35 Celebrity Chef-Inspired School Lunch Ideas
Jeffrey Saad
Dad of Sebastian, 12, and Isabella, 15; host of Cooking Channel's United Tastes of America; and author of Jeffrey Saad's Global Kitchen: Recipes Without Borders
Apples & PB (core a small apple, spoon 2 Tbs. peanut butter in middle)
Back to Nature Harvest Whole Wheat Crackers
Leftover broccoli
1 of 35
Leftover ham (or low-salt deli ham) in whole-wheat pita with shredded carrot and zucchini tossed in vinaigrette
Blueberries
Surf Sweets natural Gummy Bears
2 of 35
Creamy shells (leftover pasta with milk, butter, and juice from canned tomatoes microwaved until hot; put in thermos)
Cucumber slices
Peach
3 of 35
Half a BLT: lettuce, tomato, and leftover turkey bacon on whole-wheat bread (bit of mayo with a dash of smoked paprika for flavor)
Baby carrots and ranch dip
Clementine
4 of 35
Egg-salad wrap (chopped leftover hard-boiled egg and chopped
bell peppers tossed in vinaigrette; roll up in an 8-inch tortilla)
Sliced pears with lemon juice
Terra Sweet Potato Chips
5 of 35
Ming Tsai
Dad of David, 10, and Henry, 12; host of PBS cooking show Simply Ming; author of four cookbooks; and owner of Blue Ginger restaurant, in Wellesley, Massachusetts
Turkey Sloppy Joe on slider bun (keep meat warm in a thermos)
Apple wedges
Cucumber slices
6 of 35
Ramen noodles (minus the seasoning pack) in chicken broth with veggies
Rice crackers
Plum
7 of 35
Turkey (Parents’ editors like Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Oven Roasted Turkey Breast), lettuce, and Dijon mustard pinwheels on a whole-grain tortilla
Baby carrots
Vegetable chips
8 of 35
Lettuce wraps with grilled teriyaki chicken and carrots
Air-popped popcorn
Mandarin orange
9 of 35
Lunch Monitor: What Are Kids Throwing Away?
10 of 35
Ming Tsai's Soba Noodle Salad
Soba-noodle salad
Bell pepper strips and ranch dip
Kiwi
11 of 35
Josh Capon
Dad of Amanda, 6, and Max, 3; guest judge on Food Network's Chopped; and executive chef of Lure Fishbar and B&B Winepub, in New York
PB&J heart-shaped sandwich on whole-wheat bread
Baby carrots
Banana with silly sticker
12 of 35
String-cheese stick
Rolled-up turkey lunch meat
Fruit kabob (cut off pointy end)
Whole-grain crackers
13 of 35
Tuna-fish sandwich stars
Blueberries
Edamame in shells (more fun to pop!)
14 of 35
Oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon
Green-bean letters
Applesauce cup
15 of 35
Josh Capon's Brown Spanish Rice with Ground Beef
Brown Spanish rice and ground beef in a thermos
Tortilla chips
Green grapes
16 of 35
How to Eat Healthy: Raising Nutrition-Smart Kids
17 of 35
Marcela Valladolid
Mom of Fausto, 8, and host of Food Network's Mexican Made Easy
DIY tostada: shredded chicken, cheddar cheese and refried beans, and 2 corn tortillas
18 of 35
Grilled-chicken sandwich with mayo
Guacamole for dipping sliced cucumbers, jicama, and carrots
19 of 35
Marcela Valladolid's Tortilla Soup
Tortilla soup in a thermos
Corn
Grapes
20 of 35
Veggie and black-bean burrito on whole-wheat tortilla with salsa
Watermelon wedges
21 of 35
Half an egg-salad sandwich on whole-wheat bread
Roasted cherry-tomato and mozzarella salad in olive oil-balsamic vinaigrette
Melon slice
22 of 35
Tyler Florence
Dad of Dorothy, 4, and Hayden, 5; host of Tyler's Ultimate on Food Network; and creator of Sprout, a line of organic baby and toddler foods
LUNCH MENU
Tortellini salad (cook pasta; add peas in last 2 minutes; toss with pesto)
Peach
Small tossed salad
23 of 35
Goat cheese and grape jelly sandwich on a small cinnamon-raisin bagel
Nectarine
Raw sugar snap peas
24 of 35
Half a sunflower-butter and banana sandwich on whole-wheat bread
Low-fat fruit yogurt
Grape tomatoes
25 of 35
Soup (heat rotisserie chicken, broth, pasta, and veggies for 15 minutes)
Animal crackers
Raspberries
27 of 35
Rice balls (cook short-grain rice; roll with chopped cooked veggies into 1-inch balls)
Pineapple
Raisins