18 Easy School Lunch Ideas For Toddlers (Less than 30 Minutes)
Packing a School lunchbox for toddlers can be challenging, especially when you’re short on time.
That’s why I created this list of easy school lunch ideas for toddlers that you can make in under 30 minutes.
The best part about every item on this list is that they can all be prepped the day before or made the same day in no time.
I no longer find myself in an endless cycle of opening and closing the fridge to find something healthy for my kid’s lunchbox.
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Essential Items for Packing School Lunches for Kids
When it comes to packing school lunches for your kids (especially if they’re young toddlers), you need to make sure you have the right lunchbox.
Gone are the days when a simple brown paper bag could be used to pack their lunch meals.
Kids nowadays are so active that the lunch would be all over the floor before they even make it to recess.
Below are some of my items for packing school lunches for my toddlers.
Bentgo Kids Bento-style Lunchbox
My kid was gifted this lunchbox a few months before the first day of school. I didn’t think it would hold up to my everyday use, but I was wrong!
The Bentgo lunchbox is so great for carrying food, that it has become our go-to for taking snacks and meals for our many outings.
It has great insulation to keep food warm, and it’s leakproof so I don’t have to worry about my kids wetting their backpacks from a leak.
I threw away all our snack containers after I started using the Bentgo lunch boxes. I’ve since bought them in different colors and characters for both my kids.
A Lunch Bag for Kids
I prefer to use a lunch bag instead to avoid the occasional accident and spill from having their lunchbox inside their backpacks.
They don’t cost that much and save a lot of hassle on the rare occasion of a leak or spill.
You can get any brand you want on Amazon, but I like lunch bags like this one with characters on them. Those are the types my kids love.
Now that we have our essentials for packing school lunches, let’s jump to taking about our list of school lunch ideas for toddlers
School Lunch Ideas For Toddlers They Will Love
1. Chicken And Waffles
Chicken and waffles is a classic Southern recipe that you can serve as a toddler’s school lunch. I usually make waffles in large batches and freeze the excess to use for later.
You only need to reheat them for 1 minute in the microwave when you’re ready to serve them.
You can eat them with baked, pan-seared, rotisserie, or any other meat you choose.
Below are some of my favorite chicken and waffle recipes. You can mix and match them based on your preference.
Easy Apple Waffles
These waffles aren’t the usual type you’ll find in a Southern restaurant. They contain fresh apples which gives them a sweeter flavor. This is something a lot of toddlers would love.
Easy Breaded Chicken Breast
These waffles aren’t the usual type you’ll find in a Southern restaurant. They contain fresh apples which gives them a sweeter flavor. This is something a lot of toddlers would love.
2. Avocado Tuna Salad Sandwich
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If you’re looking for a healthy school lunch idea for your toddler, then this one is for you. This sandwich is made with avocado, tuna, shredded carrots, and celery sticks. The combination of these ingredients made this sandwich irresistible.
3. Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich
This recipe is my take on the popular grilled cheese recipe. Adding the avocado helps increase the healthy fat content, and reduces the need for extra cheese. The best part of this recipe is that it retains its flavor for a long time. This makes it a good school lunch idea for toddlers.
4. Spinach Muffins for Toddlers
Spinach muffins are the ultimate healthy school lunch for kids of all ages. Their bright green color makes them very appealing to toddlers. You also don’t need to worry about keeping them warm all day long.
5. Chickpea Muffins for Kids
These muffins are the ultimate school lunch meals for toddlers. Kids love them because they are sweet, and parents love them because they’re packed with nutrients.
6. Healthy Spinach Fritters
These fritters are packed with nutrients from the spinach they contain. They are so good, that your kids will ask for more. They make a great school lunch recipe for kids because they can be whipped up in less than 15 minutes.
7. Cinnamon Apple Muffins
Bring the flavor of fall with every bite of these cinnamon apple muffins. They’re great to pack in a kid’s lunchbox.
8. Applesauce Muffins for kids
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If you have any applesauce pouches that are about to expire, then this is the recipe for you! Whenever I run out of fresh apples, I resort to using applesauce snack pouches to make these muffins. They come out great every time.
9. Easy Baked Mac n’ Cheese for Toddlers
Mac and cheese is an easy toddler school lunch you could make in less than 30 minutes. This recipe is so delicious that I end up eating half of it before I’m done packing lunch. It uses my secret ingredient to make the top nice and crusty while leaving the inside gooey.
10. ABC (Apple Banana Carrot) Muffins for Kids
These easy muffins are packed with all sorts of flavors and nutrients. They also take less than 30 minutes to make. ABC muffins are my kid’s all-time favorite school lunch to eat.
11. Healthy Mango Muffins
I created this recipe to use up some excess mangoes I got from the local market. They came out tasting so good! the mangoes turn into a candy-like flavor that melts in your mouth when baked.
12. Healthy Apple Fritters
This recipe uses only 3 ingredients to make this apple fritters. That’s why they’re much healthier than other recipes out there. They taste like the flavor of fall but can be made in any season.
13. Easy Blueberry Banana Muffins
These blueberry muffins look and taste like bakery-style muffins. They are made with added banana to increase the sweetness without using any refined sugar.
14. Sweet Potato Tots
These sweet potato tots are easy to make and can be paired with any protein to make a filing school lunch for your toddler.
15. Simple Banana Muffins
These banana muffins use no refined sugar. They’re naturally sweet, which makes them great for kid lunches.
16. Cauliflower Pizza Crust
My cauliflower pizza crust can either be made with pre-packaged cauliflower flour or make it from scratch.
17. Quick Fish Cakes
These fish cakes can be made with any type of fish. I’ve made them with Salmon, tuna and white fish in the past.
18. Spinach and Sweet Potato Fritters
These sweet potato and spinach fritters are one of my favorite fall recipes. They’re so easy to make and taste naturally sweet. You can also add more veggies of your choice to them too.
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