Forty Five Sandwich Free Lunch Ideas for Summer!

Brandon and the boys could eat sandwiches every day for every meal. I am not like that.  After a busy school year (for both the boys and Brandon) I am tired of making sandwiches. So, instead of having sandwiches EVERYDAY we are going to be breaking out a few non-sandwich favorites.

Just incase you are stuck you are in a sandwich rut too, I am sharing my list. Let me know what you think.

1.       Mini Pizzas.  Tortillas, Bagels, and English Muffins all work great. To keep them from getting soggy bake the cheese on your pizza “crust” and then add the sauce on the top when they are done.

2.       Quesadillas. I make these on my George Foreman grill and so they don’t have to be fried and they are super easy. My favorite ingredients are cheese, tomatoes, spinach, and onions, topped with homemade guacamole.

3.       Homemade Lunchables. Whole wheat crackers thinly sliced baked chicken breast, cheese, tomatoes. Easy and fun for the kiddos.

4.       Strawberry Roll Ups. Spread almond butter on a whole wheat tortilla. Top with sliced strawberries and roll up.

5.       Chef Salad. Throw some lettuce and spinach in a bowl and then top with whatever fresh veggies you have on hand. Then add some grated cheese and/or boiled egg for protein and you are ready to go.

6.       Deli Rolls. Layer thinly sliced ham or turkey, thinly sliced cheese, avocados, and thinly sliced tomatoes and roll it up. If I stick a plastic sword toothpick in it then the boys will gladly eat it up.

7.       Peanut Butter and Jelly Crackers. Okay, I will admit that this is incredibly similar to a sandwich but this meal travels exceptionally well. Since none of the ingredients need to be refrigerated I have just thrown these ingredients in the backpack and assembled these at the water park or zoo.

8.       Veggies and Bean Dip. My children love to have ‘snacks’ for meals. This is super quick meal. Pull out any fresh veggies you have in the fridge, a can of black beans, and some grated cheddar. Throw the black beans in your food processor or blender. (I usually rinse them first but you don’t have too). It makes a great bean dip, super healthy, top with some grated cheese for a perfect quick meal.

9.       Ham Kabobs. Ham cubes, Swiss cheese cubes, and pineapple chunks on a skewer. Fast and easy.

10.   Yogurt Parfait. Mix some Greek yogurt (it has more protein then regular) with a little bit of honey and layer with chopped fresh fruit. Top with granola and your ready to go. (Plus the boys think they are getting desert for lunch.)

11.   Cheese and crackers. Simple, easy, and paired with some fresh veggies it is a quick and healthy lunch.

12.   Mac and cheese. I don’t usually let the boys eat the stuff in the box but every so often I will take the time and make homemade macaroni and cheese. They love it.

13.   Pretzels and peanut butter. This lunch is pretty basic but it is a good choice to take on a picnic and can be paired with a few healthy sides.

14.   Breadsticks and vegetable soup. They have a few good choices for canned soup at the grocery store. While the normal stuff is pretty laden with sodium and preservatives there are few good choices. You can also buy fresh breadsticks or rolls at the bakery of your grocery store.

15.   Pesto Pinwheels. This is one that I have to persuade the boys to eat but cooked pinwheel pasta, a little bit of pesto, pine nuts, chopped tomatoes, topped with parmesan cheese makes a great lunch.

16.   Shrimp cocktail. This s a simple, healthy, low fat protein choice and can be combined with any side. Cooked, peeled shrimp can be bought in the frozen food section. Then you have to just pull them out of the freezer, run them under cold water until they are thawed and they are ready to go.

17.   Laughing Cow, Pretzels, and Ham Cubes. The little Laughing Cow cheeses are soft enough to make a great dip. The boys love to dip pretzels in them. Pair it with ham or turkey cubes and this lunch packs enough protein to get your little one through the day.

18.   Nacho Lunchables. Blue corn tortilla chips, grated cheddar cheese, salsa, and a few fresh veggies are a perfect lunch. If I put all the ingredients in their own little containers and let the boys make their own nachos then they have a blast.

19.   Banana Dogs. Spread a whole wheat hot dog bun with peanut butter and then put a banana in the bun for a great vegetarian twist on the usual hot dog.

20.   Veggie Burgers. It is only a sandwich if you have bread right? I love black bean burger patties; the boys tolerate them especially if I throw one of their favorite foods on the plate.

21.   Black Eyed Pea Salad. There are a million recipes for this. Find one that has all the ingredients in it that you like. The thing I love about this is that it can be made ahead of time in a large batch and eaten for a day or two.

22.   Chicken salad with Grapes. I know lots of people put this on bread but it is just as good without it. Chicken chopped in larger chunks makes a great salad to eat with a fork.

23.   Lettuce Wraps. Think PF Changs but cheap!

24.   Turkey Melon Wraps. Thinly sliced turkey around cantaloupe is surprisingly good. I also like thinly sliced ham or cheddar around apple slices but I haven’t been successful in getting the family to join me in this one.

25.   Chicken Drumsticks. This is fairly self explanatory.

26.   Black Beans and Rice. Mix black beans and rice, top with salsa. Great quick meal, especially if you have leftover beans and rice.

27.   Ants on a Log. This is a favorite elementary school favorite but doesn’t just have to be for snacks.

28.   Peanut Butter on Banana Bread. Simple and delicious.

29.   Pretzel Pokers. This is a meal that Elisha invented. Using pretzel sticks to make skewers to use with cubed ham, cheese cubes, and even melon chunks.

30.   Pasta Salad. Any kind, hot or cold, serve with some grilled chicken breast and you are ready to go.

31.   Hard Boiled Eggs. This is the easiest lunch ever. Boil a dozen or two eggs at the beginning of the week and work on them through the week.

32.   Cottage Cheese and Pineapple. My grandmother used to make this for me when I was a child and it is still a favorite. The boys love to eat it spread on graham crackers.

33.   Mini Turkey Meatballs. These can be made ahead of time and frozen. They can be served by themselves, over pasta, or shall I say it…. on a sandwich.

34.   Baked Potatoes. Or you can use bake sweet potatoes. Top with whatever your favorite toppings are.

35.   Scrambled Eggs with Veggies. Throw the eggs and chopped veggies all in the skillet and cook together. This doesn’t just have to be a great breakfast.

36.   Zucchini Muffins. Whole wheat and zucchini? What can more can you ask for in a lunch?

37.   Peanut Smoothies. Throw peanut butter, banana, yogurt, and a little honey and almond milk in a blender. (I also usually sneak in some wheat bran). Serve them with some yummy trail mix and this is a fun ‘dessert’ lunch.

38.   Apples and Peanut Butter. I like to throw this in the backpack with some granola bars and raisins and this is a great lunch.

39.   Fruit and Cheese Tray. This is a fancy shmancy lunch that the boys love. Strawberries go great with havarti and pepper jack and grapes are fabulous together.

40.   Waffles and Peanut Butter. The boys love to put peanut butter on whole wheat waffles. You can them top with bananas, honey, chocolate chips, strawberries, coconut flakes, anything really.

41.   Tacos. We put all kinds of things in tortillas and call them tacos. We have chicken tacos, turkey tacos, and avocado and bean tacos, use your imagination and make fun tacos.

42.   Mini Muffin Frittatas. These are simple and can be personalized in muffin tins. Since they only take a few minutes to bake they are a great same day lunch.

43.   Omelets. Did you know that you can make omelet in Ziploc bags (You can Google it if you don’t believe me!)?  These are super quick and easy if you already have chopped veggies and cubed ham in your fridge.

44.   Turkey Sushi. Obviously turkey isn’t fish but rolling turkey, cheese, and lettuce tightly and then slicing it like sushi is a fun meal for the boys. You can even practice your chopstick skills when eating it.

45.   Beef Jerky and Trail Mix. Okay, I know this doesn’t look like much of a meal but this a great on the go lunch. Plus, this summer we are going to try and make our own beef jerky. This will be a great lunch for geocaching or hiking!

Since many of these meals are just the ‘main dish’ of the meal you should probably pair them with some great healthy sides like fresh chopped veggies and fruit, crackers and hummus (or any kind of dip), nuts, applesauce, olives, or yogurt.