Creative Packed Lunch Ideas for Your Student!

It’s that time again- school time! With a new school year comes the need for fresh ideas that will keep things interesting for the lunch-packer and lunch-eater all year long. Here are some creative ideas to make lunches fun, healthy, yummy, and varied this year.

Pizzas with Pizzazz

Everyone (okay, mostly everyone) loves a cold pizza from time to time. To make pizzas the perfect size for kids, use a can of refrigerated biscuits instead of pizza dough.

Split each biscuit lengthwise along the natural split so you have two round circles per biscuit. On a greased cookie sheet, place four circles and flatten with your hands to the preferred thickness (6-inch rounds are a good size). Spread pizza sauce or leftover spaghetti sauce on top of each biscuit circle.

Top with cheese and preferred toppings. Bake at 375° for 10 to 15 minutes until bottoms are golden brown. This is a great way to use up veggie and meat leftovers.

Veggies Gone Wild: Ants on a Log Varieties

Cut celery stalks into 3 inch pieces. Spread them with a variety of toppings so they are ready to eat (no dipping required).

Here are some example spreads: peanut butter topped with raisins/craisins or chocolate chips, hummus topped with olive halves (it will look more like bugs on a log, but who’s counting!!??), or cream cheese topped with dried or thinly sliced fruit.

Quesadillas with a Twist

Instead of just a tortilla with cheese, make the quesadilla more fascinating this year. Put peanut butter and jelly or peanut butter and honey on a tortilla instead of bread. Or, make a cold-cut sandwich into a meat and cheese tortilla and add a favorite condiment. Turn that BLT into a quesadilla by putting the same ingredients in a tortilla and adding cheese.

Enjoy!! What are the go-to creative lunch ideas in your house?