15 School Lunch Ideas for Older Kids

My first son is in Junior High this year, which blows my mind. It seems like yesterday he was this tiny squalling person who wouldn't rest unless he was held and rocked for hours at a time. However, he's growing up, and despite his younger years being known as the pickiest kid in the class, he now has a great appetite and appreciation for food.

It's almost winter, and hot school lunches mean so much more when it's frigid outside. Our school has a single microwave in the hallway for students to heat their lunches. I personally don't want him to have to make use of it, because there are a lot of students at school, and if he can just eat his lunch without waiting, so much the better. Like most schools around here, there are restrictions about what kinds of foods can come to school, and because he's older I like to provide him with more than just a snacking lunch.

My favorite hot school lunches combine a bunch of food groups into one handy thermos. The food stays hot, stomach gets filled, and it can't be easier because I use leftovers from a night or two before. If I get organized in advance, I can freeze individual lunch-sized portions and thaw them out overnight when I'm down to nothing in the fridge the week before payday.

Some favorite all-in-one thermos lunches?

• Stir Fry
• Fried Rice
• Soups/Stews
• Meat Sauce and Pasta
• Chili
• Meatballs with rice and sauce

Some of my favorite cold school lunches also combine leftovers. For example, If we have an extra chicken breast cooked at dinner, he'll have a chicken sandwich with baby carrots and a cheese string.  If the main lunch doesn't include at least 3 food groups, I'll add a side of whatever's missing, usually fruit or vegetable.

Some favorite all-in-one cold lunches?

• Chicken and sweet pepper souvlaki
• Pizza (slices, or homemade pockets)
• Sandwiches (cheese, meat and cheese, cheese and cucumber)
• Wraps (chicken caesar, sweet chili pork with coleslaw blend, and so on)

There is a place for snack lunches in our home. Sometimes it's easier to toss a few random foods into the lunch bag and call it done, especially when I leave him to take care of it. Some foods do better in lunch bags than others- bananas tend to get too bruised and beat up to send to school, so those don't usually make the cut.

Some favorite snack lunches?

• Diced leftover chicken, cheese string, small whole wheat dinner roll, sliced apples
• Sliced turkey sausage coil, sliced cheese, whole wheat crackers (such as Triscuits), sliced cucumber
• Yogurt, mandarin orange, half a whole wheat pita
• Cereal (such as cheerios or corn bran), yogurt, frozen blueberries
• Bran Muffin (such as this one), seedless grapes, yogurt​

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