Over 100 Lunch Box Food Ideas – Plus Printable

Lunch Box Food Ideas

I’ve tried a lot, a lot, a lot of different things in the lunch box over the years, and I’m still discovering different ways to (easily) include simple and nutritious foods. Over the past couple of weeks, I compiled a list of all the things I could think of. Not all my kids will eat everything on this list, but it’s so handy to have a reference point for inspiration. You can find all the lunch box ideas on the blog here, or read about my lunch box system here.

Printable

There’s well over 100 food ideas here and if you want a cute printable to stick on the fridge, just press the image below for the PDF file or click here: Lunch Box Food Ideas.

Vegetables:

corn on the cob

baby corn

tin corn

frozen corn

cucumber slices

raw button mushroom

snow peas

snap peas

frozen peas

beans (steamed slightly)

carrot sticks

celery sticks

capsicum sticks

avocado

pickles

veggie chips: beetroot, sweet potato, potato, zucchini

broccoli

lettuce salad

baby spinach salad

 

Fruit:

small apple

apple slices

apple slinky

orange pieces

tin fruit (drained)

strawberries

raspberries

mulberries

blueberries

grapes

kiwi fruit

small pears

cherries

nectarine

mango slices

apricot

plum

pineapple pieces

melon pieces: watermelon, rockmelon, honeydew melon

dried fruit: sultanas, raisins, pear, peach, apricot, figs, dates, banana

coconut pieces

cherry tomato

grape tomato

fruit salad

puree fruit

 

Snacks:

sweet muffin: blueberry, coconut, apple, choc chip

savory muffin

energy balls

apricot balls

rice crackers

popcorn

trail mix

muesli slice

muesli bar

corn & cheese muffins

coconut bread

banana bread

pretzels

crackers

wholegrain crackers

water crackers

rice crackers

rice cakes

corn chips

dry cereal

pikelets

mini doughnuts

mini lamingtons

cinnamon scroll

hot cross buns

fruit bun

bran biscuit

banana bread

mini banana pancake

date loaf slice

gingernut biscuit

cookie

 

Protein:

leftover dinner meat

crumbed chicken

cold BBQ chicken

deli meat – ham, turkey, salami, roast beef, chicken

salami stick

hard boiled egg

falafel

tuna

cold sausage

meatballs

meatloaf

mini quiche

tofu

Diary:

cheese cubes

packaged cheese: cheese fingers, string cheese, cheese rounds

frozen yoghurt

yoghurt

instant pudding

custard

Lunch:

sandwich

pinwheel sandwich

three-layered sandwich

sandwich soldiers

pasta salad

bread roll

garlic bread

cold pasta

sushi

fried rice

rice salad

burrito

wrap

English muffin pizzas

left over pizza

toast pizza

zucchini fritters

zucchini slice

corn fritters

pizza scrolls

vegemite scrolls

salad

flat bread

pita bread

pita bread chips

raisin bread

naan bread

potato salad

sausage rolls

toasted cheese sandwich

large crackers with spread

baked beans

tin spaghetti

 

Dips:

sour cream

hummus

cream cheese

cottage cheese

Greek yoghurt

salad dressing

kidney bean dip

applesauce

Hot/Cold Thermos Foods

noodles

soup

stew

pasta in sauce

spaghetti bolognaise

meatballs

rice

porridge

mince

potato mash

smoothie

freshly squeezed juices

milk

milkshake

Tips:

• A little lemon or pineapple juice stops apple, pear and avocado turning brown.
• Use a rubber band to hold wraps together.
• Draw on banana skin with a toothpick. It will darken to reveal the message or picture at lunchtime.
• Food picks are cute and are great for finger food.
• Draw a fun design on baking paper and wrap sandwiches
• Write a little note for the kids to find in the lunch box.
• Silicone muffin cases are great for separating food in the lunchbox.

More

Creating a lunch box system

Lunch Box Ideas

Turn 5 Dinners into Lunchbox food