20 MORE Whole Food, Packable Lunch Ideas for School Aged Kids (Or Adults)

If you’re a parent, you’ve probably wrestled with this question:

“Am I really giving my kids what they need to thrive?”

For many families, school lunch programs feel like the easy answer - cheap, convenient, and one less thing to think about on busy mornings. I know, because I was there. My oldest daughter used to eat school lunches every day. It seemed like the practical choice.

But here’s the reality: convenience often comes with hidden costs. The breakfast and lunch menu at my daughter’s elementary school look like this:

It looks like food, in reality it's prepackaged, reheated, highly processed food that is lacking true nutrition. And the result is kids coming home depleted, distracted, and sick more often. That was our story until I finally connected the dots.

A Better Way Forward

When I pulled my daughter from school lunches, I didn’t just replace the meal - I invited her into the process. She started helping pack her lunch, choosing foods that actually fuel her day.

That’s when I saw the shift. She came home with more energy. Fewer colds. A clearer focus. She wasn’t hangry anymore... she was thriving. 

This is the heart of what we do at Rebel Pastures. We don’t just raise regeneratively grown proteins for your table - we want to help you reconnect the dots between what’s on your family's plate and how they feel in their body. Because food is either fueling health, or it’s quietly undermining it.

And the good news? Packing whole, nutrient-dense lunches doesn’t have to be complicated. It just takes a little intention and some simple, packable ideas.

A Changed Life, One Lunch at a Time

Imagine this: instead of sending your kids off with ultra-processed carbs and food dyes, their lunchbox is filled with real, satisfying food.

• Cold roasted chicken drumsticks with carrot sticks and grapes

• Mini meatball skewers with cucumbers and apple slices

• Hard-boiled eggs with leftover steak pieces and a banana

• Chicken salad lettuce wraps with carrot sticks

Meals like these don’t just fill them up—they fuel their brains, build their immune systems, and teach them what real food looks and tastes like.

And the best part? Your kids can be part of the process, building a sense of ownership and excitement around food that truly serves them.

The Real First Lesson of the Day

Before math, before reading, before science - the very first lesson our kids get each day is the food we send with them.

We can stick with convenience, and hope it’s “good enough.” Or we can choose food that empowers them to show up fully alive in their classrooms, their friendships, and their futures.

Because our kids don’t just need to be fed.

They need to be nourished.

👉 Need inspiration? Here are 20 packable, whole-food lunch ideas you can try this week.

20 Whole Food, Packable Lunch Ideas for School Aged Kids (Or Adults)

1. Mini meatball skewers made with grassfed beef or lamb, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers. Add apple slices on the side.

2. Cold roasted chicken drumstick, carrot sticks, and a handful of grapes.

3. Sliced grilled pork chop with roasted sweet potato rounds and sliced cucumbers.

4. Two hard-boiled eggs with cold leftover steak pieces and a banana.

5. Chicken salad made with avocado or olive oil, packed in lettuce wraps with carrot sticks.

6. Cold taco-style ground beef, black beans, corn, and avocado chunks in a bowl. Tallow tortilla chips on the side for a win.

7. Cold lamb patty with cherry tomatoes and apple slices.

8. Leftover pulled pork served cold over rice or quinoa with sliced avocado.

9. Cold roasted chicken thigh cut into cubes, blueberries, and sliced bell peppers.

10. Beef and zucchini kabobs (cold) with a side of hummus and cucumber slices.

11. Cold homemade fried rice with chopped chicken, peas, carrots, and egg.

12. Cold-cooked steak bites with roasted baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes.

13. Grilled pork cubes and apple chunks on toothpicks, served with snap peas.

14. Two boiled eggs with sliced cooked Rebel Pastures sausage and blueberries.

15. Sliced cold chicken breast, hummus, cucumber sticks, and grapes.

16. Beef or lamb meatballs served cold with cucumber coins and apple slices.

17. Beef stew leftovers packed in a thermos with a spoon.

18. Cold cooked bacon or pork sausage, a boiled egg, banana, and a handful of nuts or seeds (if allowed at school).

19. Homemade baked chicken nuggets (or tenders) cut into smaller bites, with carrot sticks and melon slices.

20. Ground bison taco meat packed into romaine lettuce leaves with shredded carrots and a mandarin orange.

👉 Adapt these to your family's and kids eating habits.

👉 Add in bread, swap out the veggie or put in a side of a dipping sauce.

🙌 If you can get your kid 80% of the way there, call it a major win. 

Interested in more ideas? Check out my original blog with lunch ideas here: