10 Thermos ideas for a healthy lunch

Get fresh ideas (both hot and cold!) to pack in your kids’ thermos for a nutritious to-go lunch.

As much as we love sandwiches for lunch, they can get a little boring! Enter the thermos. It opens up so many possibilities for fresh and exciting healthy lunches! We find it a lot easier to pack her lunch with fruits and veggies when we use a lunch thermos. We’ve rounded up lots of hot and cold options for your kids’ lunch boxes!

Kids love mac and cheese! Our homemade version makes it a much healthier meal option – plus you can add veggies for added nutrition! Best of all, it’s quick and easy to throw together on the stovetop.

The kids will love this Veggie Stuffed Chow Mein because it contains tasty pasta and veggies with a delicious sauce! How can you go wrong with that? Plus, it’s crazy quick to throw together and super customizable.

Grilled cheese and tomato soup is a classic combination. You can mix things up by packing this creamy, flavorful soup with a side of croutons, crackers, or even quesadillas (which tend to travel better than grilled cheese).

Curry is one of those foods that’s almost tastier than leftovers! My kids love it when I put leftover curry in their lunch box. Sometimes we skip the rice and pack in some naan triangles for dipping. Delicious!

We all had breakfast for dinner. Why not have breakfast for lunch? We love this recipe, which can be made in the Instant Pot (super quick and easy on busy mornings!) and also includes eggs, making it a hearty, high-protein lunch. Put dried fruit, berries, coconut, granola or whatever your kids like to the side. You can also mail them with regular oatmeal, cream of wheat, or any other hot breakfast cereal your kids like!

Reheat leftover Sloppy Joe mix and keep warm in thermos until lunch. Put bread or hamburger buns to the side so they can assemble when it’s time to eat! Try other hot sandwich fillings like grilled pork or hot turkey.

Smoothies are a great, nutrient-dense lunchtime option for kids who tend not to eat their fruits and veggies! Make a smoothie in the morning and pack it in a thermos where it will stay fresh and frosty until lunchtime.

These cold pasta salads make such great lunches! With veggies, carbs, and protein all in one dish, it’s a quick and easy lunch option. Just add a fruit to top it off.

It’s easy to throw a tube of yogurt in the lunch box, but much more economical to buy a large tin. And a lot healthier if you make your own! Pack yoghurt and fruit in the thermos and put granola or nuts on the side so your kids can build their parfaits at school.

Kids love to dip! Try packing warm dips, like this healthy spinach artichoke dip, queso, or bean dip. Or cold dips like yogurt ranch or hummus! Serve with lots of veggies and bread or crackers for dipping. Delicious! My kids love snow peas, mini peppers, cucumbers, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, and mini naan bread or wheat crackers.

This thermos is perfect for kids, with a handle that makes it super easy for them to get the lid on and off!

Some other great thermos options:

SOUP

SMOOTHIES

PASTA

FINGER FOOD

BREAKFAST

DIPS

Natalie Monson

I am a Registered Nutritionist, mother of 4, an avid food lover and a strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you’ll find lots of delicious fruit and veg-packed recipes, tips on how to get your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters, and plenty of resources to feed your family.

Learn more about Natalie