Healthy Lunch Ideas for Teens

If you are looking for healthy lunch ideas for teens, let me tell you about what my son and I decided to help him make the most of his lunchtime, keep him full, and save money.

My 13-year-old son (who will be 14 in November) is in the eighth grade this year. I can’t believe this is his last year of middle school and that he will be in high school this time next year!

As I shared in my Preparing for Middle School post, my son was not excited about the fact that his mom signed him up for pre-AP classes and with that placement came two substantial books to read over the summer.

Over the course of the summer, we had to make sure paperwork, supplies, and mindsets were in order.

He’s played football, basketball, and soccer in recent years. But, he’s taking a break this season. If you’re looking for suggestions, I’ll share with you the 5 Must Haves for Every Sports Mom.

If you have teenagers, particularly boys, you know they’re always hungry. At his middle school, lunch is $2.70 or $13.50 per week. That’s in addition to a weekly breakfast cost of $6.25. That’s about $20 a week (or $80 a month) just on his meals at school. Not to mention I have a six-year-old to feed, too!

We’ve been thinking about packing lunch for several reasons. Here are my thoughts…

Lunch Ideas for Teens 

Teen boys, are often quite resistant to carrying a home packed meal to school. It can seem way cooler to buy lunch in the cafeteria; to not have one more thing to carry when you’re already lugging around lots of heavy books.

But what’s more important for a growing kid than good nutrition?If you’re struggling with either HOW to pack for teens or how to CONVINCE them to take a packed lunch, keep reading….

• With bringing his lunch, he gets to eat his whole lunch without rushing and can still goof around with his friends. His lunch line friends are in a constant rush to get their lunches and inhale them before time’s up.
• If I give him money, he will buy pizza, more pizza, and french fries every-single-day.  The food offered in our district’s school cafeterias leaves something to be desired.
• If my kids buy on certain days (corn dogs, chicken nugget, or pizza days), they come home starving! The food portions don’t keep them full until after school. If we pack, there’s a much greater chance that my kids’ meals will sustain them throughout the day!
• Kids in sports may bring AND buy a lunch because they are trying to get in as many calories as they can.
• The school day is long with sports practice and games after school. Many teenagers should bring a packed lunch and snack every day.

Healthy Lunches for Teens 

Lunch Box Inspiration – What to Pack in Lunch Boxes for Teens 

10 healthy lunch ideas for teens 

1. Easy Peasy – Annie’s Pea B&J pockets are a great alternative to a lunchtime classic, because they’re made with golden pea butter instead of peanut butter!
2. Snacky Bunny Lunch – A filling snack platter loaded with fresh fruit, veggies, and Annie’s Bunnies for dunkin’.
3. Chicken Teriyaki & Bunnies – A savory protein-filled lunch with plenty of fresh fruit and veggies, perfect for kids of all ages.
4. Perfectly Portable – A lunch filled with new takes on old favorites. Perfect for the kiddo on the go (or the kiddo who can’t sit still).
5. Soup-er Bunny Bunch – A wholesome and filling lunch that everybunny will love.
6. Grabbit & Go – A protein-filled lunch with fresh fruit, veggies, and chewy, chocolatey whole grain goodness.
7. Cereal-ously Yummy – A lunch box made for the little bunny breakfast lovers out there.
8. Lunchtime Mix-in Mac – A family favorite mixed with delicious yellow squash to help sneak in those extra veggies at lunchtime.
9. Happy Snacking – A fresh fruit, veggie, and Cheddar Bunnies platter, perfect for a hungry bunny snacker.
10. Just Peachy – We’re nuts for a good lunch! Start with an avocado sandwich, almonds, grape tomatoes, and finish it off with an Annie’s Organic Whole Milk Yogurt Tube.

Healthy Snack Ideas for Teens

We headed to our local Kroger and found Annie’s Organic Yogurt Tubes, Berry Bunnies Cereal, and Cocoa Bunnies Cereal. I always have Portion Control Snack Bags on hand, so I just portioned out 3/4 cup of each cereal and you can also include 1 or 2 of the yogurt tubes. Don’t forget to turn in the Box Tops for Education that can also be found on these packages.

My son can pack a couple of sandwiches, bunnies cereal, a yogurt tube, and some fresh fruit. Here’s a quick video (literally under a minute) to show you how I put them together.

 

 

Why Annie’s?

Annie Withey co-founded Annie’s Homegrown, Inc. with the goal of giving families healthy and delicious macaroni and cheese and to show by example that a successful business can also be socially responsible.

Annie’s is a mission-driven business grounded in using natural and organic ingredients to make great-tasting products that consumers love.

• No Artificial Flavors
• No Synthetic Colors
• No Synthetic Preservatives
• No GMOs
• No Growth Hormones
• No Persistent Pesticides

Head to your local grocery store to purchase and try Annie’s products or to visit their website to learn more about Annie’s products.

Thank you to Annie’s Homegrown for sponsoring today’s post and inspiring me to try their delicious products!