Parents of picky eaters know how challenging it can be to prepare them a perfect lunch for school they will actually eat and return their bento box empty. We’ve compiled a list of school lunch ideas that picky eaters will be willing to try at lunchtime, with the hope that we will make the lives of these parents a little bit easier.
The list may not be magical and make your kid stop being a picky eater, but it will certainly inspire you to consider a variety of school lunch ideas that your kid will agree to try.
Bento boxes are perfect for packing lunches for fussy eaters with their cute, bite-sized sections where you can put many foods without touching each other. Plus, the smaller the portion size, the easier it is for picky eaters to eat as they are not overwhelmed with eating large amounts of something.
Without further ado, here are a few ideas for school lunch that your kid will enjoy and make the whole lunch packing process less stressful for you.
These easy sandwiches are light, creamy, and tasty, so you won’t hear your picky eater complaining about them. To make them, you need thinly sliced soft white bread, thinly sliced cucumber, unsalted butter, and softened cream cheese.
Spread one slice of bread with butter and the other with cream cheese. Put the cucumber rounds on top of the slice with cream cheese so that they overlap, and top with the other slice of bread. Cut the crust off while pressing down on the sandwich and cut it into fingers.
A secret to prevent these finger sandwiches from becoming soggy is to remove the cucumber seeds or blot the cucumber slices dry around ten minutes after salting them and before placing them on the bread.
Pack these cute finger sandwiches with some fruit in your kid’s bento box and they will return their bento box empty.
These tortilla sandwiches are so much cooler than ordinary sandwiches and since kids always like to try new things they will definitely want a bite of them.
To make them, spread a tortilla with hummus or cream cheese, put vegetables of your choice, such as tomato, cucumber, and lettuce, and ham slices. Fold it over and cut it into triangles. Pack them with some delicious dipping, crackers, and raisins, and you have packed a whole school lunch meal for your kid.
Skip the traditional sandwich and mix things up for your kid’s school bento box by making these irresistible savory cakes with potatoes, carrots, and rice.
They are perfect for toddlers and anyone who loves vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free potato cakes that are soft on the inside and super crispy on the outside. Yummy and healthy!
To make them, mix mashed or boiled potatoes, cooked rice, shredded carrots, sautéed diced onion, chopped parsley, salt, and any other spice your kid loves. Shape the mixture into patties and shallow-fry them until golden and crispy. If the mixture is too soft to shape patties, cool it in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
You can pack these with some sour cream for a complete meal.
Not only do open-faced sandwiches are fun to make, but they are also fun to eat. You can even involve your kid in the preparation and packing process and allow them to choose the spreads, fruits or vegetables they will use to make all those silly or cute faces and animals that will make them want to eat their school lunch the moment they open their lunch box.
For example, for a chick face sandwich, cut a slice of bread to a round shape by gently pressing it with a bowl rim or cutting it with a cookie cooker. Spread it with some cream cheese, place a slice of cheese, and top with a piece of another bread slice that will resemble the broken egg.
Use carrots to make the beak, soya sauce or ketchup to draw the eyes, and pack it alongside a hard-boiled egg with its own face. Your kids will love these fun open-faced sandwiches.
Kids love spiral pasta, especially if it comes in different colors. It’s fun to watch and eat, so you can use it in different combinations to make a school lunch your fussy eater will always eat.
One variation is combining it with tomatoes, olives, broccoli florets, spices, and Italian dressing to make a mouth-watering, vibrant salad. If your kid prefers their pasta with ketchup or tomato sauce, add it in a separate compartment of their bento box.
For a vitamin boost, pack some kiwi slices.
These healthy, low-carb egg cups are made with eggs, ham, spinach, cheese, and milk. Although they are baked in muffin tins, they are not muffins as they lack the key ingredient of every muffin – flour.
To make them, beat some eggs with milk, chop some spinach and ham, and grate some Cheddar cheese. Spray the muffin tins with oil and put some chopped spinach and ham in each muffin cup. Top it with some shredded cheese, and finally, pour the egg and milk mixture on top of them. Bake for around 25 minutes, and you have a tasty and keto school lunch for your kid.
Article Posted In: School Lunch Inspiration
Tags: school lunch for kids, lunch menus for school kids
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Milena is an ESL teacher with over 7 years of experience in writing articles on her favorite topics - food and health. In her free time, she loves trying out new recipes, reading, listening to music, and walking in nature.
