Are you stumped on what to make your kids for lunch? If you want some great cheap and healthy ideas to keep their bellies full this is for you!
My kiddos love to eat. It feels like we barely have finished breakfast before they’re asking “What’s for lunch?” They like to have a fun lunch outside (we usually call having lunch on our back porch a picnic!) everyday and one day a week they head out to Mother’s Day Out. Making them a meal that they’re excited about, but one that is also healthy is so important to me!
I’ve come up with quite a few favorites that we have over and over again. They don’t break the bank and they’re really nutritious to keep them going!
Today I’m going to share with you some great ideas to feed your kids for lunch!
Kids Lunch Ideas
Yogurt and Granola
This is definitely traditionally a more breakfast type meal but it’s a winner in our house! My kids love when I give them a few spoonfuls of plain greek yogurt topped with a little bit of honey and some homemade granola!
It’s packed full of protein thanks to the greek yogurt, and the old fashioned oats and almonds in the granola keep their tummies full! We love to pair it with a side of fruit and a vegetable like cucumbers.
Snack Plate
My girls LOVE snacks. Basically, if you want to absolutely make their day just bring them a “special” snack. So, sometimes I like to throw together a little snack plate for them for lunch (or dinner).
Our favorite thing to include on snack plates are nuts! Pecans, cashews, almonds, pistachios, you name it, my kids love it. They’re a great source of protein and fiber, and they’re super yummy!
A typical snack plate might include a type of nut (or trail mix), a fruit, a vegetable, and a cheese. Other times we might have a baked good we had just made that morning with a fruit, vegetable and nut.
The sky is the limit, and for some reason eating all snack type foods is a little bit more fun!
Quesadillas
My girls used to really like grilled cheese and one day I found out I was out of bread whenever I went to make one for them. Instead I grabbed a tortilla that was leftover from a dinner and threw together a cheese quesadilla.
Now those are my kids absolute favorite! Most of the time when I ask them what they want for lunch they’ll respond with “a quesadilla!” Since they’re super easy to prepare (even easier than a grilled cheese!) I happily oblidge.
We like to keep it really simple with an 8 inch tortilla and mozzarella or colby jack cheese! Sometimes we’ll throw in some chicken or ham if I have it in the refrigerator. I like to pair the quesadilla with a fruit and a vegetable.
Eggs
Eggs are probably the most versatile thing in the kitchen! For that reason, I cannot wait until this spring when we get some chickens! Having my own eggs to gather every day will just be THE BEST! On that note, one of my favorite things to serve my kids for lunch is eggs!
Sometimes I’ll give them a boiled egg (which they get to peel), and sometimes I’ll scramble an egg. Other times they’ll get a fried egg with a little piece of toast. The sky really is the limit when it comes to serving eggs and my kiddos eat them up every time!
Butter and Salt Pasta
My kids love bowtie noodles and in our house we call them butterfly pasta! The way I like to serve them for lunch is just by boiling up a couple of ounces and tossing them in butter and a bit of salt.
It’s so simple but one of their favorite things to eat! It’s also SUPER cheap. I like to serve it with some sort of leftover protein (chicken, beef, ham, etc.) and a fruit and vegetable like strawberries and carrots. Sometimes I even use chickpea noodles instead of regular and in that case I don’t give a protein because the pasta already has a lot!
Smoothies/Smoothie Bowls
My husband and I used to eat smoothie bowls for dinner at least once a week when we were first married. While we don’t do that a whole lot anymore, we do love to have them for lunch!
I’ll just take whatever frozen fruit I have on hand and blend them up with some peanut butter, spinach and almond milk. We’ll pour the smoothie into a bowl and serve with homemade granola on top.
One of my girls likes to drink hers through a straw and the other likes to eat it in a bowl! They can also get creative and put whatever kinds of toppings they would like on the top! Raisins, nuts, seeds, more fruit, coconut… the sky is the limit!
Hopefully these ideas helped you to figure out some simple and budget friendly things to feed your kids for lunch!
What are your favorite things to feed your kiddos for lunch? Let me know!