Packing lunch for kids can be a challenge – kids don’t have a lot of time to eat, it will sit for hours before they actually dig in, you want something they will actually eat (that isn’t just a bag of chips and candy), and it has to comply with school allergy restrictions.
Favorite lunch box: I love a bento box – it keeps everything separated and is pretty compact (great especially for little kids who struggle to carry heavy backpacks. The one downside I found is that most don’t have a built in freezer pack, so you willl need to pack them in a larger bag with ice packs…which just defeats the purpose. I found this great bento box with an icepack insert.
What to pack?
I like to include a protein, a veggie, a fruit, a carb, and a little treat. I’m sure no one else has this problem, but my kiddo is pretty picky. 
So, here are a few things that I pack based on what he’ll actually eat, what is allowed, and what can stay fresh:
1. Protein: string cheese, salami, hummus, sunflower butter.
2. Carb: sunflower butter and jam sandwich, crackers, cereal, granola bar, mini cinnamon rolls.
3. Veggies: celery, carrots, snap peas, peppers.
4. Fruit: grapes, strawberries, apples slices (to avoid browning, soak slices in salt water for 5 mins and the rinse and dry well), applesauce pouch, mandarin orange (peeled).
What about snacks? We also send snacks to school each day. I love these snack canisters, which help cut down on packaging waste from single-serve snack packs.
