Kids lunchbox ideas

Healthy Kids Lunch Boxes on a Budget

Save money and help your budget with these healthy kids lunch boxes!

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As some of you know, we home school our kids and travel the country in our RV.  Since we home school we don’t have a real need for packable school lunches. A reader reached out to me to ask if I could do a series on healthy kids lunch boxes that are budget friendly and Paleo! She asked and we delivered! Something awesome came of this! We now have breakfast and lunch ready to go everyday! We just pull it out of the refrigerator, re-heat if needed (breakfast) and serve. This makes my life so much easier, especially since I am not a morning person and the thought of standing in front of the stove at 6:00am is not appealing! I prepare breakfasts and lunches once a week and have healthy, portable meals the whole week! My boys are loving this new routine because it means that they get their favorite foods everyday and they don’t have to wait a long time for me to get coffee going and cook their breakfast or lunch! They often help me make their lunches which cuts down on waste!

I bought a Goodbyn Bynto Food Container for each of the boys. I really like these containers because they lock tight, are easy to carry and they hold a good amount of food (even an adult could use it). In addition to the Goodbyn Bynto Food Container I bought clear plastic 2 oz Plastic Shot Cups with Lids for sauces, almond butter and dressings and Silicone Baking Cups for items that I didn’t want rolling around. The baking cups are great if you are going to be able to store your container without it tipping over. I found Small Bamboo Skewers at the local grocery store. These aren’t really necessary, but the kids love them! I cut the pointy tips off after the food is skewered so they aren’t tempted to poke each other with them! If it isn’t in the budget just leave it out! Another great (and cheaper) alternative to Goodbyn Bynto Food Containers is Ziploc Containers like the ones I use for the adult Paleo lunch boxes!

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All of our healthy kids lunch boxes are grain free, peanut free, soy free and gluten free. Some contain dairy. My kids eat cheeses, yogurt and yogurt ranch dressing! No, it is not perfect Paleo, but if it get’s my kids to eat their vegetables and is reasonably healthy, we are ok with it! Just like with our make-ahead breakfasts, we allow them to drink either a cup of raw milk or water! We occasional have fresh-squeezed juices as a choice with our lunches as well.

Meats used in this week’s healthy kids lunch boxes:
Applegate Farms deli Turkey
Ham (Leftover from a whole ham I cooked)
Applegate Farms Pepperoni
Thick sliced chicken breast deli meat

Fruits used in this week’s healthy kids lunch boxes:
Pineapple
Dehydrated banana chips (home made)
Blackberries
Strawberries

Nuts used in this week’s healthy kids lunch boxes: 
Nature’s Harvest Organic Cashews (found at Wal-Mart)
Accent almond slivers (Found at Wal-Mart)

Vegetables used in this week’s healthy kids lunch boxes:
English cucumbers
Cherry tomatoes
Carrots
Celery

Healthy kids lunch boxes on a budget!
Pepperoni, almond slivers, celery, almond butter, strawberries and blackberries!
Healthy kids lunch boxes on a budget!
Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, almond slivers, blackberries and pepperoni!
Healthy kids lunch boxes on a budget!
Turkey, pineapple, dehydrated banana chips, celery and almond butter!
Healthy kids lunch boxes on a budget!
Turkey, cucumbers, carrots, cherry tomatoes, yogurt ranch dressing, almond nut mix and pineapple!
Healthy kids lunch boxes on a budget!
Ham, boiled eggs, carrots, yogurt ranch and blackberries.
Healthy kids lunch boxes on a budget!
Cherry tomatoes, pickles, ham, babybel cheese, celery and almond butter!
Healthy kids lunch boxes on a budget!
Ham, almond slivers, celery, raisins, almond butter and grapes!
Healthy kids lunch boxes on a budget!
Carrots, yogurt ranch, almond slivers, ham and grapes!
Healthy kids lunch boxes on a budget!
Ham, cashews, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, blackberries and yogurt ranch dressing!

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3 Comments

  • Andrea

    How old are your kids? I have a 3 year old and he would starve to death if these were. His lunch boxes lol. They look fabulous, but I’m wondering how you got your kids on the healthy bandwagon when we are surrounded by so much processed, packaged junk. My son eats healthier than a lot of 3 year olds but I still have to hide veggies in smoothies. Hoping as he gets older and I keep attempting healthier options he will eventually get onboard. He does try things so at least we have that going. Great site!

    • <3 Jennifer

      Hi Andrea! My boys are 5 and 7. Last summer they honestly ate nothing but processed foods and foods full of sugar. It has been a process, but I only buy what I want them to eat. I find if it isn’t in the house they don’t even fuss about not having it. In our house we have the “eat what I make or don’t eat” philosophy. It isn’t for everyone, but my kids are used to it and now find that they enjoy eating what I make. Another thing that helps is I let THEM make their lunch for the next day! They seem to eat more when they make it themselves!

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