Easy No-Sandwich School Lunch Ideas

As much as I'd like to give my girls a sweet little bento box for their school lunches every day complete with adorable cut-out shapes, fruit skewers and cheese statues... I simply don't have the time. I also don't have the brain power at 6:30 in the morning, for that matter. However, I do want to give them interesting school lunches full of nutritious choices that are more interesting than a daily sandwich. Here are some of the lunches I'll be packing for my 7 and 5 year old this year, and they don't include one sandwich! With the help of an insulated container (which I finally purchased for the girls' lunches this year!) & Minute Rice Ready to Serve Cups, I have a lot more options for school lunches - even when I'm packing lunches half-asleep at 6:30 am! Read on for some easy, no-sandwich lunch ideas for back-to-school.

Ham Roll-Ups, Cheese Cubes, Brown Rice, Apple & Cookie

For this one, heat up a cup of Minute Rice Ready to Serve Whole Grain Brown Rice in the microwave, and pour it into an insulated container. Seal the container to keep the rice warm for a toasty surprise for your little one. I find that serving ham and cheese in rolls and cubes makes it more interesting for my kids than when their served in a sandwich. A piece of fruit and some homemade cookies round this meal off just right.

Chicken Breast, Brown Rice, Apple & Carrot Sticks

I also use the Minute Rice Ready to Serve Cups for this meal, and serve it with chunks of chicken breast, carrot sticks and an apple. Bake several chicken breasts at the beginning of the week, chop them up, and store them in the fridge for easy lunches throughout the week. If your child prefers the chicken warm, add it to the insulated container with the rice.

Chicken Breast, Banana Bread, Apple & Carrot Sticks

For this meal, I swap out the rice for some homemade banana bread. Making a batch of banana bread and cookies at the beginning of the week will help keep lunch making easy!

Teriyaki Chicken with Rice, Pepper Strips, Oranges & Cookie

Place some heated chicken breast chunks over heated Ready to Serve Cup Whole Grain Brown Rice and drizzle with premade teriyaki sauce. Store in an insulated container. Serve with mandarin oranges and homemade cookies.

Banana Bread, Cheese Cubes, Pepper Strips, Ham Roll-Ups & Oranges

Here's a really simple mix of some of the previous items - just throw everything in and go! Keeping some veggies pre-chopped in the fridge will save you lots of work over the week.

Happy lunch making!

Need help with quick dinners, too? To help Canadians approach dinner with ease, Minute Rice has created a digital hub of easy- to-assemble recipes and more at Thirdoftheway.ca. There are some excellent and SUPER easy dinner ideas here that I know you'll love! Try out my easy & quick whole grain chicken burritos this week, and then pop on over to Minute Rice's website to get your next easy dinner idea for next week. It really helps to have a fast and easy plan for healthy suppers.

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Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Minute Rice. As always, all of the opinions here are my own. I only recommend companies that I use and love myself.