My kids actually like the lunches the school provides, and it makes my life a lot easier, so I don’t have a lot of great tips for those of you who pack school lunches. But I thought it would be fun to find out what others do for their school lunches (because we send a home lunch every once and a while). I found these on AmazingMoms.com

My son REALLY doesn’t like the hot lunches served at his school.
He never has and he says he never will (I don’t blame him).
So, I’ve spent the past several years creating fun ways to get
him to eat a healthy lunch, without a lot of extra packaging,
preservatives and sugar. Here are some favorite school lunch
recipes and tips to help you prepare healthy lunches all school year!

School Lunch Tips and Tricks
Packaging, planning, quick ideas to make a “trade-free” lunch…more>>

A Few Easy Fool-Proof Lunch Recipes

Cookie Cutter Sandwiches
Any sandwich cut with a large cookie cutter; star, heart,
dinosaur, animals, etc. will become an irresistible treat!

Pin Wheel Sandwiches
Spread your child’s favorite sandwich filling onto a tortilla
Roll it up and slice it into smaller pieces. Our favorite
fillings are – peanut butter and jelly, lunch meat with cream cheese or Laughing Cow Cheese?.

Cheesy Stars
Use a small star cookie cutter to cut cheddar cheese
pieces. In a separate bag provide crackers or apple slices. You can also use the cookie cutter to cut bologna,
ham or turkey.

Bugs on Log
An old favorite with kids – Fill celery with cream cheese or peanut butter and top with raisins. An equally delicious alternative to peanut butter is cream cheese or Laughing Cow Cheese?

Smiley Face Fun
Spread peanut butter or cream cheese on a rice cake.
Make a face using raisins or any dried fruit and a full
head of hair with coconut flakes. This is a bit hard to pack for a lunch but a zip close plastic bag usually works
pretty well.

Cookie Dippers
Send vanilla wafer cookies along with a favorite yogurt.
Kids love to dip and this way they are getting less sugar
than most packaged treats.

Fun Chips
Use large cookie cutters to cut a flour tortilla or wrap.
Arrange on cookie sheet and toast in a 400 degree oven for 6-8 mins.
Send to school plain or with bean dip for dipping.
Try brushing a very small amount of olive oil or cooking spray.
Then sprinkle parmesan cheese or cinnamon sugar. If you try the cinnamon sugar, send the chips along with a container of applesauce for dipping.

Kid?s love to dip?
Pack string cheese and rolled meat slices with a honey
mustard dressing for dipping.

I made it myself !
I find that my children are more apt to eat a brown bag lunch they’ve helped to make. Whether it’s the cookies they baked with me or the sandwich they made in the morning.

Packaging
The retail world knows…enticing packaging sells. Especially when it comes to kids. Unfortunately, what’s inside is not always nutritious. Solve this dilemma by generating your own fun packaging. Before the school year begins, stock up on cheerfully colored re-usable containers, fun party napkins and stickers for plastic bags. A healthy lunch will be fun to eat!