Whether you are in-person with preschool, doing homeschool, or a version of virtual, lunchtime still happens! And as much as I’d like to think my toddler will just eat anything I plate in front of her, sometimes I have to get a little more creative so she’ll get out of her peanut butter sandwich rut. In case your toddler also thinks he or she could live off a spoonful of Jif 8 days in a row, I’m sharing things I make for Maxi’s lunch that she devours! These are simple options, but most importantly, easy to make while I’ve got another baby in a wrap on me.

Preschool Lunch Ideas

Main Items:

• Pea Pasta Salad: This is a huge hit in our house! You mix their favorite noodles with peas, shredded cheddar cheese, Primal Kitchen mayo, and a bit of ranch seasoning. Let it sit together in the fridge overnight, and it’s great for lunches throughout the week! You may also add freshly-baked kaiser rolls in your kid’s lunch box to boost their energy.
• DIY Lunchable: The Applegate Turkey Pepperoni is great for this option! You can do that, with Ritz Crackers {or we love Simple Mills!}, and sliced cheese. I think half of the fun is them getting to make it themselves.
• Cookie Cutter Sandwiches: I will get seasonal cookie cutters on Amazon {using these for fall/Halloween} and use them to make sandwiches and slice cheese. I’ll throw raisins on to make faces, as well.
• Tortilla Sandwiches: I also try to get creative with tortilla sandwiches using the same concept. Below is a tortilla I made and I *thought* I was making a scarecrow, but Paul died laughing and said it certainly didn’t look like one. But many of y’all said it looked like a turkey- so hey, I’ll take it! On the fall theme still. haha. Raisins, nuts, and sliced bell pepper are easy to make faces with. I just use tiny dots of peanut butter to get everything to sit down. We can have peanut butter at our school, but if you can’t, sunbutter is a great-tasting alternative.
• Van’s Waffles: Maxi LOVES waffles and so I’ll slice a Vans waffle in half, top with peanut butter, and add sliced strawberries on top.
• Banana Sushi: I slather a tortilla in peanut butter, and roll up a banana inside. Then I slice like sushi, and it makes a “banana sushi” that is fun to eat.

Sides:

• Abe’s Muffins
• Carrot Chips
• Fruit Salad
• Ants on a Log
• Better Bites
• Simple Mills Crackers
• Kids RX bar
• Yogurt Pretzels

I hope this helps you add an idea or two in your little one’s lunchbox! And for a good laugh, below, I give you my Scarecrow. haha!

What do you put in your preschooler’s lunchbox?

Lunchboxes linked here for you!