Creative Lunchbox Ideas
Back to School can be a super fun but also super stressful time for kiddos. A fun surprise at lunchtime can go a long way to boost a drab day or keep the momentum going on a great one.
We’re in love with those super creative bento box lunches we see on Pinterest and Instagram, so we decided to take a stab at our own.
We thought about all of the possible themes we could choose… and we went with bugs. (This may or may not have been sparked by a recent viewing of the “Lion King”.)
Follow along with our ideas to create an adorable and tasty buggy-themed lunch. Try your hand at these creations or make your own theme! Hey, we all want to be kids and play with our food sometimes! 😉
For more Back to School inspiration, check out our Back to School Essentials Guide, No Bake Cookies, Califia Farms’ Fruit Dip, and Lauren Kretzer’s Ranch Dressing Recipe.
CELERY DRAGONFLIES
These are ants on a log with an upgrade. Grab a few celery sticks about 3 inches long and smear them with peanut butter. Place two pretzels or Pretzel Crisps with one long side in the peanut butter. Spread the opposite sides of the pretzels so that they create wings. Use two raisins to create eyes at the end of the celery stick.
GRAPE CATERPILLARS
Take a thick piece of uncooked spaghetti and spear several green grapes. Once you’ve reached about ½ inch from the end, add a red cherry tomato. To create eyes, make two small blobs of vegan cream cheese at the end of the tomato and top each with a vegan chocolate chip. If you want make antenna, use small pieces of parsley stem and place in holes made by a toothpick.
STRAWBERRY LADYBUGS
Strawberries make for excellent ladybugs. For a cute ladybug snack, start by spreading a cracker with vegan cream cheese. Add a blueberry near one edge of the cracker then place two quarter pieces of strawberry to make wings. To make this a delicious dessert swap the cracker with vegan cream cheese for a cookie with icing!
CUCUMBER BEETLES
Another great cracker treat is this savory cucumber and tomato creation. Top a cracker with your favorite vegan cheese. Then line up halved cherry tomatoes down the center of the cracker. Use a slice of cucumber cut in half to create the two wings on the side. Add antenna with parsley stems.
TORTILLA ROLL-UP SNAILS
Does all food taste better rolled? We love PB+J’s rolled up, and anything in a tortilla. For these fun rolls, we’re smearing a tortilla with hummus, adding our favorite vegan cheese, and spinach. Roll the whole tortilla up tightly then cut into inch-thick sections. Slightly unroll one edge and shove in half of a cornichon pickle to create the snails head peeking out from the shell.
FRUIT AND VEGGIE FLOWERS
To accompany your lunch full of bugs, you’ll definitely need some flowers. We use various sized flower cookie cutters to cut our fav fruits and vegetables into flowers. Try cucumbers, melons, pineapple, apples, carrots and more.
SPAGHETTI WORMS
To cap off your box of buggy goodness, don’t forget to add some slimy cooked spaghetti to look like worms. Any topping will do, but bonus points for any concoction that looks like dirt.
