40 Surprisingly Simple Teacher Lunches
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One thing I always struggle with every school year is packing lunches that are tasty and that I don’t get sick of. This year I am trying to make a change to that! These 40 (surprisingly pretty simple!) teacher lunches will give me lots of choices and variety. Now I just need to work on the “having time to eat and not swallowing it whole” part…
40 Simple Teacher Lunches
We all know teaching is busy and often a blur of activity. I am sure you have had days like mine where I am lucky to go to the bathroom, let alone eat lunch! I also often end up repeating a lot of the same meals (I think I had a turkey wrap for 9 months straight honestly) because I just didn’t plan ahead well enough. With these simple teacher lunch ideas, I hope we can all add some variety to our meals!
And I highly recommend grabbing an insulated lunchbag that will keep your food warm or cold until you’re ready to eat!
Salads
I know it’s easy to say we get tired of salads, which may be true, but I think I really just get tired of my salads (as in, boring). These salads are definitely a step up! I like to pack them in containers with compartments to keep all the ingredients separate until lunchtime.
Mix up a southwest chicken salad. / Mess for Less
Try something new with a mango chicken couscous lunch box salad. / Kitchen Counter Chronicle
Spruce up your chicken with this Italian chicken salad. / Mess for Less
Artichoke fan? You will love this hearts of palm and artichoke salad. / The Soccer Mom Blog
This rainbow chef salad is both colorful and healthy. / MomDot
Skip the lettuce with this 5 bean salad. / Frugal Mom Eh!
Have some pasta with this chicken and pea pasta salad. / Frugal Mom Eh!
Add some crunch with this yummy spinach salad with boursin, candied pecans, and craisins. / Meaningful Mama
Make a Greek orzo salad to take along. / Meaningful Mama
Love pasta salad? Try the best pasta salad recipe ever. / Happiness is Homemade
Add some flavor with this quick and easy fiesta chicken taco salad. / Happiness is Homemade
Struggle with getting your veggies in? Try this refreshing veggie salad. / Mama Miss
Add the crunch of broccoli with this easy broccoli salad. / Real Life at Home
If you love cucumbers, this cucumber pasta will be a hit! / My Life and Kids
Have you tried quinoa? You will love it in this southwestern quinoa salad. / Your Modern Family
Mason jar salads are so easy to prep and pack! / Crystal and Comp
Sandwiches and Wraps
Goodbye peanut butter and jelly, hello options! These sandwiches and wraps make perfect teacher lunches and are sure to be a hit with your taste buds.
Make some quick roll-ups with these easy tortilla roll-up recipes. / Eats Amazing
Trade out your regular bread for flatbread with this tasty BBQ Pulled Chicken. / Eats Amazing
Skip the bread altogether with these sliced cucumber sandwiches. / Foodlets
Have a croissant for lunch with this club croissant sandwich. / Makeovers and Motherhood
Hummus fan? Make a ham and hummus sandwich. / Peace But Not Quiet
Pack up a hearty chicken salad wrap. / Mom Endeavors
These turkey wraps are quick, easy, and delicious! / Parenting Chaos
Put your salad in a wrap with this shredded taco chicken salad wrap. / Crazy Adventures in Parenting
Do you love avocado? Try a chicken avocado wrap. / 3 Boys and a Dog
With a little prep the night before, these oven baked chicken tikka wraps will be great for lunch! / Eats Amazing
Wonder what else tastes good in a sandwich? These easy lunch ideas list out a ton of options. /Frugal Family
Other Tasty Lunch Ideas
Not feeling in the mood for salads or sandwiches? Try some of these yummy alternatives!
Try these delicious and healthy cranberry apple chicken salad cucumber cups. / Happiness is Homemade
Apples and peanut butter are best friends with this apple peanut butter salad. / Mama Papa Bubba
Try something new (At least to me!) with these tasty strawberry peanut butter wraps. / Foodlets
Take a smoothie with you for lunch! Be sure to use this smoothie school lunch hack. / East Coast Mommy
Pack Snacks for Lunch!
Sometimes (often) I don’t have time to necessarily eat a larger meal at lunch, but I do get hungry. I find that I enjoy packing a variety of snacks and eating them at lunch, recess, and after the kids go home too. These Bento boxes are perfect for keeping small snacks fresh. Here are some great snack options:
Pack some peanut butter and celery.
Cut up some apples to have with peanut butter.
Dip veggies in this tasty hummus. / Snotty Noses
Bring some chips to enjoy with your favorite salsa.
Make a fabulous trail mix. / Childhood 101
Roll up some sliced meat and cheese.
Pack veggies and your favorite dip.
Make these healthy zucchini muffins. / Snotty Noses
Lunch time doesn’t have to be hard this year! I will be planning ahead a bit with these teacher lunches, and hopefully living on more than granola bars, peanuts, and leftovers from the teachers’ lounge.
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Thanks for creating such a helpful and diverse list!
Thank you for the ideas! We’re 1 week into school and I’ve mostly been eating Lean Cuisines π
Anahi,
We’ve been there before! Glad you can use the ideas. π
Was not helpful
Hi Sophie! We would love to hear your lunch ideas to add to our list! Feel free to let us know. Have a great week. π