Easy Lunch Ideas for Homeschool Moms

You’ve probably noticed that I don’t have too many food posts either here or on social media. I’m not a foodie, and I don’t love to cook. However, I am, of course, a mom. And I’m also a homeschooling Mom. So of course I do need to feed my family. I always say to my friends that I’m not so much a chef, but a person who acquires food. In fact, I do cook when needed. And when I do, I love easy and quick ideas. And for lunch on homeschooling days, the quicker and easier, the better! So here’s my easy lunch ideas for homeschool Moms.

1- Healthy “snack” lunch.

Now, you might think this is cheating. You may think this is cheating because I’m not actually making anything. But therein lies the beauty of this easy lunch idea for homeschool moms! When kids are asking me over and over again what’s for lunch, and I say it’s “snack” lunch day, there are always cheers. So what exactly is snack lunch?

It has three key components:

• Fruit
• Yogurt
• Cheese

Sounds simple, right?! And all of my kids, who are ages 6 and up, can make this themselves. If nothing else, we always have these three things on hand. Of course, they often also add a grain like toast or a piece of naan bread. But that’s not required for snack lunch. It’s similar to the concept of a Charcuterie board, but phrased for kiddos. It’s one of my favorite easy lunch ideas for homeschool moms.

2- Easy lunch ideas? Leftovers!

Whether you spent the weekend eating pizza, cooking with family, or eating out, you probably have some leftovers sitting in the fridge. Even though we have a big family, we often have leftovers and bits of things here and there. So even though we may not have enough of one leftover for the whole family, we can wheel and deal until we can make a lunch for everyone. Basically, in our family, we try to rotate who gets first pick. We don’t keep a strict list or anything, but somehow everyone keeps track pretty well.

So use up those leftovers for easy lunch ideas for homeschool moms. If you need to cut up an apple and add that to the plates, that’s simple enough. You can also add some instant rice to a dish, or put some things on bread instead. Get creative and you can make an easy lunch from leftovers.

3- Breakfast for lunch. (Bonus points if older kids make it!)

This certainly isn’t an original idea, but it’s a popular one at our house. Breakfast is several of my children’s favorite meal of the day. So it’s always a popular idea to have it again! My older kids can easily make scrambled eggs and pancakes themselves. So use it as a homeschooling lesson and have your older kids make it for the family.

What are some of our favorite breakfast for lunch ideas?

• Whole wheat pancakes
• Scrambled eggs
• Chia bowls
• Smoothie bowls
• Oatmeal
• Egg sandwiches

4- Grilled Sandwiches

Who doesn’t love grilled cheese? And you can make these so simply in either toaster grilling bags or in the toaster ovens. Have you seen these amazing bags? They make grilled cheese in a snap!

And if you don’t like grilled cheese, you can add in some ham or turkey for those that prefer that. You can also fry an egg and include that in your sandwich. Or what about some guacamole or hummus or tomatoes? There are endless possibilities! And again, older kids can certainly make these in the toaster bags or in a toaster oven on their own.

5- Kid Friendly Salads

I know, when you hear the word “salad,” you don’t really think of kid friendly or homeschooling Mom. But believe it or not, there are lots of ways to make salads kids friendly. So this one of my favorite easy lunch ideas for homeschool moms. I have one child who loves traditional salads. She will eat nearly any kind of salad, with dressing or without dressing. But some others wouldn’t want to touch a traditional salad with lettuce. So what are some kid friendly salad ideas for homeschooling families?

• Fruit salad
• Quinoa salad
• Macaroni salad
• Chicken salad
• Potato salad
• Pasta salad
• Bean salad

And I’m sure there’s many more I haven’t thought of yet! I think it’s helpful to call some items a “salad” in order to have them get used to the idea. Slowly, they may get more used to the idea of salads and may even start trying new varieties.

Remember to keep the kids involved!

My best tip overall for easy lunch ideas for homeschool Moms is to keep the kids involved. At this point in my homeschooling career, I rarely even make lunch. Since I have teenagers, and my youngest is 6, they can be very involved in making their own lunch! Even the youngest hands can get plates out, or put cheese sticks on a plate. I think it’s a great idea to have kids help, and also to get their ideas.

As part of our homeschooling lesson plans, my 10 year old is responsible for lunch in our home once a week. He has to plan it, prepare it, and serve it on his own. This helps his planning and organization skills, let alone the life skill of meal prep.

What are your easy lunch ideas for homeschool Moms? I’d love to hear your thoughts on Instagram or in the comments!

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