9 FILLING AND DELICIOUS SCHOOL LUNCHES FOR KIDS.


kids friendly school lunch ideas for kids.
I do not own the recipes I shared on this blog post. They are similar to how I make mine. All recipes were found on Pinterest and Youtube. I give full credits to the owners who wrote and published the recipes on Pinterest and Youtube. 

Yay! Back to school is here at last! I'm super excited, but it blows my mind how fast the summer months went by. In our neck of the woods, we had lots of rain which really put a damper on our outdoor fun. Never the less,  it was fun while it lasted...late-night dance parties and many lazy days well spent as a family. 

With school back in full swing, the time has come for me to get back to the regular routine of setting the alarm, waking up early and getting the kids ready for school and making school lunches. I haven't had much success in previous years when school lunch is concerned. I want to do better this school year so the kids and I made a school lunch idealist that I thought I'll share on today's blog post in case you are in a rut like me.

To be honest, I struggle in this department so much every year, its a daunting task for me.  I start off the school year with so many lunch ideas for my kids.  I gain traction and keep it up for a while until my children start bringing back home their lunches.  I get upset (mostly annoyed) and I just give up all creativity as far as school lunch is concerned and go back to the basic sandwiches.

My kids get tired of sandwiches so fast and I run out of ideas.  I want to avoid that this school year, fingers crossed I stick to it.  I say this because my kids will devour a meal one day and hate it the next day. I'm constantly struggling in this department because when I think I've got it all figured out and, stock up on what they enjoy eating, they stop liking it. It's so frustrating always going back to the drawing board, but I'll keep trying.  I'm hoping this blog will motivate myself and other Mamas struggling in the school lunch department to keep trying.

This year, I did something different by getting my kids involved in putting the school lunch list together. We will rotate it throughout the school year.  I used to just pack them whatever I felt like they would like.   That didn't really work because they end up not eating it; I've found that when my kids have a say or take part in something, they're most likely to enjoy it more. It makes them feel special and proud that they were involved in the process.

For example, I usually struggle to get my older kids to eat fruits, so over the summer, we went berry picking.  Because they were involved in the Process of picking the berries, they ate berries and made smoothies several times a day. I eventually put a limit on it because you know what they say "too much of anything is bad for you" even if it's a healthy fruit filled with antioxidants.

With that in mind, I sat down with them and we came up with, filling, delicious and hearty lunch menu for this school year.  My kids prefer hearty and hot meals for lunch so most of the lunches on the list are exactly that. These are just ideas, feel free to make it fit in your family's dietary requirements. We will rotate them as needed, but I'm sure some days it's just going to be leftovers dinners, pizza, and lunch mate! Yes, I pack them that sometimes when I run out of ideas or just tired.

SCHOOL LUNCH MENU

Hot school lunch ideas.

Lunch 1: Oven-baked Chicken And Cheesy Broccoli/Cauliflower.

This is a very easy lunch for my kids that can be prepared the night before. I bake the chicken the night before and I cook the veggies fairly quickly in the morning. I found a delicious and easy recipe on Pinterest, you can pretty much use any part of the chicken (whole, legs, wings, drumsticks) to create this recipe and it'll still be as delicious.

Paprika Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe Here.
Cheesy Broccoli Recipe Here.

Lunch 2:  Caesar Salad With A Side Of Chicken Legs

My kids will eat their veggies, as long as there is a side of delicious protein. I make my salad with lettuce, croutons,  cheese, and bacon. I put it in a bowl without adding the dressing.  It gets soggy if I add the dressing so, I either pack them individual size of salad dressing (can be found at Costco) or pour dressing into a small container. I then show them how to mix the salad so they can do it themselves at school.

Caesar Salad Recipe Here.
Chicken Leg Recipe Here.

Lunch 3:  Fried Egg Sandwich With Tomatoes, And Lettuce

This is one of my go-to quick lunches when I'm pressed for time or can't figure out what to pack for lunch. I go back to my roots lol. I simply fry a very flavorful egg and put it on toasted bread with some cheese, bacon and they're all set. It's so simple yet so delicious and my kids enjoy it.

Ghanaian Fried Egg Sandwich Similar One Here. 

Lunch 4: Veggie and Meat Wrap

My kids are not a big fan of the traditional cold sandwiches (who can blame them, it's was my go-to, so  I guess they got tired of it). They do however love wraps... wraps are easy to make and there are so many varieties depending on what you put in it. I've used boiled eggs, chicken breast, tuna salad, lunch meat to make my wraps. I put on the tortilla the protein of my choice, then add vegetables, cheese, condiments and roll it up.

Veggie and Meat Wrap Similar Recipe Here.

Tips:

  • Dry off the vegetables before assembling it to avoid it getting soggy. 
  • I like to buy chicken breasts when it's on sale, season bake, slice them and freeze them for a quick wrap. This way I don't have to worry about that for some time, I just grab them out of the freezer when needed.

Lunch 5:  Egg Stew With Sliced Bell Peppers/Carrot And Pasta

This a very tasty and filling lunch that is super easy to make. Once the stew is made, I just boil any pasta of my choice, combine to with the stew and you have a lunch that the kids can enjoy. I've link how to make the Ghanaian egg stew, feel free to try it and thank me later.

Ghanian Egg Stew Recipe Here.

Lunch 6:  Croissant Sandwich

You might not know this, but I love croissants. it's totally my weakness, especially when it's so warm and buttery, hmmm delish! I can just eat it with a glass of juice and I'm set! Haha, that's why I don't have them in my house on a regular basis.  Guess what? What mama loves, the kids love as well. So when I do have it in the house (and practice self-control) I like to make an easy and delicious croissant sandwich that the kids love.  It's easy to make, it's just like making a regular sandwich, but just use croissant instead of bread.

Croissant Sandwich Recipe Here.

Lunch 7/8/9:  Hearty Chilli/Baked Beans/Ghana Beans Stew

These three recipes are great lunches that my kids love. I switch between the three and its always a win for them. I put in lots of veggies serve it with sliced baked flatbread and with the beans makes a very filling for them.

Hearty Chilli Recipe Here.
Baked Beans Recipe Here.
Ghanaian Beans Stew Recipe Here.

SCHOOL SNACK IDEAS


Pre made school lunch ideas.

For snacks, I always to use fruits and vegetables, yogurt for every lunch and I then add in things like cheese string, granola bar, homemade muffin,  crackers, apple sauce, fruits roll-ups, cake and juice box depending on what I have on hand.

I understand it's important for kids to eat healthily, but I also understand kids will be kids so I let them indulge in sugary treats once in a while. I don't, cut out sugary treats completely, I just limit how much and how often they get those.

That is it, folks! I wish your family a successful school year and always remember to S.M.I.L.E. through your challenges because that too shall pass. MEDAASE (Thank you)!

S - See
M - Miracles
I - In 
L - Life 
E - Everyday

XX

EMELIA