Paleo Kids Lunch Ideas

Making paleo-friendly lunches for your kids can seem like it requires a whole lot of time and planning, but it doesn't have to! I used to hate trying to pack a paleo school lunch (or even preparing lunch at home), but now I have a list of great options and my kids are always excited to see what they get to eat. 

I find that small things like a unique lunch container or cutting fruits and vegetables into fun shapes goes a long way to helping make healthy food a little more interesting for younger kids. Things like theseanimal shaped vegetable cutters or these funny faced plates are a great way to make meals a little more enjoyable.

Check out this list of paleo friendly lunch foods and fun lunch tools that will have your kids eating healthy and have them loving their lunch! If you have any foods that you prepare for your kids please leave them in the comments section so we can all share our list of paleo lunch ideas!

Tools and Fun Lunch Equipment
Having some fun tools around can help make lunch a little more exciting. Check out these ideas for making lunch more fun at home or at school:

• Lunch Bento Boxes (great for school lunches)
  
• Fruit and Vegetable Cutters (making healthy snacks into fun shapes makes them more fun to eat!)
  
• Decorative Reusable Bags (don't waste money on disposable plastic baggies)
  
• Colorful Silicone Cups (to separate smaller items)
  
• Multi Use Snack Containers (similar to snack cups, but with a lid)
• Fun Face Plates (these are great for meals at home - my kids love them!)
  
• Thermos (for soups, stews, chopped fruits, etc.) 
• Reusable Juice Box (these are great for packing homemade juices or other drinks)
• Lunchbox Laughs (these makes lunches extra special)

Mains
For a long time I gave my kids roasted chicken pieces at lunch (which they loved but grew tired of fairly quickly). There are so many other ideas for main proteins that are paleo friendly, easy and delicious! Here are some of my favorites:

• Roasted Chicken
  
• Crispy Bacon
  
• Cooked Breakfast Sausage
  
• Applegate Farms Deli Meats (roll in a paleo tortilla with a little paleo mayo for a great lunch wrap) 
  
• Grass-Fed Hot Dogs
  
• Chicken Nuggets or Chicken Strips
• Fish Sticks
• Hard Boiled Eggs (made with a fun egg shaper!)
  
• Deviled Eggs
  
• Mini Burgers
  
• Meatballs in Tomato Sauce 
  
• Jerky or Grass-Fed Beef Sticks
  
• Soup or Stew (in a thermos)
  
• Chicken or Tuna Salad
  
• Prosciutto Egg Cups
• Mini paleo pancakes with maple syrup for dipping (they still taste great cold or room temperature)
• Leftovers (many leftovers make a great next-day lunch for both adults and kids. I will often make a double batch of dinner so I can use it for lunches for the next couple days!)

Fun Snacks and Sides
I like to pick one fun snack or side to include with lunch, in additional to one fruit and one vegetable. Here are some of my favorites that I like to rotate into lunches:

• Raw Nuts (Almonds, pistachios, cashews, etc.)
  
• Paleo Granola
  
• Almond Butter Apple Slice Sandwiches (horizontally sliced apples with almond butter in between)
  
• Applesauce Packs
  
• Nut Butter Packs
• Ants on a Log (celery filled with almond butter and topped with raisins)
  
• Mini Lara Bars
  
• Pork Clouds
  
• Paleo Hummus or Guacamole (makes a great dip for veggies!)
• Blueberry Muffins
  
• Rainbow Smoothie
• Cookies
• Gelatin Gummies
• Fruit Leather (love these!)
• Paleo Chocolate Pudding
• Kale Chips or Dried Seaweed (not all kids like these, but it's worth a try)
• Paleo Gogurt (use Ice Pop Molds filled with homemadePaleo Yogurt) 

Fruits
Fruits are an easy sell for most kids because they are naturally sweet. There are so many fruits that are easy to find and easy to pack. Here are some ideas to get out going:

• Apples
  
• Bananas
  
• Grapes
  
• Oranges
• Stone Fruits (peaches, plums, aprictos, nectarines, cherries
• Tropical Fruits (pineapple, papaya, mango, etc,)
  
• Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.)
  
• Melon (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, etc.)
  
• Dried Fruits (apple chips, banana chips, dried apricots, raisins)
  

Vegetables
My kids actually love raw broccoli and carrots and prefer to eat those over most other things. They didn't start off that way when we first switched over to a paleo lifestyle, but after almost a year they now beg me for vegetables. Be patient - it just takes some time! Here are some of the easy favorites I add to lunches:

• Cherry Tomatoes or Tomato Slices  
  
• Cucumber Slices          
  
• Broccoli   
  
• Carrots          
  
• Celery              
  
• Bell Peppers              
  
• Sliced Avocado
  
• Jicama