30 Lunchbox Ideas + 5 Tips for Back-to-Packing-Lunches

September 3, 2025|Monica Escobar Allen

School starts tomorrow here in NYC, and that means it's back-to-packing-lunches. So, we've put together 30 colorful ideas for your kiddo's lunchbox, plus 5 tips we use for creating yummy and healthy lunches when trying to come up with ideas of our own!

So, whether you're already stuck in a rut looking for ideas because school's been in session for weeks or you're starting tomorrow, or if your brain feels as foggy as your kid’s math skills after summer break and can't think of what to pack, we've got some lunchbox ideas to get your brain back on track!

*NOTE: TJ's just means Trader Joe's. We shop there a lot! 🤩

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30 Lunchbox Ideas + 5 Tips for Back-to-Packing-Lunches | themomemans.com by Monica Escobar Allen

Bean burrito with TJ's Vegan Mexican cheese and shrettuce, TJ's "Takis," cotton candy grapes, and a half of an avocado.

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Muenster, avocado, and little gem lettuce on sourdough, Trader Joe's Taki's, Grillo's pickle, cotton candy grapes.

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"Cacio e pepe" spinach and cheese ravioli, blueberries, side salad of mixed greens, grape tomatoes, and a boiled egg.

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Muenster, avocado, and little gem lettuce on sprouted seed bread, Grillo's pickle, pretzel crisps, and red grapes.

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Smoked Gouda, avocado, and little gem lettuce on sourdough, blueberries, and popcorn.

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Poke burrito with smoked salmon, avocado, sushi rice with furikake, cornichons, and cotton candy grapes.

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Muenster, sprouts, avocado, mayo on sourdough, red pepper slices, strawberries and cotton candy grapes.

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Black bean burrito with TJ's Vegan Mexican cheese, lettuce, red grapes and mandarins.

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Spinach and cheese ravioli with homemade spinach pesto, "doughnut" crackers, cotton candy grapes, strawberry and blueberries

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Deconstructed sushi box: sushi rice with furikake, smoked salmon, and sea salt nori, mini cucumbers, avocado, yellow pepper slices.

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Smoked salmon, cream cheese, fresh dill, capers on ciabatta, baby peppers, pickles and olives, cara cara orange bites with blueberries.

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Smoked salmon, capers, fresh dill, and cream cheese on an everything bagel, sour cream and onion potato chips, mandarin slices with blueberries, and celery sticks.

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Spinach and cheese tortellini with peas and carrots, basil marinara, and grated parm, dried apricots, and sliced baby cucumbers.

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Black bean and cheese quesadilla, almonds, strawberries, blueberries.

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Rainbow Day: baby red pepper, purple grapes, salami, cucumbers, Cara Cara oranges, mango

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Whole wheat spaghetti with roasted garlic marinara, peas, corn, fresh parsley and grated parm, blueberries, and TJ's multigrain pita crackers.

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Deconstructed sushi roll: sushi rice with furikake, smoked salmon, and sea salt nori, unsmashed cinnamon fuji apple sauce, yellow pepper slices.

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Muenster, avocado, and little gem lettuce on sprouted seed bread with grape tomatoes, Grillo's pickle, and TJ's Flaxseed Tortilla Chips.

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Salami, sharp cheddar cubes, Castelvetrano olives, dried mango, candied pecans, water crackers. (i.e., party leftovers makes a fun lunch!)

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TJ's spinach and cheese tortellini with shaved parm and olive oil, sliced yellow peppers, and Cara Cara orange slices.

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Colby jack, avocado, and little gem lettuce on sourdough, celery sticks with ranch dressing, blueberries and mandarins.

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Sushi pocket and sushi rolls: sushi rice with furikake, smoked salmon, avocado, and dried mango.

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Black bean burrito with TJ's Vegan Mexican cheese and shrettuce, TJ's tomato sprinkles, cotton candy grapes and blueberries.

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Muenster, avocado, and little gem lettuce on sprouted seed bread, grape tomatoes, blueberries, TJ's Tamari Soy Sauce rice crackers and a nori snack.

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Prosciutto, brie with homemade pesto and sourdough toast, baby orange pepper, Castelvetrano olives, pickled eggplant.

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Smoked salmon, capers, fresh dill, and cream cheese on an everything bagel, mandarin slices, and cucumber and lettuce salad with ranch dressing.

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Colby jack, avocado, and little gem lettuce on sourdough, sesame sticks, Castelvetrano olives, Cara Cara oranges.

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TJ's spinach and cheese tortellini with homemade pesto, red and green grapes, cucumbers and schmear.

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Proscuitto, brie, and little gem lettuce on ciabatta roll, cornichons, fruit salad with walnuts, sliced cucumber, and pumpkin mini muffin.

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Tomato, fresh mozarella, lettuce onsourdough toast, TJ's Tamari Soy Rice Crackers, raspberries and blueberries.

5 Tips for Creating Yummy and Healthy Lunches Your Kids Will Eat Up:

1. Color is important.We aim for at least 3 colors in every meal.

2. Include a variety of textures. Something soft, something crunchy, something yummy!

3. Food variety. While, we do make a lot of sandwiches, we at least try to mix up the bread and the ingredients. (Although admittedly, we do a lot of cheese and avocado sandwiches.) But, we also try to mix it up with burritos, tacos/quesadillas, sushi rolls, and different pasta dishes.

4. Use leftovers! Especially if you've just had a dinner party and you have leftover crudite, nice cheeses, and crackers. It makes lunch feel like they're having a dinner party too!

5. Try bento boxes. It forces you to be creative with what you're going to fill those sections with. And it makes lunch fun! We really like the Bentgo Kid's Stainless Steel Lunchbox. It's a little pricey, but it lasts for years and really is leakproof if you have something with liquid in one compartment. And it fits perfectly in Fluf's Zipper Lunch bag. I love the Fluf company. I met the owner years ago at a trade show, and they are good peeps, so I always want to support them! (See below!)

Our Unsolited Product Reco's for Fun Lunches

Bentgo Kids Stainless Steel Lunchbox

Fluf's Zipper Lunch Bag

Let us know what you're favorite idea is and what your kids find surprisingly delightful! Curious to know!