3 Back to School Lunch Ideas

Make Ahead Vegetarian Lunches

Kids are now heading back to school, and it’s time for all of us to get back into the swing of things, so all you need to make things go smoothly is some make-ahead vegetarian lunches! The tail end of summer, a break in the heat, and new foods available at the local farmers’ markets make this a time of renewal and a season of new lunch ideas, whether we are heading to the classroom or not.

Bringing lunch to school helps picky eaters have the fun they like. It can also be helpful for children with special diets, food allergies, and intolerances.

For grown-ups, bringing lunch to work instead of going out to eat can save big money, and it is often much healthier! It can also be a time-saver for driving, parking, ordering, waiting for food, and paying. This can come in handy as the weather cools for a lunchtime walk!

Here are a few tips for making packing a lunch easier:

1. Set aside a location in your kitchen to store the tools needed to pack lunch, such as sandwich baggies, lunch boxes or bags, and reusable containers.
2. Prepare and pack what you can ahead of time so you won’t have to skip packing your lunch if you are running late. Set your alarm a few minutes early to pack those tasty tidbits!
3. Plan some kid—or grown-up-tested mainstays that you can use repeatedly. Add a new lunch idea once a week. Keep track of your tried-and-trues so you will remember what everyone loved!
4. To keep food safe, keep hot foods in a thermos and cold foods cold with an ice pack.

A Few Additional Kid Friendly Tips

1. Depending on your child’s age, cut quesadillas or sandwiches into each to handle bite-sized pieces.
2. Kids and grown-ups alike love to dip! Cut veggies or fruits to dip, and get creative in the kitchen with yogurt, beans, and other tasty ingredients to make the dip base!
3. Use the food groups from Choose My Plate to plan lunches that include dairy or plant milk, meat or meat substitutes, veggies, fruits, and healthy fats.
4. Pair new foods with familiar/well-loved favorites.

Here are three quick meal ideas for Make Ahead Vegetarian Lunches

I would love to hear some things you would like to have for lunch, so please feel free to share them in the comments!

Nut Butter & “A Little Extra” Sandwich, Carrot Sticks with Ranch Dressing & Chilled Milk or Plant Milk

Grilled Quesadilla Triangles with Cheese, Veggies & Salsa, Sliced Apples with Yogurt Dip, Bottled Water

Black Bean Hummus with Pita Triangles, Late Summer Grape Tomatoes, Cheese Cubes & Autumn Pears, Bottled Water

Make Ahead Vegetarian Lunches

Nut Butter & “A Little Extra” Sandwich

Some children are allergic to peanut butter, so other nut butter, like almonds, maybe a good option. Butter made from seeds like sunflowers is also available. “A Little Extra” is an add-in that can be included with your peanut butter. I hope I have included something for grown-ups, but feel free to add to these! Switch up the type of bread to make your “extras,” or you can even add it to a lettuce wrap!

1. Shredded Apples
   
2. Shredded Carrots
   
3. Shredded Coconut
   
4. Raisins, Dried Cranberries or Dried Cherries
   
5. Try Chutney Instead of Jelly
   
6. Sriracha, Pickles & Caramelized Onions
   
7. Sliced Avocado
   
8. Chopped Crystallized Ginger
   
9. Lime juice, Cayenne, Soy Sauce with Fresh Cucumbers & Sprouts
   
10. Sliced Bananas & Pineapple Tidbits.

Take a tablespoon of peanut butter in a small bowl and include your favorite “Extra”. Spread on your favorite bread or wrap. Adjust portion as needed.

Grilled Quesadilla Triangles with Cheese, Veggies &  Salsa

Use your favorite combination of cheeses and veggies to make these triangles. You can even add fruit instead or along with veggies. Here are a few ideas

1. Brie, Sliced Pears, Walnuts & Apple Chutney
   
2. Corn, Sliced Pepper (Bell or Hot) & Cheddar
   
3. Chopped Tomatoes, Basil (or Pesto), Minced Onion, Mozzarella, and Parmesan Cheese
   
4. Smoked Gouda, Caramelized Mushrooms & Onions and Chipotle Salsa
   
5. Sliced or Shredded Apple, Pecans, and Gruyere Cheese

Set a medium iron skillet on medium heat. Add a whole grain tortilla with about two tablespoons of cheese, 1-2 tablespoons of veggies, and about 1/2 tablespoons of chutney, nuts, or salsa. Let the cheese melt and fold. Remove the tortilla from the skillet. Allow it to cool, then slice it into triangles.

Sliced Apples with Yogurt Dip

Use this dip to use with your favorite fruits!

1 cup plain yogurt (your choice of milk-fat content)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

One tablespoon of local honey

Mix all the ingredients, chill, and pack half a cup at a time for fruit dippers.

Black Bean Dip

In my book Farm Fresh Nutrition, I named this dip “The Fiesta.” If you like it, you might like more of the recipes, too!

Makes six servings.

2 cups black beans, drained and rinsed

One tablespoon of lime juice

One teaspoon of ground cumin

One teaspoon of chili powder

One clove of minced garlic

One tablespoon salsa

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend into a paste. Serve with toasted pita triangles.

I hope some of these ideas inspire you to pack your lunch and eat something tasty. You may also like some lunch ideas that I put together on Vine Ripe Nutrition for last summer’s blog series “Take Your Lunch to Work.” Check them out for your lunch menu collection!

Vegetarian Lunch Ideas for Work

Plant Based Low Fodmap Menu Ideas

9 Seasonal Recipes for Spring!

Make Your Own Make Ahead Vegetarian Lunches

As a registered dietitian nutritionist in Asheville, I love helping make eating tasty! Making ahead vegetarian lunches is an integral part of having something ready to go!

Thank you for stopping by and reading this post! I hope you found these ideas helpful and that you check out some of my other posts that include my recipes! I love shopping for seasonal, local food where I live! You may find some additional vegetarian lunch ideas here and 41 lunch more ideas that you can make in 10 minutes!