Easy Back to School Lunches

Welcome to the second day of Momma’s Meals Back to School theme!! It’s lunch time, you kiddo wants to open his/her lunch bag and find the best lunch in the whole classroom!! Don’t you want be the best Mommy in the world? I know I do! Some of these lunch idea’s are for bigger kids and some are for the little tykes.

WRAPS……Yes oh wraps how I love thee, I think this is the new “in” sandwich! It’s fun, it’s creative, and best yet, there are SOOO many varieties! The best way to pack theses babies up for your kids is to fold in the sides, roll, wrap the roll in tinfoil, and then cut it down the middle and send it in a baggie or plastic container just like that, that way when they unwrap it, it’ll be nicely put together and not all falling apart! Here are a few of mine that I’ve had throughout the summer while I was on my “Wrap Kick”.

BLT Wrap- I made this one with a whole wheat wrap, some roasted red pepper hummus, fresh lettuce from the Farm stand, tomatoes and yes I use the pre-cooked bacon, I confess. It’s good, and it’s healthier believe it or not. I use hummus on this because I’m not a mayo fan, but you knew that. Another condiment I’ve used before on this is a little bit of horseradish mixed with sour cream. Hello Kick!!! Hey if you like Mayo, be my guest but I save myself 10 g of fat by not liking it thank god! YUM.

Chicken Nugget Wrap– This one may appeal to a lot of kids out their because, well there is chicken nuggets in it!! HELLO MOM!! Chicken nuggets rock! I was kind of desperate for lunch one day this summer while being at home because we were living at our summer camp and had like NO food in the house, I remembered to bring my wraps home with lettuce and tomato but hmmmm what could I put in it………I had some Morning Star Chicken nuggets in the freezer (sorry I ate your nuggets Maddie) they are lower in calories and fat, I nuked a few and wala! Instant yummy lunch! I used horseradish and sour cream for my “condiment” here but I bet honey mustard would be yummy, or ranch dressing?? Mmmmmm….

Ham, Cheese and Veggie Wrap – This one was one of those, what goes with Ham and Cheese??? Plenty!! Lots of veggies!! I used fresh tomato, lettuce and avocado in this one! I used homemade Humus on this one that I had made earlier that week. YUMMY! Again, add what your kiddo’s like. Send them with some apples, apple crisp, carrot sticks or heck send some cheese balls, these wraps are super filling.

Then of course there is the California Chicken Wrap I made for #SundaySupper one week for a Back to School event. This one was by far  fabulous, I know what your thinking, what’s quick about this wrap, well, all you need to do is save that leftover chicken and add it to any kind of wrap! Leftovers is really the way to go with wraps! This one has lettuce, feta cheese and roasted peppers!!! As my daughter would say “uooooooooo…!”

And to finish up the wrap section, my Momma friend, Amber over at Mama’s Blissful Bites, offered her wrap to be advertised. Her version is yet just more proof that you can put anything in a wrap, though similar to mine above, still different!! Hers is called Humus, Cucumber, Roasted Red Pepper & Carrot Lunchbox Wrap!!  Nice vegetarian option on that one. Use your imagination! Thanks for sharing your wrap Amber!

Ok so that brings me to Soups, I know you think it’s boring for kids, but I have a few suggestions that are a must try. These ingredients will capture your child’s attention for sure. All you need to send your kiddo off when one of Momma’s Soups besides the obvious ingredients? A thermos!!! I even just asked my husband if he owned one and he said no, so that is on my list for him this fall so he can enjoy some great leftovers from our kitchen and not worry about if he has a microwave on whatever job he happens to be on that month. Great for hubby’s too!

Meatball Soup with Broccoli Rabe – Don’t snicker, I hear you snickering…..you don’t think your kiddo will eat it because it has the word Broccoli in it right? WRONG…..check it out because the mini meatballs will pull them in!! Plus its super delish! Send it with a little leftover garlic bread and your good to go. Am I seriously the only one that will eat Garlic Bread cold?? I sure hope not!

Good Ol’ Fashion Minestrone- Great way to get anyone to eat veggies because well they are good for you! I could live on veggies, but if your kid can’t, throw in some noodles or rice. Pack a cookie to go with it and call it a day!

Spaghetti Soup– This is a must try because what kid doesn’t like pasta? When I saw my daughter eat Spaghetti for the first time, and I mean real spaghetti I almost fell out of my seat because I never thought she would, but she put it in her mouth and sucked and pushed it all in there! I swear you will not be disappointed with this soup because it tastes like a bowl of Spaghetti! Send a cheese sandwich and your job is done!

Chicken & Dumpling Soup – This one is kid friendly because it has fun dumplings in it! Let your child help make these dumplings and I bet they will be begging to take it to school, hey I’d brag to my friends if I helped my mom make the awesome lunch I was eating! Great way to get your child to eat veggies too, this soup tastes like a chicken pot pie! Best part?? It’s made in the crock 🙂

Ok so now we are onto a few other ideas, if you’re looking to change things up or make a boring lunch a little more appealing than this section is for you. Some of them are geared towards small aged children because well I have a 22mth old so I’m always looking for fun ways to make lunch look more appealing since she is a picky eater!

Dress up your sandwich by using cookie cutters, ok this won’t work for older aged kids, because I can see some making fun coming their way but younger kids why not. Skewer fruit to make it look fun and interesting, something different!

Here I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter for the classic cheese sandwich and the star-shaped cookie cutter for the good ol’ peanut butter sandwich! I also buy cubed cooked ham (find it in the same section where you buy full hams) and I buy the string cheese and cut it up and skewer that as well. Use any kind of fruit that can be skewed! I used Strawberries and grapes here but how about blueberries, watermelon, honeydew, melon or pineapple! This is a sandwich container I bought from Tupperware, but I know they sell them everywhere, I love mine!

Here are a few ways to pack a lunch that may be different. Again, am I the only one who loves garlic bread cold? I think my kid would eat that! She loves bread! How about a bagel?? Have you ever had a sandwich on a bagel?? Don’t worry I have one coming up for you! Or again, am I the only one who would eat a bagel cold with cream cheese? LOL….I buy the sliced/bagged apples, no not because I’m lazy but because they last longer if I were to cut them up myself!! Perfect snack, send some peanut butter for dipping and wala………….lunch!

How about yogurt, healthy and fruity! Send it with crackers to dip or carrot sticks? And don’t forget a treat here and there, every kiddo deserves a little treat 🙂

I think another great idea to send your kiddo to school with is what I like to call a “Cracker Salad” my babe loves crackers, she thinks they are cookies, it’s pretty funny. I like to mix them up, give a selection, keep it fun, send some dip with it, cream cheese, humus anything they like, my kid loves to dip! Lastly, here is that “Bagel Sandwich” I spoke so highly about earlier. You can literally throw anything on a Bagel or even croissant. Here I have Ham, Turkey, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato with a little bit of oil on a Tomato Basil bagel, get creative buy flavored bagels!!

That concludes lunch my friends! Stay tuned we still have Quick and Easy weeknight meals for Back to School, a whole #SundaySupper themed event with nothing but the best recipes from THE best food bloggers, Snacks and Sides!!