feeling lunchbox fatigue? here's how i pack for 3 kids (without losing my mind)

avoid the exhaustion of packing lunch and try these ideas this week for your kids (or yourself!).

May 11, 2025

if you’re packing school lunches every day for your little ones, you know the grind is real. between picky eaters, different rules at each school, food coming home untouched, and running out of ideas by mid-week—it's A LOT.

as a mom of three kids six and under, i’ve been deep in the lunchbox trenches for a few years now. and while yes, i love feeding my kids nourishing food... i also value my sanity. 😅

so here’s the simple formula that has saved me from spiraling into full-blown lunchbox burnout.

P.S. don’t forget about my may family meal plan where we share 28 recipes every single month with grocery lists, substitution ideas, prep tips and MORE broken down week by week. it is 96 cents PER week for someone to do all the thinking for meal time for you so you don’t need to stress over it (the most affordable!!). once you join you can access every single week i have ever shared <3

✨ “MAIN” + “2 FRUIT” + “1-2 VEGGIE” + “SWEET” ✨

it’s not fancy. it’s not fussy. it’s just consistent and doable.

example of how it looks IRL:

👉🥪 main: almond butter + banana sandwich, DIY frozen pizzas, turkey pinwheels, DIY uncrustables, pasta with olive oil + parm, toaster waffles (i either toast in am or thaw night before), or pancakes with maple syrup, tuna salad with chips or crackers, pizza lunchables, rice cracker with PBJ, crackers with cheese or string cheese.
👉🍓🍇 fruit x2: strawberries + grapes, orange slices + blueberries, melon, apple + dried mango
👉🥒🥕 veggies x2: cucumbers + pitted kalamata olives, bell pepper strips + peeled and sliced carrots, broccoli + hummus
👉🍪 sweet: homemade chocolate chip cookie, a few chocolate chips, “gummies”, cottage cheese banana bread, brownies.
👉💪🏻protein: it is not easy getting protein in all the time for kids. sometimes the “main” i make has protein and others not so much. some ideas are meat sticks, string cheese, hard-boiled eggs and soon we will have cadootz too for protein, but lately i have been packing their favorite “chocolate milk” in their lunches too. it is from the brand willa’s organic and they make these kid’s oat milks with protein in them! i found them at target and my kids are OBSESSED! they have 8 grams of protein in them. not to mention they are super clean ingredients. certified organic, glyphosate-free, etc. they have this plain oat milk for kids and then the chocolate one! more on willa’s organic below.

i keep a running list of mix-and-match ideas and i’d say 3 out of the 5 days, i pack the night before. because no one wants to be chopping cucumbers at 6:45am while a toddler is asking for more breakfast.

on sundays or any day of the week

write out a menu for the week. make sure you are stocked up on what you want to pack. nothing more annoying than opening the fridge monday to see not enough groceries to pack lunches. bonus if you even write it out for your kids to see. i haven’t done this yet but i may start because it’ll help both of our sanity!
wash and prep the fruit. have it sliced, washed, ready to serve. that way it’s an easy grab and go situation to add to lunches. i store my berries in these containers (more on that here).
same goes with veggies. i peel and slice carrots, wash and cut cucumbers, make a batch of broccoli or peas, etc. i store my veggies in these jars(more on that here)

have a rotation. pick 5 or so ideas that you alternate every day. like a “menu” of sorts. i got this idea when my boys went to camp in pre-K because the camp served the same food M-F each week. my kids didn’t mind it and it makes mornings easier to know monday is “mac and cheese day” and “waffles on wednesday” etc.!
use an ice pack to keep the lunch cool if needed. i use this everyday because i’d rather be safe then sorry. my kids eat lunch about 4 hours after they leave the house! i don’t worry about things being “warm” for them. they don’t mind eating food not warm but that’s just them.
use those silicone muffin liners to create more compartments in lunchboxes if you need. i also keep more “watery” or oily things in there like olives, watermelon, etc.
remember kids change their minds. one day my kids love tuna salad and the next they won’t touch it. just because my kids don’t want something one day, i don’t rule it out for future lunches too.
give your kids options. ask them if they’d prefer THIS or THAT. can help narrow their choice and it’s less overwhelming for you both.
tag team with your partner. it doesn’t need to only be on one parent. in our house i make about 98% of lunches but that is because jordan typically does breakfast and/or helps me clean up etc. plus i am also one of those weirdos who enjoys seeing what their kids eat for lunch.

and if lunchboxes come home half-full? that’s okay too. i remind myself that i’m nourishing their bodies and modeling consistency—win, win.

if you’re feeling the lunchbox burnout too, know you’re not alone—and also, you’re doing amazing. even when it feels like a chore (because some days, it 100% is), it’s still a gift you’re giving them every single day. 💛

for more on the snacks i keep on hand - head on over to THIS post!

now more on that willa’s oat milk..

okay let’s debrief about willa’s shall we? i first discovered willa’s organic 2 years ago and connected with christina the founder. i was immediately sold when she told me how willa’s makes organic oat milk that’s glyphosate-free and they are the only brand to sue the whole at (not just the oat sugar) which is why their oat milk is richer tasting, lower in sugar and higher in protein! plus it also has calcium and DHA omega-3s.

they make 3 kid’s products that we love that have an emphasis on protein. they have the same simple organic ingredients, 8g protein and calcium (as much as dairy but half the sugar of dairy). you can find them at target too and on their website.

in addition to the kid’s products, willa’s sells an organic unsweetened original oat milk, organic barista oat milk, organic chocolate oat milk, original oat milk. all organic all pure ingredients and using the whole oat rather than just oat sugar.

thank you to willa’s organic FOR sponsoring part of today’s newsletter! being able to work with my favorite brands and help spread the word about them is a DREAM!