Back to School Lunch Ideas for Picky Eaters

This is a paid sponsored post by Kroger although all opinions are my own.

If you have a picky eater as I do, then you need some back to school lunch ideas that are going to keep them full and happy. Kroger’s Private Selection line has several delicious items for your kids that won’t send them complaining and bring back their lunch boxes empty.

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I am living with a picky eater and he is almost four years old. I told myself when I would start a family, I would not raise picky eaters for children. I want my kids to be willing to try different foods and have a somewhat sophisticated taste palate. I guess that is wishful thinking because with my son, that did not happen. He’s a chicken nuggets and fries, a burger with ketchup, and mac and cheese eater. How did this happen?! I made Homemade Baby Food and everything to prevent him from becoming a picky eater. Ugh, oh well!

The interesting thing is my husband and I don’t eat that way. We don’t have boxes of processed dinners in our freezer or cabinets waiting to be made. Our son doesn’t eat that stuff either, but somehow he doesn’t eat the fresh and home-cooked meals that I typically prepare. To some of you, this is not a major concern, but to me, it is for one big and important reason. He will be starting pre-k soon and I cannot have a child come home hungry because he refuses to eat the lunch that is prepared for him. So I need to start creating lunch ideas for this picky eater NOW, so when he starts pre-k soon (they grow up so fast…tears) he can eat a wholesome lunch that will keep him energized and satisfied. 

When it comes to making lunches for kids, I think Bento Box lunches are best. That is not an educated statement, just a personal opinion. You can put many foods in those cute little boxes that are bite-size and they can even be fun to eat if you pack something that needs to be put together. Like a homemade Lunchable type thingy. Also, I think (at least with my kids) the smaller the portion size seems to be, the easier it is for him to eat because he isn’t overwhelmed with eating a large portion of something. Unless it’s the pizza of course. 

Luckily, Private Selection has great options for just that idea!

Kroger’s Private Selection line has many bite-size snack options that are easy for both kids or adults, and are small enough to fit into your lunch box and delicious enough to keep you happy. Not to mention, the portion sizes are already made to where you just pack them and go. This definitely helps with prep time of cutting veggies, fruit, cheese, and protein, and THEN pack the lunch. Nope! All you have to do is pack and go!

For working moms like myself, I don’t have a lot of time to do extra cooking to make lunches. When it comes to entertaining or doing any sort of meal prep, I need quality tasty meal options that I can just put together. 

Here’s a list of some of Kroger’s Private Selection food items, that are perfect for packing lunches: 

• Turkey Snack Bites
• Beef Snack Bites
• Classic Cracker Collection Variety Pack
• Gourmet Cracker Cuts Sliced Cheese
• Original Hummus
• Ruby Rows Cherry Tomatoes
• Mini Seedless Cucumbers
• Little Gems Lettuce
• Sweet Cippolini Onions

To name a few!

Now that I have some options to pack my son’s lunch when he starts school, I’m able to make lunch I know he will enjoy and eat without compromising nutrition. Using some of the Private Selection items, I created three Bento Lunch Box ideas that you can make for your picky one too!

1. Homemade Lunchable: Beef Snack Bites, Gourmet Cheese Cuts, Strawberries, Mini Cucumber slices, and crackers from the Classic Cracker Selection.

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2. PB&J Box: Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich made with Private Selection Sugar-Free Whole Wheat Bread, Tortilla Chips (his favorite), mandarin orange slices, and cheese cuts.

3. Turkey and Cheese Roll-Up Box: Turkey and Cheese Roll-ups, sliced apples, Little Gems Lettuce, Chocolate Covered Pretzels. 

There are other variations that you can create using the Private Selection items mentioned above. 

Here are some other lunch options: 

Option 1: 

• Original Hummus
• Ruby Rows Cherry Tomatoes
• Sliced Mini Cucumbers
• Turkey Bites

Option 2: 

• Aged Cheddar Spread 
• Turkey Bites
• Gourmet Crackers
• Grapes

Option 3: 

• Cheese Quesadilla slices
• Honeydew melon 
• Salsa
• Little Gems Lettuce

Whatever you decide to make for your kid’s lunch, be sure it is something they will enjoy and look forward to, time and time again. Start off using Private Selection snack ideas. Not only could you use them for lunch boxes, but they are great choices for entertaining and just snacking.