my lunchbox-packing cheat sheet

for kids' school lunches or dinners on the go

If this story ran in a magazine, it’d drop in the August or September issue, when the school year is starting anew and everyone is buzzing with motivation and inspiration. But we decided that sending it now — when we’re about eight months into the school year and are collectively losing steam — would be the bigger reader service.

If your child’s school lunch is provided (… and they actually eat it!), we love that for you. My school district provides free school lunch for all children and it is such an incredible offering. Conversely,

Molly from What To Cook

packs her sons’ lunches daily.

Either way, summer camps are on the horizon! I also use this lunchbox-packing formula for kids’ lunches or dinners on the go, like before or after sports (you guys ask for meal ideas for that a lot!), for day trips to the beach, and for longer spring break and summer road trips (my boys are on spring break right now so I’ll be packing roadie lunches for our car ride later this week).

Today’s email is sponsored by Thrive Market, my legit source for all things kids’ snack food. You already know I use Thrive throughout my home and life (like for kitchen cleaning supplies and pantry staples like curry paste and Rao’s), but my most-frequently ordered category is kids’ snacks, which I use for my boys’ lunches/on-the-go meals, and to fill their famished stomachs after a day of school/after-school/camp. I like knowing that anything I order from the “snacks, bars, & treats” section of their site is non-GMO and free of additives, artificial flavors, and chemicals like parabens. And most importantly, my kids actually like it! Join Thrive through this link to get an extra 30% off your first order and a FREE gift worth up to $60!

The biggest tip I have to streamline the lunchbox-packing process is to *loosely* use a formula. Here’s mine:

A protein and fat + a grain + a fruit + a veggie + a crunchy, snacky thing + something sweet

I keep a mental list of ingredients/items that fit within each of these categories, then I piece together their meal based on what I’ve got in the fridge and pantry.

Sometimes two or more of these categories are checked off with one item. For example, a Sunbutter and banana sandwich would check a protein and fat + a fruit + a grain off the list. And sometimes I’ll double up on a category (a lot of times fruit!).

Do I always achieve perfectly balanced lunches for my children? No. And when I do, do they always eat that balanced lunch? Heck no. But it’s a win that they have the option to if they’re hungry enough!

Here’s a list of my go-to ingredients to quickly create a balanced lunch/on-the-go meal for my kids. Print it out and keep it on the fridge!

wtc lunchbox cheat sheet

1.68MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

And here are a few lunches made using the cheat sheet:

if you’re surprised by the pinteresty-ness of that sandwich, so are we lol. keep reading for how it came to be!

• Sunbutter & banana sandwich (protein + fat + fruit + grain)

• Snap crisps (crunchy, snacky thing)

• Blueberries (more fruit)

• Bell pepper slices (veggie)

• Low-sugar gummies (something sweet)

• Salami + pearled mozzarella balls (protein + fat)

• Ritz crackers (grain + crunchy, snacky thing)

• Carrot sticks + ranch (veggie)

• Dried strawberries + chocolate chips (fruit + something sweet)

• Tuna salad with pickles (protein + fat + veggie)

• Pretzels (grain)

• Veggie sticks (crunchy, snacky thing)

• Skout bar (fruit)

• M&Ms (something sweet)

• I’d also throw in some roasted seaweed for an extra veg — they have to stay packaged until you eat them though or else they get soggy

• Ham and cheese Hawaiian roll (protein + fat + grain)

• Plantain chips (crunchy, snacky thing)

• Mini cookies (something sweet)

• Pickles (veggie — OK, technically pickles/cucumbers are a “fruit,” but in my mind they’re a vegetable)

• Strawberries (fruit)

• Leftover hella green noodles (veggie + fat + grain)

• Chomps stick (protein)

• Chickpea puffs (crunchy, snacky thing)

• Fruit roll ups (something sweet)

• Clementine (fruit)

• Here’s the container I pack my boys’ lunches in. It’s stainless steel, has five sections, and — best part! — is dishwasher safe. I pack it in an insulated lunchbox with an icepack to keep things cool. Heads up that the sections aren’t totally sealed off, so liquid can seep from compartment to compartment — I use these airtight dressing containers to keep dressings/juicy items contained.

• Pack them at night. From Molly: When I pack my kids’ lunches the night before, the mornings go so much smoother. I try to do it when I’m cooking or cleaning up from dinner, so that my knife and cutting board are already in use. If you pack lunches daily and your budget and storage space allow, having two sets of containers can help — that way there’s always a clean lunchbox ready to fill (versus having to first wash and dry the used container before you can refill it).

• Utilize leftovers. Another plus of packing lunches the evening before is that you can go ahead and pack away leftovers after dinner. If your kid goes to a daycare where a microwave is available, the world’s your oyster with sending leftovers. If not, you can incorporate anything that’s good slightly cooled or room temp, like hella green noodles or a good-all-week salad (if your child will eat salad!). Find more lunchbox-friendly WTC recipe ideas below.

• Maybe use a gimmick? From Molly: Years ago my 6-year-old son loved Sunbutter + jelly sandwiches. He’d reliably eat them every time I made one — it was a glorious time. But then I overdid it. I packed him one for daycare everyday for months until one day he revolted and wouldn’t even touch one… for years. Recently though he ate an Uncrustable at a friend's house so I bought this $12 at-home Uncrustable maker and it worked! So they’re back in the rotation (sparingly now that I know better). Moral of the story: Maybe it’s that Uncrustables thing. Maybe it’s fruit or cheese cut into a special shape with a cookie cutter. Maybe it’s blueberries or black beans threaded onto a cute toothpick. If you’re dealing with an opinionated eater, it might be worth experimenting with a little gimmick that makes the food look more fun. Also…

• Don’t overdo something. You don’t have to make a unique lunch every day, but, as I learned the hard way, kids (everyone?) can get tired of food they eat too often. I’ve also found that my middle son, Eli, is more likely to try new foods at school than he is at home (maybe that’s because his older brother isn’t sitting beside him saying “EW!” about the food, ha!), so I’ve actually used his school lunches as an opportunity to introduce him to new foods.

• Batch prep what you can. When I have time, I’ll prep some on-the-go items on Sunday to serve throughout the week. Here are some examples:

  • Pre-wash berries, pre-cube melons

  • Make a big batch of tuna, chicken, or egg salad

  • Cube cheese

  • Bake nut-free muffins or cookies

  • Prep a few sandwiches, like ham + cheese or Sunbutter + jelly (put the seed or nut butter on both slices of bread with jelly in the middle to keep the jelly from making the bread soggy)

• Keep the servings small. We often overestimate how much children need/want to eat. I like offering a small portion of each category from the cheat sheet and going heavier on the items I know my kid will eat, that way I’m not wasting a ton of food if it goes uneaten. That’s why this is our recommended container — small compartments! If they finish a certain serving size, I’ll add a little more next time.

Here are some WTC recipes that yield lunchbox-friendly leftovers — aka, elements that are tasty served cool and that your kids might actually eat!

pasta that tastes good at any temp, egg salad, and turkey sliders

• chipotle cheddar chimichanga tacos (some of our kids will eat tacos chilled!)

• chopped Italian goddess

• farro fattoush

• happy bowls (roasted veggies and the cashew sauce if nuts are OK)

• hard-boiled eggs (see the notes section beneath the recipe for my favorite method)

• hella green noodles

• homemade pita!

• lemon-parm chicken, quinoa, & kale salad

• magic green sauce (my kids like this as a dip for vegetables and tortilla chips)

• mob wife salad — add cooked noodles to make it a pasta salad!

• my mom’s egg salad

• pimento cheese BLTs

• pita fries (and whipped pistachio feta, if nuts are fair game)

• rainbow chicken chop

• ridiculously tasty green sauce (with crudités)

• show off-y greek salad

• souvla-inspired chicken salad (with homemade granch)

• sunshine pasta

• the 2025 easy-but-fancy spring menu (particularly the ham rolls, spring pea pasta, and snack plate)

• tiny tomato pasta

• tortellini with pesto aioli

• turkey melt sliders

• tuna salad

• veggie peanut noods (sub peanut butter for Sunbutter if needed)

What are your never-fail lunchbox ingredients — or the WTC recipes that you often pack in your kids’ lunchboxes with success?! Leave a comment by 11:59 p.m. tomorrow, April 15, and you’ll be entered to win¹ a pair of my fave stainless steel lunchboxes! We’ll randomly select one winner, who will be notified by Substack DM and announced in Wednesday’s So Into That.

1. You must be a paid subscriber to this newsletter, at least 18, and live in the U.S. to be eligible for this giveaway.