My daughter has a bento box with a range of snacks like: popcorn, grapes, cherry tomatoes, Nutrigrain bar, jerky, goldfish, blueberries, fruit snacks, baby carrots.

I try to mix up fresh fruit, fresh veggie, a protein, and something fun that might not be the most nutritious but that I know she likes. The bento allows her to have multiple options any time she needs them and I let her pack it. Getting her buy in helps ensure she will eat whatever she packs! Good luck.

What kids will eat so they won’t waste it or trade with someone else.

Apple slices, baby bell cheese, grapes, a muffin (I do a couple different ones depending in what fruit or veggies I have that are going bad and sometimes freeze them (fruit based muffins diminish in wuamity pretty fast but can be frozen and revived in the air fryer).

Anonymous wrote:Whatever is HOT TO GO

well thanks now i can't get that out of my head

Our school allows nuts as long as they are not peanuts so I do cashews. Also roasted chickpeas, fruit

I think the difficulty in packing an afterschool snack is the protein. No nuts and real meat/cheese are kind of gross by the PM.

So I try to balance a carb and a fruit/vegetable combination that I pack in the same container (but separate with a plastic bag or reusable muffin cup). Here’s what I’ve sent recently:
Popcorn with grapes
Carrots and cheddar cheese
Wheat thins and baby cucumber
Banana bread and string cheese
Bel vita cookies (these have so much sugar! I didn’t realize!) and apple

Have been thinking a lot about this lately!

An example:
Daughter's pre-packed snack in bag for dance to tide her over for 4 hours.
Apple
Clementine
Chicken apple stick (like a jerky)
Yogurt covered raisins
Asian rice cookies
Some kind of chips

Dolmas, mozarella balls, olives, roasted seaweed, raspberries, etc. We never send chips and rarely send crackers.

Whatever is HOT TO GO

YMMV, but I’ve always found it easier, and DC agrees, to just do a hearty breakfast and an actual meal after school. I send the snacks (chips, crackers, trail mix, whatever looks good and comes in individual bags at Costco.) DC chooses whatever looks good that day and throws it in their bag. When they come home, they throw something more substantial in the air fryer.

My DC likes:

-slices of homemade zucchini bread
-slices of whatever quick bread Trader Joe’s has in-season
-chomps meat sticks
-dried fruit
-applesauce cups
-a half sandwich

Any more suggestions other than usual crackers and chips?