Easy-to-Make Brown Bag Lunch for School
Planning lunches is one of many tasks that parents must tackle during the school year. Trying to get kids up, cleaned, dressed, and out the door on time is not easy. By the time you finish breakfast, you may not have the time or energy to prepare lunch.
Luckily, preparing a nutritious lunch only takes a few minutes. For example, consider packing a brown bag lunch with a sandwich and a side dish. You can stack a few ingredients between layers of bread and place it in a bag. Sandwiches are great for school lunches, as the ingredients stay fresh at room temperature through midday without needing a cooler or fridge.
From the classic peanut butter and jelly (PB&J) sandwich to a BLT, you have an endless list of sandwiches to try making. Here are a few of our go-to brown bag lunch ideas for school.
Best Sandwiches for School Lunches
You can easily prepare any of the following sandwiches in the morning or the night before to send your kids off with a healthy meal.
● Ham and Cheese Sandwich: Top off the ham with Swiss cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard.
● Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich: PB&J is one of the easiest sandwiches to make. Spread peanut butter on one slice of bread, jelly on another slice, and slap the two together.
● Tuna Sandwich: Mix tuna with chopped tomato and shredded lettuce for a quick sandwich.
● Turkey Sandwich: Top turkey with cheese and lettuce. Use a slice or two of pepper jack cheese to give the sandwich a kick.
● Pepperoni and Cheese Sandwich: Make a simple pizza-style sandwich with a slice of mozzarella or Colby jack cheese and a layer of pepperoni.
● Classic Club Sandwich: To make the classic club, fill a large roll with mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, a dash of salt and pepper, and as much bacon and turkey as you can eat.
● BLT Sandwich: Bacon, lettuce, and tomato is another classic sandwich. It’s nothing fancy, but delicious!
As a side note, you may want to package the condiments separately. Mayo or mustard can add flavor to any sandwich but may also cause the bread to become soggy. Save condiment packets from fast-food restaurants or use disposable portion cups.
Toasting the bread, packing the meat and cheese separately, or using a crusty roll instead of sliced bread can also keep the sandwich tasting fresh.
Perfect Sides for a Sandwich
A sandwich is not a complete meal without a side dish. The easiest option is a bag of chips. You can buy a variety pack or a bulk set of your child’s favorite chips.
If you want to save money, buy family-size bags of chips and inexpensive or reusable sandwich baggies. Pour a single serving into a sandwich bag and pack it with the sandwich.
Pudding is another popular side for school lunches. While people tend to think of chocolate pudding, you can buy pudding snack packs in various fruity flavors, including mango and lemon.
Fruit salad pairs great with most sandwiches and adds more nutrition to the meal. If you want to whip up a batch of fruit salad the night before, combine chopped fruit of your choice and cover with a fruit sauce or syrup.
Potato salad goes good with sandwiches and is an affordable side. You can prepare a large bowl of potato salad and dish out individual servings over several days. To spice up the potato salad, consider using Dijon honey mustard instead of yellow mustard.
While everyone has different tastes, egg salad, pasta salad, nuts, coleslaw, and chopped fresh fruit are perfect sides for most sandwiches.
Did we miss your favorite sandwich? Find Cellone’s bread and rolls at a grocery store near you. Visit our retail page to see a list of locations!