Healthy Back to School Lunch Tips and Ideas + Lunchblox Giveaway!

This post is sponsored by Intermountain LiVe Well. All opinions are my own. 

My Lily loves to pack and take her own lunch to school. Plus I have two preschoolers at home so healthy and fun lunches are a pretty big deal around here. Last week I had the chance to sit down with dietician Mindy Probst from Intermountain Healthcare and brainstorm healthy school lunch ideas as well as ways to help make sure our children are eating them AND enjoying them. As part of the event we tested out Rubbermaid’s popular Lunchbloxes and built our own healthy lunches.

Let me tell you, since I have been home – that Lunchblox is a hit! My husband and all three of my children want to use it for their lunches! They love the Bento style and that it has a cooling component that will keep their food safe and fresh during the day. Intermountain LiVe Well is giving away 8 of these parent and kid-approved Lunchbloxes on  their facebook page this month. I’ll be talking about that more later, but first let’s check out some fun lunch ideas!

The first step to fun and healthy school lunches is all about the planning! I know my daughter will be much more likely to eat her lunch if she has had a hand in planning it and making it. We made these simple ham and cream cheese roll-ups this week and they were a hit! Lily could easily make them herself and I knew that she would devour them. Hooray for knowing she is getting some protein in at school!

 Intermountain LiVe Well has put together some great printables to help you and your child plan out their lunches. Sometimes it helps them to see that they need a fruit, a vegetable, a protein, etc. It also helps if your little planner to see what is on the menu that week! (Am I the only with a child who likes to know EXACTLY what is going on each week?!?) You can download these printables here. 

Another huge aspect of making sure that your child is eating and enjoying lunches is to make it fun! These Princess Sandwiches and Fruit Cars always disappear in a hurry when we have little friends over. You can find the princess cutter on Amazon.com and they are perfect for cookies, too!

Some of the bloggers I attended the event with have been sharing their fun lunch ideas as well. How darling are these Halloween Mini Pizzas from Just Between Friends?

I also love this healthier version of a Lunchable Bento Style by Mountain Mom and Tots. She will be listing more lunch ideas this week as well! Be sure to check them out!

I hope some of these ideas have inspired you to get creative and healthy with your back to school lunches! Now you just need the perfect container! Intermountain LiVe Well is giving away 8 Rubbermaid Lunchblox containers this month on their facebook page. . Head on over to win! They also have oodles of healthy lunch ideas on their Pinterest board!

You can also check out more healthy lunch ideas on Intermountain LiVeWell’s Pinterest Board

Do your children pack a lunch from home?

What lunches are favorites at your house?

What is one lunch food your family could not live without?