Coming up with school lunches that aren’t your typically ham sandwich can be hard. Here are some meatless school lunches to get you inspired again and keep those school lunches new and exciting!
Some of the lunch ideas are completely meat-free and some involve sea food for those who are just looking for meatless school lunches for Lent.
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I’ve been meaning to pack more lunches for the kiddos. Not only is it less expensive, but I have noticed that the kids haven’t been feeling top notch lately. We’ve been trying to figure out if some of these stomach aches are convenient excuses at bedtime and such and which are real.
I’m slightly disappointed in our school and their lunch menu. For a school that doesn’t allow treats for holidays and birthdays, the lunch menu is not the healthiest. I think they kids have pizza options 2-3 times away, corn dogs, chicken strips, fish sticks, hamburgers, mac n cheese, etc… No wonder my kids don’t want cold lunch anymore! It’s like fast-food everyday.
We’re vowing to eat a little healthier around here, and that includes getting back to more school lunches. To add a little more difficulty, we’re coming up with meatless school lunches for Lent. Have you seen our Lent Activities countdown? It starts today, so all of these lunches are meat-free.
Also Read: Lent Activities for Kids – a 40 day countdown
Watch our Meatless School Lunches come together
Meatless School Lunches
Salads
The thing I’ve learned with salads is that if your kids like a particular dressing flavor, you can make a salad they like. I’m sure many kids, like ours, love ranch. Since our kiddos like veggies and dip, I got Little Lady to start eating salads by loading them with veggies and adding the ranch dressing. Letting them pick their add-ins is also one of the best ways to get kids to eat salad. Grated carrots, cucumber, cheese, sunflower seeds, croutons, cranberries, etc. are all great options.
Peanut butter banana roll up
This is so easy, but so cute! Bananas and peanut butter are just made for each other. They also make a fantastic little roll up if you wrap the whole works in a tortilla. Cutting them into slices makes for some adorable banana sushi, but the banana may end up brown by lunch time. Therefore, I would stick to that one at home and the roll up for school.
Our Granola Snack Ideas would also work in meatless school lunches!
Apple ‘Donuts’
I’ve told you about these before – we love them! You can make warm apple donuts at home, but our kiddos love them cold too. So, they’re perfect for school lunches! If you’re worried about them moving around in the lunchbox and making a mess, turn them into a sandwich with another apple slice on top.
Pair them with a little carrot and celery sticks, some whole grain crackers, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries, and cheese slices.
Yogurt and Granola
A breakfast favorite of our Little Lady is yogurt and granola. You can practically make a whole balanced meal with a parfait. With yogurt, granola, and fruit you can practically have three food groups covered. Pair your lunch with a hard boiled egg or roasted chickpeas for protein and some veggies and you’re all set!
Pancakes
Once again, why save all the best food for breakfast? My daughter is so excited about getting some mini pancakes in her lunch! If your meatless school lunches need a little extra protein, you can even get a protein pancake mix. You can also make some great zucchini pancakes, which I think it’s what we will try later this month.
Bagel with cream cheese
Another great breakfast option for lunch is a bagel with cream cheese. So easy and a definite kid pleaser! We get mini bagels from Aldi and they fit perfectly in the lunch container.
You’ve got your grains and dairy. Add a hard boiled egg for protein, trail mix for some fats and fruit, and veggies and dip to round it all out. I topped our bagel with Everything Bagel seasoning.
Veggie Pizza
Using that cream cheese and some leftover veggie pieces, you can easily create what would be one of my favorite meatless school lunches. Veggie pizza! These are one of my favorite party appetizers. You could top these mini bagels with veggies pieces or make little pizza shapes out of pizza dough or crescent roll dough. Delicious!
Cucumber sandwich with cream cheese
Another great option for cream cheese is to put together a little cucumber and cream cheese sandwich. Our kiddos have always loved cucumbers, so these are often the veggie in our meatless school lunches, but they could also become the star of the show! Make them into a sandwich with a bit of cream cheese and some seasoning. It would also be great with a little tomato.
Shrimp Cocktail
This is a fun one that my son was really excited about for Ash Wednesday. Normally, we only get shrimp cocktail at parties. However, I thought it would be fun to have this as one of our meatless school lunches for Lent.
Cooked shrimp in the main compartment, cocktail sauce up above, some apple slices, who grain crackers, and pepper slices make up the perfect meatless school lunch for Ash Wednesday!
Hard boiled eggs
We love hard boiled eggs at our house. I make them all the time. They are a good addition to any lunch, and they can also stand alone as the main items in many meatless school lunches.
See how to make easy-to-peel perfect hard boiled eggs.
Taco pinwheels
You can’t go wrong with tacos! However, when most people think of tacos they don’t think of meat-free. Well, every taco night at our house is meat-free. We have the BEST crockpot lentil taco recipe ever! We’ve made them this way for years, and even my husband doesn’t miss the meat!
By spreading some of our lentils or black beans on a tortilla and adding cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc. and rolling it up, you can cut adorable little pinwheels perfect for any meatless school lunches.
Broccoli cauliflower crab salad
This is one of my favorite summer salads. It’s so easy and so tasty! All you have to do is mix together some broccoli, cauliflower, imitation crab, ranch dressing, and salt and pepper. By adding a little crab to your veggies and dip, you have a perfect salad!
In this lunch we also have some crackers, fruit cocktail, a hard boiled egg, and some of our favorite Mott’s fruit snacks.
Roasted Chickpeas
If you haven’t roasted chickpeas, you’re missing out! They are so delicious! They’re also very easy to make and have as a snack. All you have to do is drain and rinse your chickpeas and toss them with some olive oil and any seasonings you like. We use salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, and chili powder for little taco flavored snacks. You can add these to any of your meatless school lunches or make them the star of the show.
Ranch veggie wrap
Kids love wraps. There is something about putting the same sandwich in a wrap that makes it an instant favorite with kids. Our kids love veggies and dip and can’t get enough ranch. So, why not put that into a wrap? I like to slice the veggies into matchstick size so they’re easier to wrap up.
Veggie and dip cups
If your kiddos are real veggie lovers like mine, you can package your veggies and dip like this. My son loves peppers, but my daughter – not so much. These just look so cute, though. Who could resist? Once again, cut your veggies into matchstick size and stuff them into these small sweet peppers. Let a little ranch dressing fall down into the cup over the veggies, and that’s it!
With this veggie main dish, we add some crackers, roasted chickpeas, cheese slices, and grapes.
Also Read: School Lunch Ideas
Meatless School Lunches – the containers
A good container is a must for school lunches. These containers from PIXI Creations are especially handy. The amount of compartments and the sizes are perfect for kiddos’ lunches and just the right portions.
I love putting lunches in one container instead of multiple bags, wrappings or smaller containers. Not only is it better for the environment and saves some money, but it’s easier for the kids to eat. All they have to do is open one lid.
These containers from PIXI Creations have one more bonus. Not only do they come with utensils, but they have a clear lid so you can see what is inside before opening! Each section stays separated with the great seals on the lid, so you don’t have to worry about your liquids spilling into another compartment.
Lunchbox Notes!
What’s a school lunch without a cute note from mom?
Along with labeling your kiddos lunch and school supplies with our absolute favorite, Mabel’s Labels, you can also leave them adorable lunchbox notes.
One of the main reasons we love our Mabel’s Labels so much is because they can go through the wash and never come off. Well, these Washaway Lunchbox Notes are the opposite – they’re made to come right off when you wash! How cute is that!?
Don’t forget the Allergy Stickers!
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