Fun Lunch Ideas for their Lunch Bag

Poppy Raval
Fun Lunch Ideas Blog

Looking for some quick and easy fun lunch ideas to pack in their lunch bag? We’ve put together a few quick recipes your Tiny Diner will love – and you’ll love prepping. All of these ideas can be tailored to suit them if one of the fun lunch ideas stand out but there’s one or two foods you would swap – it’s important to make sure they eat healthily, but also that they do eat something! We know that balance can often be a struggle!

All of our fun lunch ideas will get an extra playful touch if packed in one of our vibrant lunch bags! With a foiled lined insulator, their lunch will stay cool all day and the double straps mean they can easily carry it alongside their school bag. Browse our collection to see some smiley dinosaurs, rainbows and clouds, a jungle party, a space mission, some charming doodles, and even some delightful daisies!

5 Fun Lunch Ideas They’ll Love

Build-your-own

Build their own fun lunch

Servings: 1
Total time: less than 10 mins

Ingredients:

  • Crackers

  • Protein: ham, chorizo, boiled eggs, etc,

  • Cheese

  • Veggies: cucumber, tomato, pepper etc.,

Method:

  1. Prep all your vegetable options – slice them into thin layers for easy building

  2. Cut up your chosen protein into cracker sized pieces

  3. Stack your crackers in one container (or one corner of the same) and do the same with your protein and veggies

This is a great first recipe to kick off the fun lunch ideas because you can ensure your little one gets the nutrients they need, while they can then take control later and build their own lunch, layering different foods however they wish.

Salad Pots

Another fun lunch idea that brightens up their day with some vibrant colours and some of their 5-a-day is a Rainbow Pot.

Servings: 4
Total time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

  • 350g pasta

  • 500g of their favourite veggies: pepper, sweetcorn, tomatoes, cucumber, green beans

  • 4tbsp mayonnaise

  • 4tbsp natural yoghurt

  • 1 can of tuna

Method:

  1. Cook the pasta and drain well

  2. Chop all the veggies into bite sizes – cook any that need cooking

  3. Mix the tuna with the mayonnaise and yoghurt – add chives if you like!

  4. Tip the pasta into your container and spoon the tuna over the top

  5. Layer by layer, add the veg one at a time to create a rainbow layered effect

  6. Keep covered and chilled until you’re ready to eat!

Send them to school with a bamboo spoon for a lightweight and durable utensil that can withstand the school lunch period. These will make the lunch idea even more fun coming in various colours!

Dip ‘n’ Go

Fun Lunch idea to dip n go

A super healthy and fun lunch idea is the Dip ‘n’ Go lunch, which can be fully tailored to the tastes of your tiny diner.

Servings: however many you need!
Total time: less than 10 mins

Ingredients:

  • 1 pot of hummus

  • Your favourite veggies

  • Breadsticks

Method:

  1. Wash and chop all your veggies into finger sticks and put in a container – the size of your pinkie finger is good!

  2. Scoop out how much hummus they will eat and put it into a container

  3. Break up the breadsticks into pinkie sizes and put in a container

  4. Load all the boxes into their lunch bag ready for them to dip ‘n’ go

This really is one of the most fun lunch ideas because you can fully tailor it to ensure they get some of their 5-a-day, ensure there’s something they love, and who doesn’t love finger food!

Pasta Salad

Fun Lunch Idea to choose pasta shape

Another way to ensure they think it’s a fun lunch idea is to let them choose! (only part of it of course – we can’t be having chocolate and cake every day!) Let them choose the pasta shape they love for a fun touch to the shopping trip and their lunch.

Servings: 4
Total time:  30

Ingredients:

  • 400g shaped pasta

  • 4-5tbsp pesto

  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise

  • 2tbsp Greek yoghurt

  • 300g mixed veg (you choose!)

  • 200g ham, chicken, prawns, or boiled egg

Method:

  1. Cook the pasta and drain well, then tip into your container

  2. At the same time, cook any meat or veg that may need cooking

  3. Stir the pesto into the pasta and leave to cool – leave any cooked meat to cool too

  4. Once cooled, stir in the mayo, yoghurt and veg

  5. Add your choice of protein to the top

  6. Keep chilled until read to be eaten

This is another fun lunch idea that will be even more fun with some vibrant utensils!

Sandwich Shapes

Let’s get creative! A fun lunch idea for them and for you is to get shapey with some cutters. Show them they’re a little star with this fun lunch idea.

Servings: 1
Total time: less than 10 mins

Ingredients:

  • 2 slices of bread (wholemeal or white)

  • Sandwich fillers of your choice! E.g., ham, cheese, marmite, cucumber, tuna, jam

Method:

  1. Use a star shaped cutter (or any cutter you have!) to cut out shapes from the bread

  2. Use these to make a sandwich as normal

  3. Remember how easy this was!

To make this for more servings, simply use more bread and cut more shapes!

 

 

I hope this has given you a few fun lunch ideas to pack in their lunch bag – and perhaps even yours!

We understand the struggle of getting tiny diners to eat a balanced diet when all they want is sugar, so hopefully these fun lunch ideas tackle that resistance of eating healthy foods!

If you decide to try these fun lunch ideas please snap a colourful photo and tag us on Instagram @tiny.dining, we’d love to see your photos – and your tiny diners tucking in!

As always, thanks for reading,
Love Poppy and the Tiny Dining team.