Homeschool Cooking With Kids Series: 7 Easy Back To Homeschool Lunch Ideas

Let your kids take over the kitchen with these back to homeschool lunch ideas guaranteed to save your sanity.

Are you getting ready for back to homeschool?

It’s always exciting. New curriculum. New school supplies. New Crayons.

What’s not so exciting… Lunches. Ugh!

Confession: My kids have been making their own breakfast and lunch for ages now.

As a busy mom juggling my career and homeschooling my kids, I need to outsource things each day to make sure I have the mental bandwidth to handle all the tasks.

When the back to homeschool season hits, we all need to make adjustments.

My kids make their own lunch because it saves me time and the hassle of figuring out what they want to eat. Also, it helps them feel more independent and get comfortable in the kitchen.

Less time arguing, more time connecting ♥

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3 Tips for Easy Lunches:

Before I share with you homeschool lunch ideas that are perfect for back to homeschool, I want to share with you 3 tips I’ve learned over the years to make this process easier on everyone.

1. Create a lunch list

Make a list of “lunch” ideas for the week. Make sure you have all the ingredients required. Use a whiteboard, chalkboard, or a sheet on the fridge.

A quick peek at the list and they are off cooking. This prevents the “Mom, do we have….?” and “Mom, I don’t know what to make.”

Use the free meal planning pages below to help you get started:

2. Keep it simple

Seriously, it doesn’t have to be a 3-course meal, it’s lunch.

Aim for quick, easy, and simple. Something your kids will eat.

I’ve seen a lot of cute lunches for kids that are cut up into teddy bears and other animals. Those are fun but they take time -ditch the guilt if you, like me, don’t feel like adding those to your kid’s lunches.

Great “cute” homeschool lunch ideas to add instead are Goldfish crackers, Animal Crackers, or mini-shaped crackers. All the cuteness, none of the time.

3. Remember the rule

There are no rules. Let go of what you think your child should be eating and look outside the box. (pun intended) This will open up a world of ideas for your picky eater.

If you haven’t taught your child to cook, make sure they have at least some knowledge of kitchen safety and know how to use a knife properly.

I used a homeschool cooking course to help me out. Outsourcing is good. 😉

Supervise younger ones and always use your own judgment.

Alright, let’s get to my 7 go-to homeschool lunch ideas.

7 Back To Homeschool Lunch Ideas:

Grab a piece of paper or open a new tab. Jot down the homeschool lunch ideas you think will work great for your kids.

Or add them to your “to teach my kids to make” list.

There is no shame in having your kids pick out their favorite homeschool lunch ideas and learn how to cook them independently.

You’re a busy working mom, after all!

#1 Sandwiches:

Sandwiches are tried and true homeschool lunch ideas, but they don’t have to be boring.

Try these on bagels, wraps, English muffins, waffles, or whatever your child likes.

Tuna
Cucumber
Peanut Butter with Dill Pickle
Peanut Butter and Banana
Almond Butter and Jelly
Egg Salad
Chicken Salad

You (or your kids) can have a ton of fun and cut the sandwiches into fun shapes using cookie cutters!

Who wouldn’t want to eat a heart-shaped PB+J or a dinosaur-shaped turkey sandwich?

#2 Smoothies

Kids love fruit.

I can normally get my kids to try and eat almost all fruits.

Trying to get my kids to eat vegetables is often a different story.

So we will often make smoothies for lunch.

It’s definitely one of the more fun homeschool lunch ideas and one of the easiest!

Smoothies for back to homeschool lunch ideas

Some great smoothie ingredients are:

Apple
Carrots
Spinach
Cucumber
Pineapple
Strawberry
Blueberry
Banana
Celery

To cut costs, we buy fruit when in season and freeze them for the off-season, I also find frozen fruit can be more affordable and you can even toss in some greens when the kids aren’t looking. Learn how to freeze fresh fruit here.

#3 Tortilla Rolls

This may be my favorite when it comes to homeschool lunch ideas!

First, lay the tortilla flat. Start with a spread such as nut butter, salsa, pasta sauce, etc.

Next, add your filling and roll. >>>Learn how to roll a tortilla like a pro!

Stuff them with these fillings:

Pizza toppings + pasta sauce + shredded cheese
Refried beans + corn + bean sprouts + salsa
Cucumber + hummus + lettuce + tomatoes
Black beans + salsa + cheese + lettuce
Cold chicken + lettuce + ranch dressing +shredded cheese

Gluten free? Use lettuce leaves or sandwich meat instead!

#4 Salads

These are perfect for those warmer days.

Have the kids make these or make a huge bowl ahead of time.

If your salad has “leaves” (as my kids call them), keep the dressing separate and mix before eating to keep it from going soggy.

homeschool lunch ideas: salad
a couple of containers of different salad toppings, raspberries, and an empty bowl.

A few salad recipes to get you started:

#5 Hot Homeschool Lunch Ideas

As the weather turns chilly, we might want to look at some hot homeschool lunch ideas to warm us up.

One of my favorite homeschool lunch ideas is to make a huge pot of soup, and we eat it for lunch all week.

Super easy!

Chili: My kids make this on their own. You can get the chili recipe here.
Soup: Canned or homemade works great.
Mini pizzas: Use pita bread, naan bread, or mini pizza crusts. Provide a variety of toppings such as mushrooms, pineapple, shredded cheese, and sauces. Let them make their own creations and pop them in the oven for a quick cook.
Breakfast: Truth, this is our most common lunch when we are back to homeschooling. Pancakes, waffles, fried eggs and cheese, boiled eggs with fruit.

#6 Fruits, Veggies, and Side Ideas:

Lastly, keep a good mix of ready-to-eat fruit and veggies on hand to round out the lunch.

almonds and pretzels in a clear, reusable ziplock bag. A side of some homeschool lunch ideas.

Grains: crackers, quesadilla, corn chips, rice cakes, sweet potato chips, pretzels, popcorn, etc
Cut fruit: grapes, apples (sprinkle lemon juice to keep them from turning), oranges, cherries, pineapple, melons, berries, etc.
Cut veggies: celery, peppers, carrot sticks, turnip sticks, cherry tomatoes, snap peas

If your child is nut-free or attends activities in a nut-free zone, make sure to read the labels of lunch foods and snacks carefully. Check out the nut-free snacks for kids here.

#7 A Lunch Surprise!

Sometimes these homeschool lunch ideas need a little something extra.

I like to chuck in a fun surprise or treat into the mix. Having homemade goodies on hand is always helpful!

Since they are homemade, I can control what my kids are eating in terms of sugar and additives.

BUT I’m not here to judge you!

If you have great boxed goodies they love, by all means, use that!

These are some of my favorite sweet and healthy additions to some of the mentioned homeschool lunch ideas.

5 Fun Ideas For Energy Bites:

5 Yummy Cookie Recipes:

Back To Homeschool Lunch Ideas Made Easy

As a busy mom, I need simple and easy to keep my life running smoothly.

Letting my kids take over the kitchen during lunch has been a real sanity saver. They often come up with their own homeschool lunch ideas, and we’ll quickly add them into the rotation!

What is your favorite homeschool lunch idea? I’d love to know. Leave a comment below.

Back To Homeschool Ideas For Working Moms:

Back to homeschool can be stressful and overwhelming but I’m sharing a few resources that will help you feel confident as the new year starts.

And don’t forget to grab your Back To Homeschool Checklist for working moms!

By the way, If you want your children to cook but don’t have the time or desire to teach them, be sure to check out Kids Cook Real Food. It’s a cooking class for kids ages 2-older teen. We love it.

Read my full review here: Homeschool Cooking Curriculum We Love – Our Experience With the Kids Cook Real Food Program

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Jen Mackinnon

Hi, I’m Jen. I help working moms juggle their career and homeschool their kids by providing support, systems and tools. You are warmly invited to Join the Online Community Here!

Homeschool Cooking With Kids Series: 7 Easy Back To Homeschool Lunch Ideas