Food

Healthy packed lunch ideas for kids (with free printable checklist)

Want to teach your kids to pack their OWN lunch for school this year? Or maybe you just need ideas to make the process easier for yourself? Either way, this school lunch checklist is your complete guide to easy and healthy packed lunch ideas all year long!

School lunch box filled with healthy packed lunch ideas.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you buy something through a link on my site, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you. See my disclosure to learn more.

School day mornings can be crazy. There are breakfasts to make, kids who need help taming their seriously impressive bedhead, and missing shoes to find.

In the midst of the morning hustle, it can be hard to make time to pack a healthy lunch that kids actually want to eat.

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“Lucky Leprechaun” Healthy Green Smoothie for Kids

Start St. Patrick’s Day off right with this bright and festive healthy green smoothie your kids will love! It’s delicious, nutrient-dense, and so easy to make!

Healthy green smoothie made with spinach, pineapple, and more! Kid-friendly, nutrient-dense, and so easy to make!

Are you looking for an easy and fun breakfast for St. Patrick’s Day this year? If you want to be the “fun” mom, but you don’t have time to dye everything in your house green, this “lucky leprechaun” smoothie is the answer!

Now, I know green smoothies sometimes get a bad reputation for tasting a little…well…like grass. But I promise, this one is completely delicious. The strong flavors of pineapple and orange juice mask the spinach flavor, so you won’t feel like you’re drinking salad for breakfast (as much as I love salad…eww). All three of my kids happily drained their cups when I pulled these out as an after school snack, and it’s one we (and you) are definitely going to want to make again and again.

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Easy Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal you can make in your Instant Pot

This hearty and delicious cinnamon apple oatmeal is an easy breakfast recipe for busy mornings that evokes all the cozy feelings–and flavors–of fall.

Whew! Halloween is over, and we’re up to our eyeballs in candy around here. If you–like us–could use a really healthy breakfast option to counter all the Halloween candy lurking in your house, I’ve got the perfect recipe for you today:

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Apple Nachos: easy, healthy afternoon snack your kids will love

These super simple apple nachos are the perfect afternoon snack for kids: healthy, delicious, and ready in less than five minutes. Enjoy!

The search for easy, healthy, and kid-friendly snacks has been a long-standing quest around here. My kids come home from school hungry, and one in particular gets a *little* hangry if he doesn’t get food at regular intervals. So I really try to have a good quality snack available for my kids when they get home from school each day.

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Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip

This three-ingredient peanut butter yogurt dip checks all the boxes for a perfect snack: it’s healthy, kid-approved, and takes less than five minutes to make!

3 boys + lots of time playing outside = BIG appetites.

My kids are ALWAYS hungry. I get it…they’re growing boys with fast metabolisms. They need LOTS of calories to keep their bodies fueled. But if I left it up to them, they would just pick dry cereal and granola bars out of the pantry. every. time. Not necessarily bad foods, but also not the kind of thing that is going to keep a hungry boy full until dinner time.

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Wookiee Cookies (AKA – Ranger Cookies)…a simple way to celebrate Star Wars Day

Celebrate Star Wars Day (May 4th) with this simple recipe for deliciously “chewy” ranger cookies that are a little scruffy-looking…just like your favorite Wookiee. May the force be with you!

Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you buy something through a link on my site, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you. See my disclosure to learn more.

Are you a Star Wars lover?

Star Wars day is coming up May 4th (you know…May the “4th” be with you). I’m not one for elaborate celebrations of obscure holidays, but I do think it’s fun on occasion to do something simple to make a random Tuesday feel a little special.

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Superhero Muffins (AKA – Hidden veggie muffins)

These healthy superhero muffins are packed with veggies and whole grains, and–even better–they taste really, really good. Even picky eaters are sure to love them!

These healthy muffins are packed with veggies and whole grains, and--even better--they taste really, really good. Even picky eaters are sure to love them!

Calling a muffin a “superhero” is a bold statement, but these muffins earn the title. They are full of nutrient-dense foods, so they are perfect for building strong muscles in the aspiring superheroes of your family. Besides, what kid can say no to a SUPERHERO muffin?

Truths of parenting: It’s all about the marketing.

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Cranberry Orange Irish Soda Bread

Irish soda bread is an iconic St. Patrick’s Day recipe, and this sweet version is perfect for cooking with kids: it’s simple, quick, and delicious!

St. Patrick’s Day is kind of a random holiday to celebrate in the United States. Still, I’m all for a simple and fun day of celebration when we’re coming off a long winter and could really use a little pick-me-up. So, bring on the green food and the Celtic music; we’re celebrating St. Patty’s around here!

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Healthy mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

These bite-sized pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are the perfect afternoon snack or make-ahead breakfast. Plus, they’re full of healthy ingredients, so you can feel totally justified in having seconds…or more!

These bite-sized pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are the perfect afternoon snack or make-ahead breakfast. Plus, they're full of all the good stuff, so you can feel totally justified in having seconds...or more!

Tis the season for pumpkin and chocolate chip recipes. It’s just one of those combinations that works perfectly together. You can use them in bread, cookies…or these delicious mini muffins!

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EASY Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

This Instant Pot honey garlic chicken is the perfect weeknight meal. Toss a handful of ingredients in your pressure cooker, walk away, and have a delicious, better-than-takeout dinner on the table in 30 minutes.

Instant Pot honey garlic chicken over rice

Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you buy something through a link on my site, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you. See my disclosure to learn more.

I do not have the time or energy for fancy dinners these days. Still, I don’t want to settle for mediocre-tasting food, nor do I want to spend a ton of money to buy already prepared meals or take-out all the time.

Call me picky, but I want it all: a healthy, delicious, home-cooked meal that I can have on the table in 30 minutes from start to finish.

Is that too much to ask?

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Food

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