Easy Summer Lunch Ideas for Kids

Summertime is right around the corner, and I don’t know about y’all, but the summer lunch struggle is real around here.  Our kiddos are both verrrry picky eaters, so it’s a constant struggle to find a variety of nutritious foods for them to eat.  And I have to feed them seven days a week during the summer, so I don’t want them to be eating the same thing over and over again.  (Even though, Olivia, would eat PB&J for every single meal if I’d let her.  Haha.)

Last summer, I documented their lunches, and today I’m going to share some of them with you in case you’re searching for ideas, too.  Before I get to that, though, I did want to mention something that I started doing last summer that helped cut down on prep time during lunchtime, and also expanded our options… UTILIZE DINNER LEFTOVERS. 

When cooking dinner, make enough for leftovers, so you can feed the leftovers to your kiddos for lunches.  And if you have random leftovers that aren’t enough to make a whole meal, combine them with something else you have in the kitchen. 

Leftover noodles?  Make buttered noodles or throw jarred spaghetti sauce on them the next day for the kids.  Leftover veggies?  Reheat them and serve ‘em up as a side with literally any other lunch item.  Leftover bread?  That’s always good to serve alongside other lunch items, too, or if they’re biscuits or something similar, you can make sandwiches out of them!

Now that I’ve offered my tips, I thought I’d share some ideas broken down by category…

Main

Chicken nuggets (we like the Perdue Simply Smart Organics Whole Grain ones)

Fish sticks (we like Mrs. Paul's)

Hot dogs

Corn dogs (we like the Foster Farms Mini Corn Dogs made with chicken)

Turkey rolls (roll up slices of deli turkey)

Ham rolls (roll up slices of deli ham)

Salami (roll up slices of deli salami)

Turkey sausage

Cheese quesadilla

Grilled cheese sandwich

Turkey sandwich

Ham sandwich

Salami sandwich

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Meatballs (we love the Publix brand meatballs in their refrigerator section)

Mini pizzas

Eggs & sausage (we love breakfast for any meal!)

Cheese & crackers (you can even go full charcuterie board, our kids love this!)

Macaroni & cheese (Kraft original is the GOAT)

Buttered noodles

Spaghettio’s (or any other canned kids’ pasta)

Chicken & waffles (chicken nuggets and freezer/homemade waffles)

Fruit & Yogurt parfaits (with fruit and granola)

Dinner leftovers

 

Dairy

Cheese slices

String cheese

Babybel cheese

Yogurt

Gogurt (the little pouches)

Greek yogurt

 

Veggies

Sweet potatoes (microwave on high for 5 minutes)

Baked potatoes (microwave on high for 5 minutes)

Green beans

Broccoli

Carrots

 

Fruits

Strawberries

Blackberries

Raspberries

Pineapple

Watermelon

Honeydew

Grapes

Kiwi

Apple

Pears

Orange

Banana

 

Carbs

Sunchips

Doritos

Cheetos

Cheese Puffs

Cheez-Its

Goldfish

Veggie Straws

Pretzels

Pirate’s Booty

Popcorn

Cereal Bars

Granola Bars

Rolls

Biscuits

Muffins

Nuts

 

Now that I’ve shared the list of ideas, I’m going to show you some real-life lunches that our kiddos ate last summer…

May 23, 2022

Jacob – turkey rolls, cheese slices, Doritos, cereal bar, apples, kiwi

Olivia – peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cheese slices, Veggie Straws, raspberries, kiwi

May 24, 2022

Jacob – leftover turkey sausage, leftover steamed broccoli, cheese slices, pineapple

Olivia – leftover turkey sausage, leftover steamed broccoli, Babybel cheese, pineapple

May 25, 2022

Jacob – leftover alfredo pasta, leftover Cheesecake Factory bread, grapes, rice crispy treat

Olivia – leftover alfredo pasta, leftover Cheesecake Factory bread, raspberries, rice crispy treat

May 26, 2022

Jacob – chicken nuggets, sweet potatoes, apples, kiwi

Olivia – chicken nuggets, 1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich, sweet potatoes, kiwi

May 27, 2022

Jacob – turkey rolls, leftover steamed broccoli, leftover rice, mandarin oranges, Gogurt

Olivia – peanut butter and jelly sandwich, leftover steamed broccoli, Goldfish, mandarin oranges, Gogurt

May 31, 2022

Jacob – eggs, sausage, pineapple, strawberries, leftover blueberry muffin

Olivia – eggs, sausage, pineapple, strawberries, leftover blueberry muffin

June 1, 2022

Jacob – mini corndogs, sweet potatoes, grapes

Olivia – peanut butter and jelly sandwich, sweet potatoes, raspberries

June 2, 2022

Jacob – macaroni and cheese, leftover steamed broccoli, watermelon

Olivia – macaroni and cheese, leftover steamed broccoli, raspberries

 

June 3, 2022

Jacob – grilled cheese sandwich, Pirate’s Booty, leftover steamed broccoli, watermelon

Olivia – grilled cheese sandwich, Pirate’s Booty, leftover steamed broccoli, raspberries

June 21, 2022

Jacob – buttered noodles, leftover Cheesecake Factory bread, sweet potatoes, honeydew

Olivia – buttered noodles, leftover blueberry muffin, sweet potatoes, honeydew

June 22, 2022

Jacob – buttered noodles, leftover roasted carrots, apples, turkey rolls

Olivia – macaroni and cheese, leftover steamed green beans, raspberries

June 23, 2022

Jacob – cheese quesadilla, Sunchips, pears

Olivia – cheese quesadilla, Cheetos, pears

June 27, 2022

Jacob – mini pizzas, kiwi

Olivia – mini pizzas, kiwi

June 28, 2022

Jacob – meatballs, leftover mashed potatoes, blackberries

Olivia – meatballs, leftover mashed potatoes, blackberries

June 30, 2022

Jacob – fish sticks, sweet potatoes, grapes

Olivia – fish sticks, sweet potatoes, raspberries

July 1, 2022

Jacob – hot dog, Sunchips, strawberries, blackberries

Olivia – hot dog, Cheetos, raspberries

July 5, 2022

Jacob – salami rolls, cheese stick, pineapple, grapes, granola bar, pretzels

Olivia – salami rolls, cheese stick, pineapple, grapes, granola bar, Veggies Straws

July 7, 2022

Jacob – mini corndogs, leftover steamed broccoli, leftover blueberry muffin, mandarin oranges

Olivia – Smuckers Uncrustable, leftover steamed broccoli, leftover blueberry muffin, mandarin oranges

July 13, 2022

Jacob – chicken nuggets, sweet potatoes, blackberries, raspberries, Gogurt

Olivia – chicken nuggets, sweet potatoes, blackberries, raspberries, Gogurt

July 14, 2022

Jacob – cheese quesadilla, tortilla chips, pineapple

Olivia - cheese quesadilla, tortilla chips, pineapple

 

Aaaand when all else fails, there’s always Chick-Fil-A!!!!  ;o)

Happy Monday, y’all!