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Home Diet Vegetarian

FIVE Healthy Lunch Box Ideas

10 mins
VG Vegetarian
Avatar by: Lindsay Grimes Freedman
September 21, 2017 (Updated: June 6, 2020)
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FIVE Healthy Lunch Box Ideas
Ditch your boring sandwich and try these FIVE Fun and Healthy Lunch Box Ideas! They’re all gluten free, dairy free, and allergy friendly!!

When I was growing up my mom always packed my lunches for school. I loved the mix of things she packed on rotation and I loved her little napkin notes. It wasn’t until my kids started preschool that I realized how difficult packing lunch boxes can be.

FIVE Healthy Lunch Box Ideas

When we were living in Philadelphia, my son’s first preschool asked us not to pack any peanut butter. I was knocked on my butt. What? No nuts? My mind went blank.

I immediately texted my mom friend and asked her for ideas. I couldn’t get past peanut butter & jelly. Luckily she easily rattled off a few she was packing and it got the creative juices flowing. I’ve come a long way of looking beyond the peanut butter and jelly sandwich and today I’m pumped to share FIVE sandwich-free lunch box ideas that are fun for kids and adults alike.

I’m partnering with one of my favorite brands – Enjoy Life Foods! From their minis to their chunks, I’m always adding their chocolate chips to my cart because of the quality. I also love that they never contain dairy, nuts, or soy, so you know it’s just the good stuff. If you want to try them for yourself, head over to their website use the promo code FREEFROM20 for 20% off your order!!

FIVE Healthy Lunch Box Ideas

They also have really fun packable snacks, so along with the recipes, I’m sharing a couple of their packable lunch box snacks that my kids rejoice over. I’m not joking. My son saw an Enjoy Life package in his lunchbox and he ran over to me to give me a kiss. He was overcome with gratitude. I feel ya, little man. I feel ya.

So let’s do it! Here are Five Back to School Lunch Box Ideas that are allergy friendly – free from nuts, gluten, and soy!

FIVE Healthy Lunch Box Ideas

ONE: Ok, shoot. Maybe this little bagel is sandwich-y, so I might be striking out with you guys on my first box. But in my book it doesn’t count, so hopefully you stick around 🙂 Grab your favorite gluten free bagel and spread on some non-dairy cream cheese and jelly. My son LOVES these sandwiches!! I’m packing it with some fresh berries and these double chocolate banana bliss balls. Grab the recipe for the bliss balls below!!

Did you make this? Leave a review below and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!

VG Vegetarian

Chocolate Banana Bliss Balls

AvatarRecipe by:Lindsay Grimes Freedman
Prep: 10 minsTotal: 10 mins
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Servings: 16 1x

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup gluten free rolled oats
  • ½ cup hemp hearts
  • ¼ cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (or cacao powder)
  • 1 banana, mashed
  • 1 tablespoon agave nectar (honey or maple syrup works)
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower seed butter
  • ½ cup Enjoy Life Foods chocolate chunks

Instructions

  1. Place the oats, hemp hearts, sunflower seeds, and cocoa powder in your food processor.
  2. Process for 10 seconds until combined and coarsely chopped.
  3. Add the banana, agave nectar, and sunflower seed butter.
  4. Process again until well combined, about 10 – 20 seconds.
  5. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and then process for another 5 seconds.
  6. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
  7. Roll into balls and store in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
© The Toasted Pine Nut

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FIVE Healthy Lunch Box Ideas

TWO: Banana Sushi – this is the lunchbox my boy kissed me for. It’s so simple and really fun! Basically, you roll a banana in a wrap with some sunflower seed butter (or any seed/nut butter) and then cut it into little bites. Easy peasy. Add some fruit and these really fun mini chocolate chip cookies from Enjoy Life and you are set. Kisses galore.

FIVE Healthy Lunch Box Ideas

THREE: Easy Quinoa Salad – this is one of those meals you can make extra and pack the leftovers for lunch the next day. Toss some cooked quinoa with some cut up tomatoes, diced avocado, corn, basil, extra virgin olive oil, and a splash of white wine vinegar. Grab the full recipe below, it’s so light and flavorful! Pack it with some cut up fruit! Make it more kid friendly by using fun mini shape cutters. I’m also packing these apple oatmeal chocolate chip bliss balls that everyone loves! Full recipe below!!

Did you make this? Leave a review below and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!

VG Vegetarian

Quinoa Salad

AvatarRecipe by:Lindsay Grimes Freedman
Print recipe Rate recipe Pin Save recipe

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup quinoa
  • 1 cup vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
  • 1 medium tomato, diced
  • ½ avocado, diced
  • ⅓ cup cooked corn
  • 3 leaves basil, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Instructions

  1. Bring the broth and quinoa to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes until the broth is absorbed.
  3. Transfer to bowl and toss with the tomatoes, avocado, corn, basil, oil, and vinegar.
  4. Eat warm or store in the fridge to eat chilled.
© The Toasted Pine Nut

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I love seeing what you made! Tag me on social @thetoastedpinenut

Rate recipe Tag me on Instagram

Did you make this? Leave a review below and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!

VG Vegetarian

Apple Oatmeal Bliss Balls

AvatarRecipe by:Lindsay Grimes Freedman
Prep: 10 minsTotal: 10 mins
Print recipe Rate recipe Pin Save recipe
Servings: 16 1x

Ingredients

  • 1 apple, cored, peeled, seeded, and cut in chunks
  • 1 tablespoon agave nectar (honey or maple syrup works)
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower seed butter
  • 2 cups gluten free rolled oats
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup Enjoy Life Foods mini chocolate Chips

Instructions

  1. Place the apple chunks, agave nectar, and sunflower seed butter in your food processor.
  2. Process until completely combined and resembles apple sauce consistency.
  3. Add the oats and cinnamon and process again until it balls up.
  4. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and chop up the balls.
  5. Process again for another 10 seconds.
  6. Roll into balls and store in the fridge until you’re ready to eat!
© The Toasted Pine Nut

Did you make this?

I love seeing what you made! Tag me on social @thetoastedpinenut

Rate recipe Tag me on Instagram

FIVE Healthy Lunch Box Ideas

FOUR: Lentil rotini – let’s face it. My kids love pasta and pasta has come a loooong way since my kidhood. Lately I’ve been loving chickpea pasta and lentil pasta for the kids! The ingredients are so on point and they’re too busy swooning over the color that they don’t even mention the different taste. I make extras so the leftovers can be packed in their lunch the next day. I’m also packing some leftover sautéd broccoli and some soft and chewy Enjoy Life snickerdoodle cookies. Those cookies are too good, you guys!!

FIVE Healthy Lunch Box Ideas

FIVE: Pesto Zoodles – One of the best sub for regular noodles is zoodles! I love how they’re so fun and twirlable! I tossed mine with some sunflower seed kale pesto and packed a side of sliced apples and Enjoy Life’s Beach Bash Seed + Fruit Mix. Grab the pesto recipe below!!

Did you make this? Leave a review below and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!

VG Vegetarian

Sunflower Seed Kale Pesto

AvatarRecipe by:Lindsay Grimes Freedman
Prep: 5 minsTotal: 5 mins
Print recipe Rate recipe Pin Save recipe
Servings: 6 1x

Ingredients

  • ½ cup sunflower seeds
  • 2 cups, firmly packed kale, de-stemmed
  • 2 medium garlic cloves
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (more as desired)

Instructions

  1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor.
  2. Process until desired consistency, stopping to take breaks to scrape down the sides.
© The Toasted Pine Nut

Did you make this?

I love seeing what you made! Tag me on social @thetoastedpinenut

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Hope you guys love these ideas and this recipe! Enjoy!! xo

Want to save this for later? Pin this image below!!

Ditch your boring sandwich and try these FIVE Fun and Healthy Lunch Box Ideas! They're all gluten free, dairy free, and allergy friendly!! thetoastedpinenut.com #glutenfree #dairyfree #allergyfriendly

Thank you SO MUCH to Enjoy Life Foods! I love working with my favorite brands and couldn’t be happier they support The Toasted Pine Nut! xo

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Lindsay

Hi Friend!

I'm Lindsay I love sharing simple, better-for-you recipes. When I'm not in the kitchen, you can find me at the beach watching my kids boogie board and soaking in that warm Cali sun (with sunscreen, of course).

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