The Little Lunchbox Cookbook: 60 Easy Real-Food Bento Lunches for Kids on the Go

by Renee Kohley, Becky Winkler (Photographer)

Overview

Exciting Whole-Food Lunches You’ll Be Proud to Pack and That Kids Will Love to Eat!
*60 Recipes and 60 Photographs Plus a Bonus Chapter of Homemade Healthy Staples!*

Pack your child a healthy, tasty lunch the easy way! Each lunchbox focuses on just one nutrient-dense homemade component that can be prepped ahead of time for easy grab-and-go options on busy days. Prep a big batch of Carnival Copycat Corn Dogs and stick them in the freezer— they’ll defrost just in time for lunch. Make The Best Chinese Takeout Copycat for dinner one night and you can pack the leftovers in the kids’ thermoses later that week. And what could be easier than letting your child assemble their own lunch with a chapter full of healthy Lunchables ® copycats? From Pizza Lunchables ® Copycat featuring whole-food pizza crust and customizable toppings, to Easy Homemade Cracker Stackers Lunchables ® Copycat, you’ll find tons of ideas to make lunchbox prep fun, nourishing, and practical.

Renee Kohley, author of Nourished Beginnings Baby Food, has compiled this delicious, allergen-friendly collection of gluten-free lunches to make sure every child has the energy they need to power through the busy school day. Fill a lunchbox with no-fuss sides like seeds, crackers, and fresh fruits with a single from-scratch item for a balanced meal that your kids will be excited to eat. With so many great choices, you’ll never have to wonder what you should pack for lunch again.

*All recipes are gluten-free and allergen-friendly!*

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781645670674
Publisher:	Page Street Publishing
Publication date:	08/04/2020
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	86,727
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Renee Kohley is the author of Nourished Beginnings Baby Food and the mom of three behind the website Raising Generation Nourished. She has been a featured writer on Nourished Kitchen, The Prairie Homestead, Mommypotamus, and Super Healthy Kids. She lives in Grand Haven, Michigan.

Table of Contents

Introduction 7

Beyond Peanut Butter and Jelly-Fun and Delicious Sandwiches 11

Healthy Chicken Salad Pinwheels 12

Colorful Rainbow Pinwheels 15

Kid-Approved Apple and Tuna Salad Wraps 16

Buttermilk Biscuit Breakfast-for-Lunch Sammy 19

Garden Party Quesadillas 20

Chinese Takeout Sweet and Sour Chicken Wraps 23

Restaurant-Style Club Sandwich Skewers with Awesome Sauce Dip 26

Brain-Boosting Egg Salad Pitas 29

Fun Friday Pizza Paninis 30

Lunchables® Copycats 33

Pizza Lunchables® Copycat 34

Build Your Own Mexican Nachos 37

Easy Homemade Cracker Stackers Lunchables® Copycat 39

Breakfast-for-Lunch "Brunchables®" Copycat 43

Build Your Own Nourishing Yogurt Parfait 45

"Charcuterie Board" Lunchbox 49

Build Your Own BLT Lunchables® with Amazin' Bacon Dipping Sauce 50

Warm and Comforting Thermos Lunches 53

Comforting Beef Noodle Soup 54

Creamy Tomato Bisque 57

Kid-Favorite SpaghettiOs® Copycat 58

Dairy Fake-Out Mac 'n' Cheese Copycat 61

The Creamiest, Dreamiest Broccoli Cheese Soup 62

Winter Blues Buster Creamy Potato Soup 65

The Best Chinese Takeout Copycat 66

Yummiest Spaghetti with Veggie Monster Mini Meatballs 69

Back-to-School Fall Harvest Soup 70

Easy-Prep Creamy Tuscan Bean Soup 73

Healthy Alphabet Soup Copycat 74

Nuggets, Dippers, and Bites 77

Five-Ingredient Fast-Prep Chicken Nuggets 78

Kid-Favorite Crispy Fish Stick Dippers 81

Easy-Prep Sheet Pan Meatballs 82

Lunchbox-Friendly, Real-Food Sloppy Joe Bites 85

Carnival Copycat Corn Dogs 87

Fun and Fast Grilled Cheese Dunkers 91

Nourishing Mini Quiche Bites 92

The Best Busy Kid-Approved Veggie Nuggets 95

Colorful Kid-Approved Salads 97

Fast-Prep, Brain-Boosting Bow Tie Pasta Salad 98

Taco Tuesday Fajita Salad 101

Colorful Rainbow Chicken Salad with Fruity Poppy Seed Dressing 103

Superhero Quinoa Salad 107

Veggie Noodle Salad with Kid-Friendly Asian Dressing 108

Real-Food Dole® Fruit Cup Copycat 111

Party Time Confetti Bean Salad 112

Kid-Approved Broccoli Pesto Pasta Salad 115

The Finishing Touches-Snacks and Sides 117

Easy-Prep Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Tots 118

Crunchy Honey-Oat Nature Valley™ Granola Bar Copycat 121

Chocolate-Covered Banana Energy Bites 122

Fast-Prep Healthy Trail Mix 125

Chewy Apple-Raisin Granola Bars 126

Real-Food KIND® Bar Copycat 129

Lightning-Fast Blender Batter Applesauce Muffins 130

Savory Garlic Bread Muffins 133

Sweet Cinnamon Top-Secret Veggie Mini Muffins 134

Power-Packed Apricot Energy Bars 137

Lunchbox Treats 139

Fresh Fruit-Packed Gummy Bears 140

Fall-Favorite Pumpkin Cookies 143

Gingerbread Bites 144

Valentine's Day Brownie Bites 147

Blender Batter "Funfetti®" Mini Birthday Cupcakes 148

Butter Cookie Cutouts for Any and Every Holiday 152

Real-Food Fruit Roll-Ups™ Copycat 152

Real-Fool Staples 155

Easy Homemade Ranch 156

Five-Minute Catalina Copycat 157

Super Smooth Kid-Favorite Hummus 158

Easy Homemade Mayo Two Ways 159

Quick and Easy Freezer-Friendly Applesauce 160

Probiotic-Rich Fermented Bread and Butter Pickles 161

Weekly Staple Hard-Boiled Eggs 162

Fast and Frugal Instant Pot® Beans 163

Prep-Day Whole Chicken Two Ways 164

Simple Nourishing Bone Broth 165

Acknowledgments 166

About the Author 168

Index 169

Editorial Reviews

A great resource! Renee’s recipes are a creative twist on healthy and satisfying with tons of ideas and beautiful images to match.”
–Natalie Monson, founder of SuperHealthyKids.com and PrePear.com

“I love that Renee’s approach makes it easy for parents to make and pack healthy meals. Plus, kids love her recipes!”
–Amy Palanjian, founder of YummyToddlerFood.com and author of Busy Little Hands: Food Play!

From the Publisher