Before you pack another PB & J for lunch, let’s talk about how these easy bento lunches can add variety to your lunch routine without much effort.
While packing a PB & J for lunch is easy and it’s one thing most kids never grow tired of, we as parents want to pack lunches that include a variety of ingredients that add nutrition to their lunchbox and, most importantly, that come together fast!
That’s why I love packing quick lunches like this – it helps me assemble a balanced meal with the variety my kids love, plus the nutrition they need with items I have on hand.
Check out this video with all my tips for packing lunches fast in the morning or the night before.
One of my favorite shortcuts is using Libby’s® Vegetable Cups. They are single-serve veggie cups that fit perfectly into a lunchbox, making them convenient for getting more veggies into your kids’ meals. My kids love them because they come in a cup and somehow that makes eating their vegetables more fun. Crazy, but hey, it works!
They come in a variety of options, including: Cut Green Beans, Whole Kernel Sweet Corn, Diced Carrots, Peas & Carrots, and Sweet Peas, so lunch is never boring. Sometimes, I’ll send the Whole Kernel Sweet Corn and other days the Sweet Peas or Cut Green Beans. You can send them sealed or drain the water and place the veggie cup inside the lunch container; it’s totally up to you!
My kids prefer them drained and inside the lunchbox, so having a bento box or a lunch container with compartments like this one is so helpful because it keeps the ingredients separate and “nothing touches.”
Packing the rest is a breeze; I usually mix and match proteins like deli ham, turkey, or hard-boiled eggs, plus strawberries, sliced apples or blueberries as the fruit.
Lately, my family and I have been making protein roll-ups; deli ham, turkey, or roast beef and cheese rolled up. They are an excellent way to pack in the protein and easier than making a sandwich. Plus, kids love all things hand-held.
Another great shortcut is packing all the lunches for the week, like this one, all at once! Most of the basic ingredients stay fresh for long periods of time, 3- to 5-days, so keeping a homemade lunch in the fridge is the perfect grab-and-go option for busy families.
To switch things up a bit, I sometimes add some chicken salad instead of the roll-ups, or I turn the roll-ups into a wrap or sandwich. Regardless of what the main attraction might be, the veggie cup and fruit are always sent on the side.
I will say that if you pack lunches the night before, your mornings will go a little smoother, but if not, most of these ingredients are easy to keep on hand and in the pantry for easy grab and go options in the morning.
Another reason I like to keep a variety of Libby’s® Vegetable Cups in the pantry is that they make a great side for the kids at dinner, or can even be used to make simple dishes like Easy Peasy Risotto, the ultimate cheesy, creamy comfort food!
There’s really no specific recipe for making healthy and fresh bentos in a time crunch. The trick is to have a variety of ingredients on hand that can fill all the compartments, and when in doubt, make it colorful and fun to eat.
Angela Chandler
My daughter loves almond butter sandwiches shaped like dinosaurs and then a salad and some fruit.
Amy Bibbings
My kids love snap peas, baby carrots, & mini cucumbers so those accompany most of our school lunches. Sunbutter & Jelly roll-ups or skewers with blueberries and deli meat always seem to go over well.
Brooke Lewitan
I have started doing wraps with protein and veggies. It’s a change up for my son and makes it more interesting than the standard 2 pieces of bread sandwich!
Angie Freudenthal
My daughter is 10 and packs her own lunch usually ham sandwich with lettuce or pasta salad, celery/carrots/broccoli, pickled okra and a fruit of strawberries or grapes. Her mid-day school snack is usually banana or grapes. My picky 14 yr old son, PB & J everyday for years and won’t change. He text me from school when I put in grapes asking me why I put them in his lunch but he did eat them lol.
Melissa
My kids’ lunch always includes veggies. They love green peas, green beans, and carrots and peppers and broccoli with homemade ranch.
Theresa Krier
Meat and cheese roll ups, baby carrots and, fresh fruit, simple quick and they love it, thanks for the chance to win.
Melissa
My kids love soups in a small thermos! And Ive used your tips for keeping them hot and they work great!! Thank you!!
Beth Sethi
Mac and cheese with peas or little cauliflower pieces!
Maryanne W.
Meatballs with veggies in the sauce!
April
We are trying a new plan this year by using leftovers from dinner as lunches the next day. While even I enjoy a good PB&J every now and then, we are all tired of the PB&J rut!
Catherine Lutz
My kindergartner is still eating what we call squeezies, pouches of fruit and veggie purée for babies and toddlers, but hey, talk about convenient and it’s the only way he’ll eat veggies, besides corn. So I’m inspired to try corn cups but I cringe at the plastic waste involved. Laura, I know how tough and time consuming it can be, but please consider the environmental impacts of your food recommendations, and please consider not recommending foods that are overly packaged or sealed in plastic. It’s a health consideration too!
joanna waddoups
I love to make my every can veggie soup! Its a can of (please note nothing is drained all of it is in the juices) corn, green beans, peas beans and two cans of tomato products with a pound of hamburger meat. So yummy and filling! I love all of the bento boxes your insta is #GOALS!
Aimee
My boys love egg salad. Our school is very restrictive on what is allowed and eggs are an easy allowed protein!
Kristin
Our favorite back to school lunch is chicken pasta salad with peas, cut up baby carrots and sometimes dried cranberries.
Amy
My son loves to have what we call mini sandwiches, crackers, cheese, chicken deli meat, and Turkey pepperoni with a side of fruit and baby carrots. I also usually send a Juice in the Box container (which I love!) with herbal tea in it.
Danielle Flood
I love these lunch boxes, and adding corn cups would be a great addition! I hadn’t seen those before <3
My DD also loves meat and cheese rollups.
Jennifer Dubreuil
My kids love homemade lunchables with carrot stick and ranch. These lunchboxes are the best!
Molly
We love packing the ham roll ups and of course hummus and cherry tomatoes. I think my daughter could live on those!
Niki Miller
my girls love wraps with thin sliced veggies wrapped in pita or tortilla and hummus
Chrissy
I recently discovered a recipe that is great for jazzing up lunchboxes. It’s buffalo chicken with tortilla chips (or kettle cooked chips), with chopped celery, blue cheese, pico de Gallo, and avocado dressing on top. ~Chrissy
Laura Fuentes
This sounds AMAZING!!
Chrissy
I have a thing for buffalo also!!!