Hot, Cold and Bag Lunch Ideas for the entire family

School is back in session and trying to figure out what to have for lunch can be frustrating and expensive. We've put together a huge list of Bag Lunch ideas for kids, tweens, teens and adults alike. If you're tired of the same ol' lunch, give these ideas a whirl!

Sandwiches made with:

• Pita Bread
• Tortillas
  - (corn or Flour)
• Bagels
• English Muffins
• Dinner Rolls
• French or Italian Bread
• Crackers
• Raisin Bread
• Croissants
• Biscuits

Sandwich Filling Ideas:

• Tuna- add variations to tuna salad- finely diced onions & celery or grapes cut in half
• Eggs 18 different egg salad variations
• Turkey
• Ham- sliced, or diced in ham salad, finely chopped with onions, celery mayo- or olives
• Cheeses
• Various Coldcuts
• Chicken Salad
• BLT's
• Hummus
• Tuna Salad (add cut up grapes for a sweet delicious treat!)
• Peanut Butter & Dill Pickles
• Peanut Butter & Banana Slices
• Salmon Salad
• Cheese Whiz & Deli Meat
• Pot Roast Sandwiches

Make your own "Lunchable" style lunches:
Combine crackers, different types of cheese, sandwich meats in a tupperware or other sectioned container

• Veggies or Fruit- pre-cut into cubes or coins
• Left-over Dinner - such as Meatloaf Sandwiches, Cucumber Sandwiches
• For younger kids, to make the sandwiches more appealing use cookie cutters to cut them into shapes, triangles, or mini squares.
• Tortillas spread with Fruit Butter and rolled up
• Dried Fruits (or homemade fruit rolls)
• Unsalted nuts

Hot Lunch Ideas:
A Thermos Can often be found at thrift stores

or at Walmart for less than $5. Fill it with:

• Baked Beans
• Soups- any & all!
• Chop Suey
• Pasta's (Even Mac & Cheese)
• Stir-Fry's
• Chili
• Rice-
• Ramen Noodle Soup

Make it Special!
To Make Lunch more Special - add a little note to their bag...


"Thanks for your help last night with dishes"

" Thanks for being a great kid"

"You look wonderful today"

Decorate their bag with stickers!
Make it a Surprise Plate!

When our boys were little, both of my kids LOVED Surprise Plates... these are little items they didn't know about, but are fun to eat, such as ants on a log.


Cold Lunch Ideas

• Gogurts: MYO
• Hard Boiled Eggs
• Juice Bags
• Muffins: Any kind (make'm, wrap'em in saran wrap & freeze'm, they reheat in the micro in 15-20 seconds) or thaw in a lunch bag by lunchtime
• Fruit & Yogurt Parfait- layer yogurt, then slices of fruit or berries, more yogurt in a 1 c. container. Cover. These freeze great and with slowly thaw by lunchtime.
• Fruit Dips & chunks of melon, pineapples, apples, etc
• Grilled Veggies
• Pasta Salads- add cubed cheese or ham for variety
• Make Freezer Packs or Freeze kids Juice Boxes to keep items cold until lunch.
• Salads with lunch meat cut into slices, cheese
• Cottage Cheese with Fruit Slices or Berries
• Cereal Bars

See also these Additional Ideas and Recipes from our Members:

1. Ideas for Packing Lunches
2. More Back to School Lunch Ideas
3. Afterschool Snack Ideas
4. Make your Own: 100 Calorie Snack Packs

(C) Canstock Photo/ monkeybusiness