13 real mamas share their must-have back to school lunches + snacks

Discovering the best foods for lunches and snacks is an important step in back to school preparation. But with new routines and packed schedules on the horizon, finding time to think about what to pack for back to school lunches can be a challenge. Some kids are super picky and won’t eat anything but grilled cheese. Others could eat endless amounts of nutritious snacks all day, everyday. Regardless of where your child falls on the food spectrum, we’re here to help you find what works best for your family.

We asked #TeamMotherly to share their favorite go-to lunches and snacks for the back to school season. Mix it up and add some variety in there and you’ll be good to go! Here’s what they had to say:

1. “Cubed ham, cheese, cut grapes, yogurt covered raisins.”—Tiffany S.

2. “Granola bars, carrots or cucumbers and ranch, peanut butter crackers, fresh fruit.”—Melissa B.

3. “For me? Wine.”—Nicole N.

4. “My little one loves to take tuna or chicken salad with grapes and crackers, yogurt and ice water with fresh cucumbers and garden tomatoes or chicken Alfredo with toast and veggies or peanut butter celery tomatoes cucumbers chips and water.”—Jackie P.

5. “The cafeteria!”—Toni H.

6. “Once a week, it’s usually ham and cheese sandwich with raw baby carrots and grape tomatoes. And for dessert, I do yogurt or fruit. It doesn’t really matter if it’s always the healthiest or the best lunch, what I find really good is alternating and rotating and trying to get creative.”—Erica W.

7. “Bananas, string cheese, blueberries, apple sauce, raspberries.”—Melina S.

8. “Cut strawberries or cut apples & peanut butter for snacks! & Sandwich with ham or turkey, tomato, lettuce, & mayo separately! And yogurt.”—Melodi B.

9. “I roll a hotdog in a flour tortilla and toast it in a skillet until crispy. Like a hot dog burrito.”—Elda E.

10. “Sandwiches (meat or sunbutter and jelly), quesadillas, hummusdillas (hummus in tortilla), leftover pizza, bean salad with tortilla chips, boiled eggs/cheese, pesto pasta salad, yogurt and granola, bagel with cream cheese, empanadas (bean and cheese or meat). And always fruit/veggies as sides.”—Tran L.

11. “I make a sandwich with hummus then pack carrots, applesauce, Z-Bar and some crackers.”—Suzanne W.

12. “Vary it between ham sandwiches, dairylea dunkers, breadsticks and then healthy snacks and juice box. [I also include] water in a sports bottle for during the day.”—Danielle B.

13. “Gluten-free pretzels and peanut butter, ham and cream cheese rolls, GF tortillas with PB & J.”—Heather T.

You might also like:

• 20 easy snacks mama (or kids!) can toss into their lunchboxes
• Top 10 creative + tasty kid’s lunches on Pinterest, mama
• 15 quick + healthy toddler meal ideas