10 Great Lunchtime Meal Ideas for Kids This Summer

With the summer break about halfway over, many parents may be running out of fun lunch ideas for their kids. You do not have to spend a long amount of time in the kitchen to make your kids healthy and delicious meals. These 10 lunch ideas are great choices for when you are short on time but still want to go beyond the usual peanut butter and jelly or macaroni and cheese.

English Muffin Pizzas

For the kids that love frozen pizza for lunch and the parents who want to serve something a little healthier, be sure to consider these English muffin pizzas. You can use either a toaster oven or a regular oven to cook up these mini pizzas. English muffins serve as the crust of this fun pizza recipe. The sauce and toppings possibilities are endless. One of the best things about this dish is that you can customize each pizza to fit every child’s exact preferences. The pizzas also freeze well if you want to make some ahead of time and have them on hand for kids who just need a quick meal to heat up.

Cream Cheese Pinwheels with Vegetables

These cream cheese pinwheels with vegetables are stuffed with a variety of chopped veggies, Greek yogurt, and light cream cheese, making them a healthy and light alternative to your normal lunch routine. Be sure to leave about 30 minutes for these pinwheels to firm up in the fridge. You can go with a number of different vegetable combinations for your pinwheels. Good choices include tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, carrots, peppers, and avocado. You can also vary the type of tortilla. For example, spinach tortillas add a new twist to a plain flour tortilla. As a bonus, this is a lunch that the kids can help to assemble.

Cheese Ramen Noodles

This classic Korean-inspired cheese ramen noodles recipe is sure to be a hit with your family. This one-pot meal comes together in a few minutes, making it a good choice for those busy summer days. Instant ramen is mixed with milk, butter, cheddar cheese, garlic powder, and green onion. This is a comforting and filling dish. Serve it with a side of fruit salad and some bread to mop up the cheesy sauce. For an additional protein boost, consider adding some cooked chicken, shrimp, or ham.

Air Fryer Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

If you are like most households, your air fryer may be working overtime preparing quick meals in the summer. This air fryer peanut butter and banana sandwich is a crusty and gooey lunch treat. With only three ingredients, this is also a budget-friendly meal. Serve this sandwich with a side of fruit or a bowl of soup and you have a complete meal for your kids. Or use your air fryer to fry up some sweet potato fries for a healthy side dish for this kid-friendly sandwich.

Italian Hoagie-dilla

Combine the deliciousness of an Italian hoagie with a kid-friendly quesadilla with this Italian hoagie-dilla recipe. Stuff the tortilla of your choice with Italian meats such as salami, ham, and pepperoni. You can then layer your favorite vegetables on top of the meats. Tasty ideas include mushrooms, green peppers, red onions, and tomatoes. Finish it off with a sprinkling of Swiss or gruyere cheese. Then you simply grill up the stuffed tortillas until they are perfectly crispy and melty. Kids will love dipping these quesadilla triangles into a side of marinara sauce or ranch dressing.

Homemade Spaghetti Os

Why settle for processed canned spaghetti o’s when you can easily prepare this homemade version of a childhood classic? The recipe includes your choice of small pasta rings such as ditalani, butter, cheddar cheese, milk, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and a few spices and herbs to kick up the flavor a notch. The addition of a bit of honey brings out the sweetness in this dish. You can add some meatballs if you want to create a heartier dish.

Cheesy Meatball Bombs

While these cheesy meatball bombs take a bit of prep work, you can make a big batch to freeze for later use. Delicious homemade meatballs are stuffed with whole milk mozzarella cheese and wrapped with frozen dinner roll dough. You can also wrap the goodness in pizza or biscuit dough. Kids of all ages will delight in these fun meatball bombs. They also make a great appetizer for your next backyard barbecue.

Chicken Waldorf Sandwiches

While kids may not go crazy over a traditional chicken Waldorf salad, they will likely eat up these chicken Waldorf sandwiches. By using either canned chicken or a prepared rotisserie chicken, this recipe could not be any easier to throw together. Along with the chicken, the filling includes dried cranberries, honey mustard, celery, walnuts, apples, and more. The filling is sandwiched between two pieces of raisin bread, making it a true kid-pleaser.

Easy Tomato Soup

Just because it is the summer, it does not mean that you cannot indulge in a bowl of creamy tomato soup. This easy tomato soup recipe tastes exponentially better than what you would find in a can. The soup comes together in about 30 minutes using ingredients that you likely already have on hand. The recipe includes crushed canned tomatoes, chicken broth, yellow onion, dried oregano, olive oil, and a bay leaf for extra flavoring. Using an immersion blender takes the mess out of this soup preparation. Be sure to serve this soup with grilled cheese for dipping.

Homemade Chicken Tenders

What kid does not love chicken tenders? These homemade chicken tenders will take the guilt of this favorite meal idea. The recipe relies on simple and natural ingredients, including panko breadcrumbs, eggs, flour, and a mix of seasonings. The tenders bake up in less than 15 minutes and taste great with a number of different dipping sauces. These chicken tenders are sure to be a regular meal in your summer lunch rotation.

These 10 recipes will please even the pickiest palettes. Give your lunchtime routine a new boost with these fun ideas.

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