Easy Homeschool Lunches

Before I began homeschooling, I imagined myself preparing fresh organic lunches every day.  it would be no trouble to whip up a healthy gourmet meal while my children were quietly working.  Are you laughing?  It’s okay.  I am too.  In reality, I don’t have much time to dedicate to preparing lunch on our average school day.  Even though we homeschool, we aren’t actually home for long stretches of time, and when we are home there are 542 things that need my attention. I rely on easy homeschool lunches every day.

Homeschoolers need lunches that are:

• Reasonably healthy.  I’m not setting myself up to deal with a sugar crash later.
• Fast.
• Kid friendly.  Yes, kids can eat anything grownups can eat.  It doesn’t mean they want to though.  The day just goes smoother if everyone likes their lunch options.

Our lunch options remain pretty consistent week after week.  They are things my kids like and can prepare quickly.  Keeping the lunch options consistent saves me time when I’m meal planning.

Related Post: Meal Planning for Homeschool Parents

Easy Homeschool Lunch Options for Kids

These choices are certainly not the healthiest foods my kids have ever eaten, but with the right ingredients, they aren’t total junk either.  The important part is that they fill up growing children quickly so we can get back to school work.  I always serve veggies with dip and fruit on the side.

Macaroni and cheese  – My kids like the Horizons organic brand best.

Soup – Ideally, the soup was frozen during a freezer cooking session, but many times it is from a can.

Tacos – Taco meat reheats wonderfully.

Grilled cheese and tomato soup – My Vitamix makes cooking homemade tomato soup incredibly simple.

Sandwiches – Pb and j, turkey, ham – the choices are pretty endless.

Tuna fish with cucumber slices – My kids like to scoop up the tuna with cucumber slices or celery.

Easy Homeschool Lunch Options for Moms

I often use lunch time to tackle a few things on my to-do list.  That might mean folding laundry, cleaning, taking care of blog business, or even just taking a few quiet minutes to myself.  I usually prepare something quick and healthy that I can eat while teaching.  Eating lunch while teaching is definitely one of the perks of teaching at home vs teaching in a classroom.

Salad – I wash and prep ingredients when I get home from the grocery store.  That makes it quick to throw together a quick salad.

White chicken chili – I make the white chicken chili from the Everyday Cooking Cookbook.  It freezes well, so I always keep a batch frozen in individual servings.

Salmon – My grocery store sells salmon packets that go directly from freezer to the oven.  Literally all I have to do is throw the packet on a baking sheet and into the oven for 25 minutes.

Grilled chicken – I grill chicken on the weekend for quick lunches during the week.  Sometimes I add it to salads and sometimes I just snack on cold slices.

Birds Eye Vegetable protein packs – I think these are a relatively new product, but I am so glad I found them.  Each frozen package contains vegetables, a grain such as rice, and a source of vegetarian protein such as beans.  They are actually quite delicious.  I keep a few in my freezer for time when I need to prepare a healthy lunch with just a few minutes in the microwave.

What are your favorite easy homeschool lunch options?

Related Posts:

Organized Homeschooler is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com