Simple Lunch Meal Rotation for Back to School

In this post I will be sharing my simple weekly lunch meal plan we will be using for our first term back to school as well as how you can make your own simple lunch rotation.

It’s Back to School Time!

I can hardly believe that September is almost here. Summer always seems to fly by. We will be starting back to homeschool come September 1st and I am trying to have things as prepared as possible so that I have plenty of time and energy to devote to homeschooling my kids.

In addition to choosing curriculum and stocking up on art supplies, I need to think about feeding these homeschoolers! We homeschoolers don’t generally have to do packed lunches every day like our brick-and-mortar school counterparts, but that can lead to it’s own complications.

Homeschoolers have a reputation for eating just like hobbits, you know, second breakfast, elevenses, etc. Maybe that works for some families, but I can’t keep up!

Simple Lunches Planned Ahead

In preparation for the school year, I have been stocking the freezer with simple and nutritious foods like bone broth to make my life easier during weekday meal prep. This is the first time I have ever planned out our lunches like this but I think I picked crowd pleasers and my kids will be happy!

I usually cook 90% of our food from scratch and don’t plan too far ahead. However, that is really not working for me anymore. Since adding my fourth baby last year I have been needing to simplify more than ever before.

Since pretty much everyone is busy during the school year, I thought it would be fun to share my lunch meal plan I have for back to homeschool. I also created a simple lunch meal planner for you.

3 Reasons to Try a Lunch Rotation

1. You never have to think about what’s for lunch.
2. The grocery list becomes even more simple and predictable.
3. Your kids don’t have to ask you what’s for lunch — or if they do you can point to the meal plan!

How Long To Use This Lunch Rotation?

I am planning to use this weekly lunch rotation for our full six-week term before changing it up.

I always reserve the right to ditch something that really isn’t working for me, but I also need to stick with things in order to create new habits. I think that if I stick to this meal plan for six weeks, I can then assess and revamp the meal plan during my planning week. I will also be switching up our chore schedule at that time.

How to Plan Your Own Lunch Rotation

My lunch rotation is for daily meals at home, but it would be just as easy to plan this way for packed lunches!

1. Pick Your Meal Rotation Length

The first step in planning your own lunch rotation is to choose how many days you will rotate through. I chose to plan Monday to Friday because I find it easiest to remember that way and the kids will have enough variety. Of course, your rotation can be much smaller if you like. The easiest lunch in the world is when you eat the same thing every day!

2. Write Down a List of Simple Lunch Ideas

For these lunch ideas, be sure to write things that are simple, nutritious, and enjoyable for everyone (or at least the majority). You only need as many ideas as will fit your simple lunch meal rotation (I used a 5-day plan).

3. Assign Days to Your Simple Lunches Based on Your Schedule

Since we are super close to back-to-school, you will likely already have a good idea of what your daily and weekly schedule will look like. In my simple lunch meal rotation, I made sure to plan easier meals on days that we are busier.

Sample Lunch Rotations

Here are some examples of easy kid-friendly yet nutritious lunches for homeschoolers.

Monday

Sourdough Sandwiches or Grilled Cheese

Tuesday

Soup and Bread or Chili and Bread

Wednesday

Chicken Nuggets with Raw Veggies or Quesadillas

Thursday

Buddha Bowls or a Picky Plate (Thanks Simple Home Mom for this genius life hack!)

Friday

Make Your Own Mini Pizzas or Build Your Own Taco Salads

Lunch Meal Plan Printable

To make this lunch planning thing even easier for you, I made up a printable list to post on the fridge so everyone knows what to make for lunch!

Thanks for stopping by!

I hope you enjoyed my lunch meal rotation ideas here on the blog. If you’re interested in reading more about homeschooling, check out my How to Homeschool series!

If you’d like to hear what’s on our lunch rotation for September, I am sharing that on my YouTube channel this week.

Let me know in comments how you plan your school day lunches!