Healthy School Lunch Hacks for Families in a Hurry

As parenting tasks go, packing your kid’s lunchbox often ranks somewhere between doing the laundry and driving the carpool — that is, something that is tedious, routine, necessary, and to be endured.

(Is it any wonder so many of us turn into grownups that are slaves to the sad desk salad?)

Fact is, getting the lunchbox packed is but one hurdle. It’s just so easy to get into a rut. (And the more stuck you get, the stronger the case for Lunchables becomes.)

So here are some fresh ideas to keep your kiddo’s lunchbox enticing and exciting.

No lunchbox is complete without a crunchy snack, and roasted chickpeas are every bit as satisfyingly crunchable as Doritos, but chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) are loaded with fiber and protein, two nutrients that’ll help keep your kiddo’s tummy full and blood sugar steady, and they’re gloriously devoid of glow-in-the-dark orange powder.

They’re super easy to make using canned beans: just drain and rinse, toss with olive oil and whatever seasonings your kid likes — rosemary and salt, salt and pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to mimic ranch, chili and lime —and bake in a 450 oven for 30 minutes or so.

Lettuce wraps work with a number of fillings, from last night’s leftover steak and potatoes to store bought rotisserie chicken and bagged slaw, to hummus and veggies or a crumbled veggie burger and shredded cheese.

If you have a kid who enjoys playing with her food, pack the leaves — little gems or butter leaf lettuce work best — separately from the goodies for a delicious lunch that doubles as a kind of art-project-meets-assembly-toy.

Add a little container of dressing, plain yogurt, or salsa for dipping, and let your future Picasso go to town.

The humble pie presents a plethora of opportunities to up the healthy ante. First, use a whole wheat English muffin or cauliflower crust as your base.

Depending on your Martha Stewart quotient, you might want to whip up a homemade sauce, into which you can sneak shredded carrots, onions, peppers, and chopped mushroom. Store bought varieties are often plenty good for you, too — just check the label to make sure you’re not about to detonate a sugar bomb.

From there, you can stash some veggies under the cheese if your child’s proclivities mean you should play it stealth — otherwise, add the mozz and then some colorful chopped veggies on top. Assemble and bake the night before, and refrigerate overnight.

Avocado toast is its own religion these days, and while it is, indeed, delightful, there’s no reason the green stuff should have all the fun. (Plus, it’s hard to keep that lovely shade of green from morphing into an unappetizing grey while waiting for the lunch bell to ring.)

To riff on the toast concept, first get some seriously hearty, seedy bread. Second, don’t toast it! Your kiddo’s not going to be eating her lunch for a while, after all.

For the kid who likes her peas, spread that bread with a generous smear of ricotta cheese. Top it with fresh (or frozen) peas and fava beans or edamame, and drizzle with just the slightest bit of honey. This tasty meal hits all the pleasure points — chewy bread, creamy cheese, crunchy veg, sweet honey — while delivering a smattering of protein and fiber-packed greenery that’s so pretty, even the surliest tween will be stoked to share it on her Instagram.

And for the kid who is averse to all things green? Spread the bread with her favorite nut or seed butter, then top with sliced bananas and shredded coconut.

(Pro tip: before packing this into a reusable sandwich container, insert a couple of toothpicks into your creation and leave them sticking out of the top; this will keep your fancy toppings on the bread, and not smooshed onto the top of the container.)