A Week of Yumbox Lunch Ideas

I am not a great meal planner, I have to admit. I like being spontaneous when it comes to food but with four kids it just doesn't make sense to not plan ahead. As my kids are getting older and more activities are crowding my calendar, I am trying to be better about at least buying fruits and vegetables in bulk and having an idea what everyone will be taking to school. Since my kids differ in ages and appetite, that requires an actual shopping list and a plan.

Today, I am sharing a weeks worth of lunches packed in our original yumbox. Side note: the purple yumbox is an older model that my daughter still uses and the pink one is the new upgraded version of the original.

6 YUMBOX LUNCH IDEAS FOR YOUR WEEK AHEAD:

This Elmo inspired lunch contains:

• Annie's Cheddar Bunnies
• apple wedges
• peanut butter dip
• kiwi fruit
• an Elmo jelly sandwich
• a grape and almond butter snack

This Hello Kitty inspired lunch is filled with:

• cheese crackers
• cucumber and red pepper
• peanut butter crackers
• Hello Kitty cream cheese sandwiches
• apple wedges
• a few fruit snacks

This Mickey Mouse themed lunch contains:

• Annie's Cheddar Bunnies
• peanut butter crackers
• a piece of banana
• peanut butter dip
• apple wedges
• Minnie Mouse jelly sandwiches

This fairy bread lunch is packed with:

• a tube yogurt
• two cookies
• apple wedges
• blueberries
• peanut butter dip
• fairy bread Nutella sandwiches 
• carrot sticks

This snack lunch is filled with:

• a tube yogurt
• a few cookies
• carrot sticks
• cheese crackers
• a star nut butter sandwich 
• a few chocolate treats
• spinach and mini peppers

I also added a Lunchbox Love lunchbox note.

The cute Panda pocket sandwich lunch contains:

• a tube yogurt
• cookies
• apples slices and blueberries
• cheese crackers
• a few chocolate treats
• a Panda pocket sandwich with cream cheese
• mini peppers
• Lunchbox Love lunchbox note

** These lunchboxes contain peanut butter. If your school is peanut free you can instead send WOWbutter or substitute with other ingredients that are safe :)

Family Picnic at Home

Some days it is easier to pack lunchboxes for lunch even if you don't go anywhere. I love how easy it is to fill them when they are all lined up on my counter. That way I have a mini assembly line and can just put veggies and fruit in each one at the same time.

Plus, the kids still love having lunch out of a lunchbox even if they are eating it at the dining room table.

These two lunches have strawberries and blueberries, broccoli, tomatoes and carrots, veggie dip and 4 sandwich quarters held together by a bento pick. My kids wanted Turkey Clubs, so I put two slices of bread in my toaster oven (one with cheese) and in about 3 min at 350 degrees the cheese is melty and you have nice toasted bread. I added turkey, salad, pickles and a small amount of mayonnaise :)

The lunchbox on the right is packed as I mentioned above and for my one child that does not like sandwiches I omitted the Turkey Club and just added Deli meat on food picks. He was happy with just the meat and you can add crackers to the lunch  if desired.

I even made lunchboxes for my husband and I. I have the same Turkey Club lunch as the kids and for my husband I made a Salad and Chicken Whole Wheat wrap. 

And if you need to make lunches for a big crowd...KeeleyMcGuireBlog has a great post about packing multiple lunches HERE.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer vacation!