A friend of mine with two little boys she sends off to school each day asked if I could share some healthy lunch ideas that could be packed up sent off for the day. I was so excited about this idea because while I’m passionate about every meal, lunch gets me so excited. Long story short: lunch is magical.

I notice my kids nap better after a great lunch and have a better mood throughout the day instead of crashing when I set them up for success. I learned the hard way that a few raisins and a handful of veggie straws wouldn’t do the trick. I went to the drawing board and realized when I meal planned for the week, I had overlooked that middle meal pretty much every single day. This meant whatever I could quickly throw on a plate or in a bag was declared “lunch.”

My kids woke up from their naps grumpy and stayed endlessly hungry all afternoon so I decided to start planning out lunch too just to give it a shot (because mama wasn’t havin’ it.) Guys, the change was incredible! After the initial post-nap grog, they were energized and joyful and content. I’m a huge believer in using food as fuel for myself so I also carry that over to the babes. Here are some of our favorites, plus some great ideas I am looking forward to trying soon!

You can see all my favorite lunch boxes and snack containers right here!