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5 Easy Lunch Box Ideas
As parents, we want to send our kids to school with the tastiest and healthiest lunches. But who has the time? You do! Here's how.
Aug 21, 2025
As parents, we often have to show off our juggling skills. Homework, sports, meetings, endless video conference calls, laundry, packing lunches…it never ends! Balancing these obligations is a challenge we know all too well.
We want to provide the best for our children, and that includes the food we make for them. We strive to make meals that are as delicious and healthy as they are easy to prepare. Thankfully for you, we have a solution inspired by our mother that will create the time you need to send your children to school with a homemade meal — and it starts the night before.
Mother knows best
Our mom had a knack for getting dinner quickly from the fridge to the table. Her speed was uncanny, but the most impressive part was how delicious and healthy the meals were without trying, considering how effortless she made it all look. Whether it was her zesty zucchini and chicken pasta or Candice's favorite, breakfast for dinner (aka “brinner") — complete with green eggs and ham (chopped spinach frittata and prosciutto) — we would enjoy a home-cooked meal each night around the table, together. The next day we'd head off to school, toting our Millennium Falcon and Little Mermaid lunch boxes packed with delicious lunches. We didn't know it at the time, but she was up to something.
Mom was an elementary school art teacher, and was undeniably creative in and out of the kitchen. Her creativity had a process, one that we have been able to harness now that we have children of our own. That process all comes down to planning.
The mother of all processes
Mom's process was simple and cyclical: She utilized leftovers whenever possible. We have not only adopted that strategy but taken it one step further: We are intentional about our leftovers so that they can inspire lunch box ideas for the next day.
Here's our easy four-step plan:
- Stock the fridge and pantry with items that you enjoy eating and are good for you.
- Follow a simple recipe using ingredients you usually have on hand, or get creative with the ingredients you have.
- Cook a bit more than everyone at the table will eat.
- Pack the kids' lunches with the leftovers as you clean up for the evening.
We have put together a week's worth of reimagined school lunches — along with snack suggestions — that all come from some of our favorite dinner leftovers.
AUTHOR
The Food Siblings Kitchen are brother and sister Paulie Valetutti and Candice Bourgeois. Paulie is a girl dad, husband, brother, and chef who is passionate about all things delicious. He’s been honing his skills as a chef for over 15 years and made the shift from a workaholic lifestyle managing hundreds of employees to taking control of his health as well as helping families understand the importance of nourishing themselves with real food. He’s passionate about keeping his family healthy by preparing nutritious meals every day for his spunky daughter and wife…plus whoever else shows up at our house for dinner. Candice is a boy mom, wife, and chef with a passion for all things in the kitchen. She helps parents minimize the frustrations of mealtimes for themselves and their kids all while getting new, healthy ingredients into family meals. With a degree in early childhood education, and an a-la-minute mindset for mom life, Candice incorporates developmentally appropriate practices to feed children of all ages (including big ones – aka the adults).
