Here are Five Trader Joe’s School Lunches that will get you out of that school lunch rut. These are five lunchboxes made with all Trader Joe’s products. Healthy, nutritious and fun school lunches your kids will love and enjoy.
Five Trader Joe’s School Lunches
Kids have been back in school for about a month now. Give or take, depending on where you live and when school started for you. When school starts we all are on that new school year mode. As parents, we’re on top of everything. Getting all the school supplies, helping the kids get organized with their school work, and we’re rocking the school lunches.
As the school days transpire we start to lose that momentum we started with. Especially when it comes to prepping those school lunches. Especially when the kids start consistently brining their lunches back almost untouched. Most of the time this is because they start getting bored. We start packing the same sandwiches, the same snacks, and the same treats.
This is completely normal for every family to go through during the school year. I mean even I went through it when I was the kid and would get sick of the same lunches my parents would pack for me. To help you guys out with some ideas I created these Five Trader Joe’s School Lunches.
What do these Five Trader Joe’s School Lunches consist of?
These Five Trader Joe’s School Lunches are five bento styled lunchboxes. They are all made with products that can all be found at Trader Joe’s. All easy and quick lunches that take very little effort to put together. They are all healthy and made with the best snacks and foods Trader Joe’s has to offer.
*Note- Items may vary depending on where you live and whether your local Trader Joe’s carries them. If there are any items you can’t find at your local TJ’s, find a substitute they may have.
Allergen Friendly School Lunches:
Aside from these five lunches being healthy and easy to make, they are allergen friendly for the most part. All of these five lunches are gluten-free and nut-free. A lot of schools, particularly here in the United States, are nut-free. This is to accommodate kids with severe nut allergies and to prevent any reactions. Emma’s school is nut-free so I’ve had to get pretty creative when it comes to packing her lunches. It can get a bit challenging since we are a family who love and consume a lot of nuts and nut based products.
Even though both my husband and my daughter are not gluten-free, I am. I have a mild sensitivity to it so try to stay away from it as much as possible. This means that most of the products I buy for our household are gluten-free. Particularly foods like bread, tortillas, and oats. Subsequently, the bread used to make these lunches is GF.
If you have a child or multiple children in your home who have any other allergies or food sensitivities you can easily swap some of these products. Swap the cheese for dairy-free cheese. Swap the egg for some cold cuts. Trade Joe’s has options for both.
What Trader Joe’s products are used for these five lunches?
- Gluten-Free whole Grain Bread
- Pasture-raised eggs
- Hummus (we like roasted red pepper)
- Fruit Bars
- Mandarins
- Organic Seedless Grapes
- Organic Blueberries
- Sweet Peppers
- Organic Sugar Snap Peas
- Everything but the Bagel Seasoning
- Seasoned Kale Chips
- Organic Sliced Turkey
- Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
- Plain Greek Yogurt
- Spaghetti Sauce
- Brown Rice Quinoa Pasta
- Baby Spinach
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- English Cucumber
- Carrots
- Hemp Hearts
- Frozen Peas
- Dark Chocolate Honey Mints
Making variations of these Five School Lunches:
These five lunches are pretty easy to make and are very healthy. They call for a lot of fresh fruits and veggies. I do use a lot of products in these lunches that are Emma’s favorites. All of these are staples in our home and I purchase them on my weekly run to Trader Joe’s.
Feel free to substitute any of these foods for ones that you know your kids would like. For example, if they prefer strawberries to blueberries, use strawberries to top their yogurt instead of blueberries. The same goes for any of the veggies. The great thing is that TJ’s has a great variety of produce.
Another great way to use this guide is by mix and matching the foods in them. Rotate the main foods with the snacks so you’re having some variety and don’t run out of ideas. More importantly, the kids won’t get bored with their lunches.
Trade Joe’s School Lunch #1:
- Toast with Hummus and Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
- Hard Boiled Egg
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Mandarin
- Fruit Bar (flavor of choice)
Trade Joe’s School Lunch #2:
- Pizza Rolls with Pasta/Tomato Sauce
- Snap Peas
- Sweet Peppers
- Grapes
- Dark Chocolate Honey Mints
How to Make Pizza Rolls for Lunchboxes:
These are super easy to make and great for lunchboxes. Just take a couple of slices of bread ( I use TJ’s Gluten-Free Multigrain Bread). Use a rolling pin to flatten the slices of bread. Cut the crust off and roll slices on both sides until they are flat. Spread pasta sauce on bread and sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese. Bring butter or extra virgin olive oil to a heat on a cooking pan. Slowly roll bread and gently press down at the end to hold together. Place on heated pan and pan fry on every side for just about 30 seconds on each. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about a minute or two. Cut down the middle and place in lunchbox.
Trade Joe’s School Lunch #3:
- Pasta w/ Sauce and Baby Spinach
- Plain Greek Yogurt Topped with Blueberries and Hemp Hearts
- Cucumber Slices
- Frozen Peas
- Mandarin
Trade Joe’s School Lunch #4:
- Turkey and Cheese Roll-ups with Baby Spinach
- Sweet Peppers
- Seasoned Kale Chips
- Grapes
- Dark Chocolate Honey Mint
How to Make Turkey and Cheese Roll-ups with Baby Spinach for Lunchboxes:
Start by laying the turkey slice on a cutting board or any flat surface. Then place slice of mozzarella cheese (or cheese of choice) over it. Then top with two or three spinach leaves. Roll them up, use a toothpick to hold down the middle. The place another two toothpicks on the sides. Cut down between each toothpick. You will end up with four small roll-ups.
Trader Joe’s School Lunch #5:
- Hummus with Carrots and Cucumbers
- Hard Boiled Eggs
- Seasoned Kale Chips
- Mandarin
- Fruit Bar
Things to keep in mind when packing school lunches:
- Make sure to slice grapes (and any small rounded foods) lengthwise– This will prevent choking for young kids. Particularly toddlers.
- Don’t use school lunches to introduce new foods– Pack what you know they like and will eat.
- Subsequently, pack a food you are working on getting them to like– i.e. if you have been working on getting them to try cucumber, pack it for exposure even if you know they will bring it back.
- Take a few extra minutes to turn veggies and fruits into cute shapes– Use cookie cutters to cut them into flowers, hearts, stars, etc.
- Use a lot of colors- Think eat the rainbow!
- Concentrate on packing a good variety of fresh fruits and veggies– but always try to include a treat. Balance!
- Pack school lunches the night before- It will give you a lot more time to pack them and save time in the morning.
- Let your kids help you pack their school lunches– They will be more excited to eat everything if they participate in the packing.
Did you like these Five Trader Joe’s School Lunches? You may also like these other fun lunchboxes:
**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family.
