Kid-Pleasing Lunchbox Staples to Make Lunchtime More Fun

My kids' lunchboxes often come home with large chunks of bread (mostly crust) rattling around in them. Truth is they want the sandwich filling and little else. So why not ditch the bread altogether and create swirly rolls of meat, cheese, and a little lettuce? Roll up spinach leaves or a romaine mix in a slice of cheese and your cold cut of choice. It's a colorful, balanced, pick-me-up spin on a lunchbox staple.

Crackers with a dip, or tuna or egg salad, can make a perfect lunch centerpiece. Just use a cupcake holder to contain the dip, and surround it with your kids' favorite crackers, baby carrots, and celery sticks; it's pretty to look at and easy to dip-and-eat. (This technique is also great for chips-and-salsa fans!)

Made with real fruit (it's the first ingredient), Welch's® Fruit Rolls come in three great varieties — Berry, White Grape Strawberry, and Tropical Punch — so you can delight your kids' taste buds and Unroll the Fun™ each day. These fun-to-eat fruit rolls are great sources of vitamin C, plus kids can tear them into cool shapes and eat them 100 different ways. Win-win.

Using small cookie cutters, you can give lots of foods a little shapely appeal. Think: cucumber slices cut into flowers, peanut butter sandwiches as bite-size hearts, or kiwi-slice stars! The new designs make foods feel exciting . . . even ones your kids were previously uninterested in.

Rolling oats with honey and peanut or sunflower butter, plus an extra flavor or two of your choice (chocolate chips, coconut flakes, raisins), makes a surprisingly satisfying lunch item. Plus, it’s a one-bite food in the shape of a ball! Kids love these and they’re easy to make — totally no-bake.