Do you struggle with making kid friendly lunches that are healthy, fun to eat, and don’t break the bank? As a homeschool mom lunch is almost as big a deal as dinner because everyone is home and hungry. The only difference is that hubby isn’t home. But I still strive to offer variety, nutrition, and something for every pallet. So, here are my favorite kid-friendly lunch ideas –
1. Cheesy Tuna Mac – Make a batch of your favorite macaroni and cheese (homemade, box, whatever you like). Once that is prepared just the way you like add a can of tuna (drained), a sprinkle of extra cheese, and a splash of extra milk. Stir all to combine and serve with a side of applesauce and peas.
2. Hard Boiled Eggs – I have recently discovered that my children love hard boiled eggs. I slice them with my Pampered Chef slicer into fun little cirlces. I even put a little salt shaker on the table so that they can salt their own eggs. This makes them feel “big” and makes lunch more fun. I serve the hard boiled eggs alongside fresh veggies and ranch for dipping. Some of my children dip both veggies and eggs in the ranch.
3. Chicken salad – My children love a big lettuce salad for lunch. But their favorite is when I saute chicken in a skillet, boil some eggs, and have lots of veggies for them to add to their salad. They will just eat and eat like that. It is easy to make, easy to please everyone as they can choose what goes on their own salad and it is so good for them!
4. Personal Pizzas – I love to mix up my favorite pizza dough and let it rise all morning while we are doing school and then let the kids make their own pizzas for lunch. Many times I only have sausage and cheese for toppings but the kids don’t care. They think it is great to help make their own lunch.
5. Tuna Salad – I know that this normally wouldn’t be considered a “kid-friendly” lunch but my children LOVE it. Have you tried it with your kids? They might surprise you. I open a few cans, add some mayo and hard boiled eggs and seasoning salt and serve with crackers. All five of my children love it and it is probably their favorite lunch. What can I say? My kids have different pallets than most.
Those are our top five lunches around here. I rotate these with occasional leftovers or the special treat of homemade chicken tenderloins but mostly these are what get us through the week. What are your top five lunch ideas? Do you rotate through the same lunches most weeks? Please share some ideas! Leave some comments and let’s Calm the Chaos and help lunch time be full of peace.
These are all great ideas! I always complicate lunch by trying to get too fancy, when in reality, all my kids want are pb and nutella lol