Tag Archives: recipes

Cucumber Pita Sandwich – Cheap Packed School Lunch Idea

Pita bread is fun to use for school lunches. Kids love the pocket. These can also be made on regular bread.

1 piece pita bread, sliced in half and opened
2 tablespoons hummus
6 slices cucumber
2 tablespoons alfalfa sprouts
1 tomato, sliced
handful spinach leaves
1 ounce pepperoncini, sliced (optional, will your kid eat them? Pickles may be an alternative.)
1/2 avocado, sliced

Spread hummus on each side of the pita. Arrange vegetables in the sandwich. If serving immediately, oil and vinegar or a vinaigrette salad dressing may go well, but can make the sandwich too wet to package as a school lunch.

Recipe Books You May Enjoy

Healthy Eating for Kids
Lunch Boxes and Snacks
The Just Bento Cookbook: Everyday Lunches to Go

Couscous, Cranberry, and Feta Salad – Cheap Packed School Lunch Idea

Two of my three kids aren’t that much into couscous, but the one who likes it, really, really likes it. Couscous tastes fine when eaten cold in most recipes, in my opinion.

1 package couscous
1/3 cup dried cranberries
2 teaspoons balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing, or to taste
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 cup toasted pecans
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
salt to taste

Prepare couscous according to package directions. Add cranberries. Fluff couscous with a fork and add balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing. Add cucumber, pecans, feta cheese and salt.

Recipe Books You May Enjoy

Healthy Eating for Kids
Lunch Boxes and Snacks
The Just Bento Cookbook: Everyday Lunches to Go

Grilled Chicken Salad – Cheap Packed School Lunch Idea

Salads are great to send for school lunches. You can switch the vegetables around easily to whatever your child is likely to eat. If you want to add salad dressing, it’s best to have that off to the side if you have a small container your child can manage to open without spilling everywhere.

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and sliced
8 cups lettuce, torn (Spinach or romaine are good, not all kids will eat them. Iceberg lettuce may be safer.)
2 peeled, segmented and chopped oranges
1 sliced cucumber
1 sliced red bell pepper
1 sliced carrot

Combine all ingredients in salad bowl. Separate into lunch servings for each child or day.

Recipe Books You May Enjoy

Healthy Eating for Kids
Lunch Boxes and Snacks
The Just Bento Cookbook: Everyday Lunches to Go

Pasta Salad – Cheap Packed School Lunch Idea

The nice thing about sending your child to school with a pasta salad is that you can have the vegetables and main dish in one. I’ll share a basic pasta salad recipe here, but it can be easily changed to suit what’s available to you at the time.

Basic Pasta Salad

1 package pasta, prepared according to package directions
3/4 cup Italian salad dressing
1 cup broccoli florets, lightly steamed
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup sliced black or green olives
1/4 to 1/2 cup preferred cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, feta, etc.)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to combine and coat with the salad dressing.

You can switch out most of the ingredients as you like. Go for favorite vegetables when you can, and be sure you don’t overcook them. Nuts may work for some extra protein.

This recipe makes a good number of servings, so can be used for several lunches or as a part of dinner with leftovers for lunches.

Recipe Books You May Enjoy

Healthy Eating for Kids
Lunch Boxes and Snacks
The Just Bento Cookbook: Everyday Lunches to Go

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches – Cheap Packed School Lunch Idea

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are both a classic and a meal to avoid if your school has a peanut ban. You’ll have to check before making this lunch.

They are cheap, although the decisions you make when buying supplies will greatly impact the cost. A loaf of bread can be bought at the store for $2-4, and I suggest you go for some sort of whole grain. My kids aren’t into white bread because they’ve always had whole grain bread of one sort or another. If your kids have the white bread habit, find a way to break it. This may take time, but it’s worth it.

The cost of your peanut butter and jelly will vary quite a bit, but both are really quite cheap per ounce.  You may choose to spend a bit extra for an organic or natural peanut butter, same for the jelly. I usually go a bit light on jelly because there’s a lot of sugar in many of them. Better types may have less sugar.

I’m not going to explain how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich here. Please. I think this is something most of us can handle from a very young age. My 6 year old can do this, although I did have to explain once that you don’t lick the knife between dips into the jar. Ewww!

I have not tried this personally, but I understand that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches freeze and defrost well. That’s nice to know, so that you can have a school lunch to grab on those hurried, running behind mornings. Stack them up in a container, freeze them, then take what you need and put it into your sandwich box. No need to serve them every day if you have enough freezer space.

While they may not freeze as nicely, you can have fun with peanut butter sandwiches. Try banana slices, raisins or apple slices rather than jelly. Many fresh fruits go quite well with peanut butter.

Don’t forget the fresh fruit and vegetables. Your child needs a complete lunch every day.

Recipe Books You May Enjoy

Healthy Eating for Kids
Lunch Boxes and Snacks
The Just Bento Cookbook: Everyday Lunches to Go