The end of summer is always a little bittersweet for parents. On the one hand, it’s nice to get back into a predictable routine. On the other hand, the back-to-school season comes with its own busyness and demands that can have you missing the carefree days of summer.
We can’t do anything about the number of emails your kid’s school sends, but we CAN help get back into the routine of packing nourishing school lunches that will keep your kids happy and satisfied all day long.
What makes a perfect back-to-school recipe?
- Something that can be made in advance and quickly packed on a busy morning. Whether you’re prepping several days’ worth of lunches at a time or making large dinners and sending leftovers for lunch, we strongly believe in “cook once, eat multiple times.” Bonus points for recipes that can be easily repurposed into multiple different lunch items—no bored kiddos!
- Made with real ingredients. 'Nuff said.
- Contains protein to keep little bellies full so they can focus on the hard work of being a kid.
- No-fuss foods. That means they don’t have to be warmed up, they can be eaten with little hands, and you don’t have to do a lot of work to make them taste good. Which brings us to…
- Tastes amazing! Nobody wants to lovingly pack a healthy lunch only to have their kid turn their nose up at it in the lunchroom. Flavor is what we do at Primal Kitchen, so we’ve got you covered in the “tastes amazing” department.
Without further ado, here are five of our fave back-to-school lunch recipes and why we love them.
5 Back-to-School Recipes Kids Will Love
Baked Caesar Chicken Breasts
This is the ultimate make-ahead-and-eat-for-days recipe. You can easily double or triple it for meal prepping. Who needs rotisserie chicken when you can make moist, flavorful chicken at home with real, simple ingredients. Use this chicken to create diverse and delicious protein-forward lunches all week long:
- Use in chicken salad sammies.
- Cut into chunks and pack in a bento container.
- Make quesadillas or simply wrap in a tortilla with cheese and shredded lettuce. Add a cup of dressing for dipping.
Hot Honey Mustard Chicken Skewers
Here's another versatile recipe that can easily be made ahead in large batches. If there’s one thing we know about kids, it’s that they’re more likely to eat something when it’s served in a fun way—like on a stick. Adapt this recipe to use your kid’s preferred veggies. We recommend removing the skewer for littles’ lunchboxes. Don’t forget to send some Chicken Dippin’ Sauce on the side!
Buffalo Ranch Cottage Cheese Dip
This one is a little unconventional, but hear us out. Encouraging kids to eat vegetables can be a challenge, especially when we’re not sitting at the table with them. One trick for getting kids to happily eat vegetables is to give them something yummy to dip them in. This buffalo ranch cottage cheese dip is the perfect creamy option. Adjust the proportions of buffalo sauce and ranch dressing to your kid’s taste and serve with a variety of crunchy veggies, crackers, or pretzels.
Pinwheel Sandwiches
"Pinwheel sandwich" is just a fancy way of saying “roll the ingredients in a tortilla and slice it up.” Sometimes the presentation makes all the difference! Make savory versions using lunchmeat or cooked chicken (like the recipes above, wink wink), greens, and Primal Kitchen Mayo, or sweet versions with nut butter and fruit. You can even make breakfast versions with eggs and bacon.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Protein Cookies
Sometimes it’s nice to end lunch with a treat, and it’s even nicer when it’s a treat made with love and a little extra protein. That’s just what you get with these cookies made with whey protein.
We hope you and your kiddos enjoy these lunchbox ideas! For afterschool snack ideas, check out this post.
