Back to school time will be here before you know it. If your kids are having school dinners, then you relax and let the school take care of it but if they are having packed lunches then it’ll soon be time to start thinking up a variety of lunch ideas once again. I have to admit, packing lunches is not my favourite household chore. I get bored of packing the same type of things over and over again, so this year I’m hoping to include more variety to make lunch times more interesting for all of us.
Here are some back to school lunch ideas that I’d like to share!
We have been trying out some new products from Fruit Bowl which are handy for lunch boxes. They have a range of Fruit Shapes, Fruit Flakes, Yogurt Fruit Flakes, Yogurt Raisins, School Bars and Fruit Peelers in strawberry, blackcurrant, raspberry and apple flavours which you can see here on the Fruitbowl site.
These Fruit Bowl products are great as a treat in the lunch box. They really look and taste like sweets although they are made of pure fruit so it’s a healthier way to give a treat that will keep your child and their school happy since many schools have rules about bringing unhealthy food in the lunch boxes! Mr Z really enjoyed having these in his lunch box and his favourite was the sea fruit shapes. I have tried each of the products myself too and thought they taste good.
Fruit Shapes (RRP £1.89 for a pack of 5 individually wrapped 18g packs)
Fantastic tasting small fruit shapes ideal for little mouths in two fun varieties Jungle Fruit Shapes and Sea Fruit Shapes.
One 18g pack:
• Counts as one of your child’s 5 a day~
• Contains more than 5 times its own weight in fruit
• Is only 52 calories
• Contains no added sugar**
• Contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives
Fruit Peelers (RRP £1.79 for a pack of 3 individually wrapped 20g Peelers)
Delicious fruit snacks made into fun, peelable strips! Made 100% from fruit – with nothing artificial added. Fruit Peelers are available in 3 delicious flavours, raspberry, blackcurrant and strawberry.
One 20g Fruit Peeler:
• Counts as one of your 5 a day*
• Contains 7 times its own weight in fruit!
• Contains no added sugar**
• Is only 68 calories
• Contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives
Fruit Flakes (RRP £2.00 for 5 individually wrapped 20g packs)
Deliciously fruity Fruit Flakes are low in fat; and come in four great flavours: tropical, blackcurrant, strawberry and raspberry. They are sold individually and in multipacks of various sizes
One 20g pack:
• Counts as one of your child’s 5 a day~
• Contains 3 times their own weight in real fruit
• Is only 66 calories
• Contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives
• Sold individually or in multipacks
These are some other great products that can be handy to include in the lunch box
Read our reviews for these back to school lunch box ideas here
You can also try included shaped sandwiches for a bit of extra fun, like we tried here with a simple bento box
Or try even more shapes using the Popchef kit
If your child has slightly more adventurous taste you could try this delicious tex-mex wrap lunch recipe, or if not – just make it for yourself!
Many of these healthier lunch ideas from Ryvita can also be adapted to give your child some healthy variety in their lunch box.
For drinks, why not check out the Little Crackers range for something a bit different.
As for the lunch box itself, this year Mr R has been sent a gorgeous Wildkin lunch bag from Becky and Lolo which will come in handy for him once he starts nursery in September. He’ll be doing a couple of days full time and then having a few days off, rather than going in every day 9-12 so he will be having his lunch in nursery.
I chose the “Action Vehicles” lunch box design for Mr R. He loves all the fire engines and police cars, so I’m sure he will be proud to take this to nursery with him. It’s a classic design that would probably appeal to the majority of 3 year old boys! I love how bright and colourful it is. The quality looks great so I’m sure it will last him well. There are plenty of compartments, one at the front and another net pouch inside and the size is ample to easily fit the lunch.
(this is obviously not his whole lunch, just an example to show you inside the lunch bag! 🙂 )
The Wildkin lunch bag is:
- Made from strong 600-denier polyester
- PVC, BPA & Phthalate free
- Two zippered insulated main compartment
- Zippered front pocket for additional snacks
- Inner mesh pouch for an ice pack
- Internal velco straps to secure water bottle and ice pack
- Recommended ages 3+ years
There are also matching backpacks available, and you can opt to have these products personalised.
Have you bought your little ones’ lunch boxes yet for September? If you have any more lunch ideas or products you would recommend, let me know in the comments!
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
I am firmly in the school dinner camp here
It can be difficult to think of different things for lunchboxes can’t it. My son will probably be having school dinners so at least that’s one less thing to have to think about!
My kids love the yogurt covered raisins from Fruit Bowl – but they have a serious amount of sugar in them so I only let them have a couple at a time – I add them into a homemade trailmix to try and offset the sweet with something savoury 🙂
I always find it interesting to see what other parents feed their children! Lots of good info here, thank you.