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As my boys get a bit older, lunch making is a bit trickier. The nice thing is that they're open to more flavors and tastes, so I do have some fun options. Check out some of our family's favorite school lunch ideas for tweens and teens. I've included some free printable lunch notes, too!

Y'all...we just got home from Meet the Teacher at middle school. Middle school...where half of the kids are as tall as me, the boys have facial hair, and suddenly I'm missing crayons and blocks and all of those sweet little things of childhood. We're in the preteen zone of life. And I'm not even sure how we arrived here so quickly. But, we're up to the challenge...errr, fun.

School Lunch Ideas for Tweens and Teens

I've always tried to make fun lunches for my kids full of variety and nutrition, but middle school means it's time to up my game. No longer will fun cookie-cutter-shaped sandwiches work out (I'll be given the look for those). I've come up with some fun options for my boys. 

Salad Idea

• Our first idea, pictured above, is this tomato and olive salad from Kalyn's Kitchen. 
• I paired this with some pita crackers.

I always get asked about this stainless lunch box when I post photos of it (pictured above). IT'S FANTASTIC. We've now had a set for over ten years and I still use them. They're called Lunch Bots and I can't find anything comparable. 

• Get the version we have here on Amazon (pictured above).

Semi-AntiPasto Idea

• This lunch box is a very loose interpretation of an antipasto platter with mini pepperonis, cheese cubes and grape tomatoes.
• The Pearls Olives To Go Black Pitted Olives are perfect for this (available at most grocery stores or in a big 16-pack here on Amazon). They're packaged with no juice, so they're super easy and not-too-messy.
• I also added in some crackers, as too.

• A yummy bowtie salad is always welcome in a lunch box (simple recipe below). 
• I added a stick of cheese.
• Some berries also round out this lunch.
• And those same olives! 

This salad was an easy one to throw together. I just make a double batch for dinner one night (usually early in the week) and then have more than enough for school lunches that week. The beauty of this salad is that it works for my husband to take to work, too (he's a high school principal, so he's off to school every day, too). This original recipe was from my mom...she made it as a side dish for Christmas Eve Dinner when we were growing up (alongside our traditional tamales!).

Easy Pasta Salad

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE RECIPE VERSION

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces dry bowtie pasta
• 1 can Pimento Stuffed Olives
• 2 medium zucchini, scrubbed and chopped in bite-sized pieces
• 5 ounce package of mini pepperoni
• 2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup Italian dressing
• salad seasoning to taste (I've found this in the seasonings section, but you can make your own with a simple mixture of equal parts regular paprika, smoked paprika, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, celery seed, onion powder, garlic powder, onion powder, Kosher salt, and black pepper).

Directions: 

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cold water until pasta is cool. Combine pasta with rest of ingredients and sprinkle liberally with salad seasoning.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE RECIPE VERSION 

Free Printable Lunch Box Notes

My kids may be getting older, but I still like to tuck in a little note every once in a while. I created some fun ones for your to download and use for your kids' lunches, too. Be sure to print these onto white, letter-sized cardstock for the best results.

• Download these notes on Droplr (my readers' preferred method).
• Download these notes on Dropbox.
• Download these notes on Google Drive.