the oil for 3-4 minutes. Add in the onion and garlic powder, salt, celery salt, and turmeric powder. Pour in the chicken broth and add the chicken base; stir to combine.  
2. Turn the heat up to medium/medium-high, and bring the pot to a simmer. Add the noodles and chicken and cook for 12-15 minutes until they are cooked through. The noodles will turn tender and be ready to eat. Feel free to season the dish with salt & pepper at this point and after cooking, if needed.

Tuna Wrap

Tuna wrap is a breakfast and lunch item that is easy to prepare with very few ingredients. It is a small piece of bread with tuna and mayonnaise wrapped in it. It’s easy to make at home for your kid’s family to enjoy!

Ingredients:

• One wholemeal wrap
• One small tin tuna
• One tsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 avocado
• Two iceberg lettuce leaves
• Four slices cucumber

Instructions:

Mix the tuna, avocado, and mayonnaise. Lay lettuce leaves on bottom 2/3 of wrap, followed by remaining ingredients. Roll the wrap up tightly, then wrap with plastic wrap. Cut in half after wrapping with plastic wrap.

Cheeseburger

Kid’s favorite meal, these delicious cheeseburgers is very easy to prepare and can be stored in the fridge.

Ingredients:

• 1kg minced beef
• 300g breadcrumbs
• 140g cheddar 
• Four tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• One bunch of parsley
• Two eggs, beaten
• Burger buns
• For toppings: Onions, tomatoes, lettuce

Instructions:

1. Mince the beef, breadcrumbs, cheese, spices & eggs together by hand until everything is thoroughly combined.

2. Here’s your recipe for the best-tasting burgers ever. You can instantly pre-shape them into 12 perfect treats or freeze them for up to 3 months. Just stack between squares of baking parchment to keep them together, then wrap well before defrosting overnight in the fridge.

3. To cook the burgers, heat the grill to high. Grilling hamburgers take longer than most other meats, so grilling them for about 6-8 minutes on each side is important. Let everyone assemble their own, served with your favorite condiments.

Chicken Rice Paper Wrap

There are many different methods of wrapping rice paper, but this is a simple recipe on how to wrap chicken rice paper. There are many vegetables also that are very healthy for our kids because there are many kids who don’t like eating vegetables and it is an easy way to help them have it.

Ingredients:

• 50g rice vermicelli 
• One Carrot
• One avocado
• ¼ Cucumber
• Eight Rice Paper Wraps
• Eight cooked prawns
• Eight mint leaves
• ½ chicken cooked breast
• To serve, sweet chili sauce

Instructions:

1. Heat the pot of water on medium heat. While it is heating, break up the noodles. Add them to the hot water, stir only every few seconds, and let cook for 3 minutes. Strain them thoroughly in a colander or fine wire mesh sieve.

2. Cut the carrot, avocado, and cucumber into thin strips using a mandoline or sharp knife. When it comes time to roll your rice paper wraps, make sure to soak the paper in cold water for 1-2 minutes until it’s no longer stiff.

3. Add a serving of rice paper, prawns, and a mint leaf. Then add a strip of avocado with some noodles on top, followed by some strips of carrot and cucumber. You should be careful not to tear the rice paper if it is only wet from the water.

4. Rice paper is traditionally used to make sushi but can also wrap dumplings or other small dishes. Make sure you close the wrapper tightly as if it is wet, it will unwrap itself.

5. You can use Shredded chicken to fill up the rest of the rolls. Sweet chili sauce can also be served for dipping

Conclusion

In the world of ever-increasing competition, your child must be able to succeed in school. To do so, they will need three essentials things: a healthy diet, a comfortable environment, and a good night’s sleep.

Packing a healthy lunch for kids is important because it allows them to make their own choices. It also helps them to be creative, make their own decisions, and eat healthier food.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you think that packing healthy lunches for kids should become a part of the school curriculum? Why or why not?

That’s it for my top 10 list for Healthy kids Lunch Ideas.

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