Back to school may look a bit different this year for many families, but one thing remains the same, kids are always hungry! Whether they are doing online school from home or heading into the classroom with masks and social distancing, kids are always in the mood for lunch. The more brain power, high energy foods that can be packed into their mid-day meal, the better. We’ve got ideas for easy vegan school lunches, that will make parents and kids happy!
Vegan School Lunch Ideas
Maybe your kids aren’t vegan, but a lunch packed with more veggies is never a bad idea. I find the more I can disguise the veggies, the better. My kids are teens and many of the recipe ideas I find online are for younger kids’ lunches and they don’t come close to filling the bellies of my ravenous teens. The lunch ideas below can be made in batches and are proven to fill the hungriest of bellies! Keep scrolling for links with ideas for lunches for the littles.Easy Mac & Cheese
This Vegan Sauce by Oh She Glows is a staple in our house. The kids love it! Cook up some plain noodles, mix up the sauce, combine the two and throw in some peas if your kids don’t mind!Pumpkin Muffins
Filled with fiber and just a little bit of sweetness, these muffins are perfect for snacks and lunchtime treats.Instant Pot Sweet Potato Bowls
Cooking a big batch of sweet potatoes, rice and beans on Sunday night, will give you at least two to three days of lunches! Change up the toppings or add a sauce to keep it interesting.- Cut sweet potatoes in half
- Add 1c water to instant pot with trivet
- Set halves on trivet
- High pressure 14 min
- Natural or manual release
- Cook 2C rice in Instant Pot
- Cook any type of beans in Instant Pot (or use canned beans!)
Pita Pocket + Hummus + Cucumber + Tomato = Filling Sandwich
Tip: for picky eaters, slice cucumber and tomato and place in a separate container to prevent the pita from getting soggy. And, for my teens, I make two of these for their lunches.Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Tip: instead of sweet relish, I just use chopped up dill pickles!Leftover Noodle Dish
Make a batch of noodles and take any leftovers from the fridge and mix: Chopped veggies, peas, corn, lentils, beans, tomatoes, top it with a sauce, and you’ve got a lunch noodle bowl.Instant Pot Sweet Potato Rice
Grate one medium sweet potato and add to Instant Pot with 1TBS dried rosemary, 1tsp salt, 2C Basmati Rice, 2C water. High Pressure 8 min, natural release 5 min. When done, stir. This makes a great base for any toppings you may have on hand. Beans, lentils, veggies, top with whatever your kiddos will eat!Reheat Taquitos and Empanadas
Did you happen to order too many taquitos and empanadas from Melita’s Table? That usually does not happen! You may have to order a large platter in order to have leftovers. These reheat nicely and would make excellent school lunches that I’m sure kids would gobble up!Easy School Lunches
We have compiled a few great resources for easy lunch planning, especially for little fingers! If you have elementary age kids that pick through their lunch, these bloggers have great ideas and tutorials for you. 10 Easy School Lunches from Vegetarian Gastronomy Easy Vegan Lunches For Kids from Veggies Don’t Bite Nut Free Vegan Lunch from Dreena Burton As you may have noticed, some of these lunch ideas are super yummy! I got the hungries just writing this blog! The lunchbox ideas go beyond school lunches and can be great family lunches, work lunches or even dinners! Stepping outside of the traditional sandwich lunch, opens up a world of tasty possibilities. Happy Lunching!
