27 Recipes You Can Make Ahead for Your Lunch Box, Plus Easy Fruit and Veggie Add-Ons

Before we talk about your lunch box, let me just ask:

Do you ever get sick of hearing me talk about eating more and more and more fruits and vegetables? I am…not even sorry. I believe in the Great Pumpkin (eating it, of course), and all the other Great Fruits and Vegetables our bodies are screaming for. I believe in this even more than I believe in eating real butter, and I believe you and I both know how misty-eyed I get over a stick of butter. Now let’s all grab a cucumber with a little homemade ranch and keep chatting, shall we?

Several of you have seen this card and thought of me. Yes, yes, and yes.

Packing a lunch can become a little boring day after day, right? A sandwich, chips, maybe carrots or an apple…ho hum. I like that combo every once in a while, but I have some exciting news for you:  Packing a clementine and some sweet peppers is just as easy as packing an apple and carrots. Walk around the produce department a few minutes and just see what all you can find to liven up your lunches (whether you pack them to-go or not).

Since beginning our Make-Ahead Lunch Box series, I’ve shared 12 fun recipes.

That’s a dozen new lunch box ideas that do not involve a package of lunch meat or a carrot stick.

• Cream Cheese BLT Sandwiches
• Zucchini Carrot Bread
• Hot Chocolate Souffle
• Lazy Dogs
• Taco Quesadillas
• Bbq Beef and Cheese Hot Pockets
• Coconut Fudge Bars
• Bacon, Egg, and Avocado Salad
• Raspberry Lemon Cream Cups
• Nectarine Cream Cups
• Ham and Cheese Pasta Salad
• Whole Wheat Pizza Swirls

Now, here are 15 more recipe ideas you should look through.

These have been on my website for quite some time. All of the ideas will work great to make ahead, then pull out to pack for a lunch:

•  Taco Corn Fritters
• Taco Salad
• Turkey Ranch Pinwheels
• Snowflake Quesadillas
• Salmon Patties
• Pasta Salad Bar
• Pigs in a Blanket
• Easy Cheesy Bean Dip
• Chicken Salad
• Black Bean Salsa
• Black Bean Taco Salad
• BLT Wraps
• Calzones
• Chewy Granola Bars
• Cranberry Nut Trail Mix

Don’t forget our newest challenge: Add Spinach to Everything! With many of the 27 recipes listed above, you can add spinach for extra nutrients.

Now let’s look at good fruit and veggie add-ons. I listed apples and carrots first, because those are a given. But wait till you see all the other fun options to give your lunch box some life!

• Apples
• Carrots
• Bananas
• Clementines
• Oranges
• Applesauce
• Peach Cups (100% juice)
• Grapes
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Sweet Peppers
• Side Salad
• Blueberries
• Sliced Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Sliced cucumbers
• Celery
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Pears

That’s 20 yummy possiblities.  I’m sure you have thought of others I didn’t mention.

This has been on my mind lately as basketball season is starting up again at our house. This means that many weekends now through March, we will be on the road. We don’t mind eating out here and there, but to save money and to pack in the nutrition, I’ve been brainstorming options for food we can pack to-go.

Hearing your ideas always inspires me – so leave comments to share how you pack a healthy lunch box. Also, fill in the blank:  There is little in life that could not benefit from a little love, a little time and _____________________________. How would you finish that phrase?! :)