After last week’s tasty article about scrumptious school lunch sandwiches it’s about time we moved on to other options, for all of the non-sandwich lovers out there. Although sandwiches are extremely popular, and a classic school lunch favorite, one can get very tired of having them all the time. Every once in a while you just want to sink your teeth into something new, something not bookended by two slices of bread.

Since homemade school lunches never stay hot up until lunchtime, your lunch options will need to be able to be eaten cold. Vegetables, cold cuts, fruit, cheese, and room temperature appropriate dips are a great place to start. By mixing those up you’ll gain variety in your lunches and you’ll always have a touch of something healthy for your kids to consume at lunchtime.

Finger Food Lunch
For this non-sandwich lunch you’ll need to pack 10 crackers, 10 slices of pepperoni and 10 square shaped cheddar cheese slices. Then pack a small cluster of grapes and 6 baby carrots.

Pasta Salad
Prepare a pasta salad using bowtie noodles, cucumber, red onion, and bell pepper. Toss oil based vinaigrette on top and mix the pasta salad together. Slice up an apple and pack that along with a dollop of peanut butter.

Breakfast For Lunch
Heat up a waffle in the toaster and cut it in half. Then slice a few strawberries for a snack. Fill a small container with Nutella to compliment the waffles and strawberries.

Cold Cuts Rollup
You’re going to need a few toothpicks for this lunch. Roll up ham cold cuts around cheese and spear it with a toothpick to keep them together. Make as many of these as you think your child will need. Pack ¼ cup of pretzels and watermelon chunks.

Mediterranean Lunch
Cut a pita in half twice, making it into 4 separate triangles. Put together (or purchase pre-prepared) a small side of fresh mozzarella balls and Kalamata olives. Pack some hummus too for dipping the pita into. There are many different flavors of hummus, like roasted red pepper and basil pesto. These will help you add variety to the meal when you make it again in the future.

What kinds of lunches do you pack for the non-sandwich lover in your life? Let us know in the comments!

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