Lunch Ideas for Picky Eaters

We are full on in back-to-school prep mode over here. I’m still in disbelief that I have a child old enough to be going to school full time. Where did my baby go?

Since I’m a first time kindergarten mom, I’ve done my fair share of worrying. I worry about Hudson being away from me all day. I worry about him making new friends, being kind to everyone, having all the supplies he needs, and eating his lunch at lunchtime. For the past two years or so, Hudson has been a picky eater. It hasn’t been that big of a deal because he drinks a green smoothie packed with Greek yogurt, spinach, and fruit every morning, and he is growing and is at a healthy height and weight. When he’s hungry he will eat. But some days it seems like he gets by on applesauce and air! At home he’ll typically drink a smoothie when he first wakes up, eat some kind of breakfast, eat three bites of lunch, and then eat a reasonably sized dinner. Lunch is his least favorite meal.

So naturally, I’m already worried about what he will eat a lunchtime at school. So, this summer we’ve been practicing! We’ve talked about how he needs to eat his lunch at lunchtime, otherwise he might be hungry the rest of the school day. I think he gets it…but what has really helped us prepare for kindergarten is having Hudson help plan and pack his own lunch. And then we practice eating it at the same time he’ll eat when he’s in school. Hudson is the type of kid that likes to review a new situation with me first before he actually tries something. So this lunch practice is really helping!

I’ve found that one thing that helps combat pickiness is letting Hudson decide what he will pack in his lunch for that day. I give him healthy options and let him pick what to pack. He has surprised me a few times with his choices! So today I’m going to share a few of the healthy lunch options we’ve come up with that are all picky-eater approved. Keep in mind, Hudson is five years old and doesn’t eat very much. His favorite lunch to request at home is a ketchup sandwich. Which is exactly what it sounds like: Ketchup on bread. That’s it. Needless to say that won’t fly in kindergarten. He also won’t touch peanut butter….so packing his lunch is a little tricky.

Hudson LOVES it when his food is cut into fun shapes! I found this little star cookie cutter and it has been a game changer. Hudson normally wouldn’t touch cucumbers, but when I let him cut them out using the star cookie cutter he was ALL ABOUT it! For this lunch I sliced some strawberries, cheese, and cucumber and paired it with some crackers. I also cut a kid’s protein bar in to two pieces and stored it with the crackers.

I’ve been using the Sistema® Klip It Collection Small Split Food Storage Containers for Hudson’s lunches because they are the perfect size for small snacks! The divided food storage containers help keep snacks separate and the lids with easy-locking clips and extended flexible seal help keep contents fresh.

Another pick-eater approved lunch idea we came up with was make your own mini pizzas! I used our Sistema® To Go™ Salad Food Storage Container to layer crackers on the bottom, then used the top try for cheese and pepperoni. The small pot (that you would use for dressing for a salad) I added marinara sauce. There is a small knife and fork included in this container that Hudson can use to build his pizzas. He thought this lunch was SO COOL. You could do this with small pitas too…but I have yet to find ones that Hudson will eat. So crackers it is!

Of course he’ll always eat a cookie.

I recently discovered Hudson loves pistachios! Who knew? He can even open them himself….which thrilled me! Yay for a nut he will finally eat! For this lunch I included a fruit salad, fish crackers, pistachios, and turkey and cheese rolled up in a tortilla and sliced. Hudson was a little apprehensive about the turkey roll-ups, but he took a few bites of them, so I’ll call that a win!

Hudson was totally on board with this lunch. Apple slices (drizzle with a little lemon juice to keep them from turning brown), blueberries, a kid’s protein bar, star cheese, and crackers. I’d love to be able to include peanut butter for the apple slices but my picky eater won’t touch peanut butter. If your child will eat peanut butter or hummus, those would be great additions to this lunch.

For this lunch I used the Sistema® Lunch Cube to pack Hudson a turkey sandwich! We used an apple shaped cookie cutter to make it extra fun! The compartments of this lunch pack allow you to keep your sandwich fresh and separate from the rest of your lunch. Hudson packed two cookies, an applesauce pouch, mandarin orange, and some yogurt. My trick is to have Hudson add the sprinkles to his yogurt…that way he might actually eat it.

Hudson loves packing his lunch. We’ll see how long this lasts!

Everything from the Sistema® To Go™ collection packs up so well and helps keep food separate, which makes prepping for the back to school season a breeze! Hudson was excited about all of the little compartments in the containers too. It’s way more fun to eat out of these than a boring old plate!

Sometimes we keep things simple. Here’s another really easy lunch/snack idea. I love how the Sistema® To Go™ collection allows us to create fun, healthy lunches while staying organized. Hudson loves fruit and cheese with chips!

Throw an applesauce pouch and a protein bar in with your containers and your child is good to go!

Hudson will usually eat mac n’ cheese…and he doesn’t mind if it’s cold. So for this lunch we used the Sistema® Bento Box to hold some chocolate candy, pistachios, mac n’ cheese, and some grape tomatoes with ranch dip. I’m crossing my fingers he’ll eat tomatoes while he’s at school. Jury’s still out on that one. But I like offering him healthy options. If he’s hungry, he’ll eat them!

And finally, don’t be afraid to try breakfast for lunch too! Hudson LOVES pancakes and was SO excited for this lunch. I used the Sistema® To Go™ Salad Food Storage Container again to layer pancakes on the bottom, then fresh fruit on top, along with a little container of syrup. Such a fun and easy idea.

So that’s what Hudson will be eating at school this fall! Fingers crossed he actually eats his lunch, and maybe learns to love a few new foods too! I think practice makes perfect. What does your picky eater like to eat in their school lunch? I’m excited to keep using our Sistema® To Go Collection containers in all of our lunches this fall! You can find all of these containers on Amazon, and be sure to check out all of the awesome back-to-school specials they are running in August.

This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of Sistema® ; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.