25 Foods That Are Perfect For Your Child's Lunchbox Slideshow

School lunches get a notoriously bad rap. They are photographed, posted to social media, envied, and ridiculed. Homemade packed lunches do not escape this treatment, with Instagram photos of incredible bento boxes made by star parents, cookie cutter crust-less sandwiches, and other mouthwatering delights made by parents for their children's school lunch.

If you are struggling for ideas and need some inspiration, do not fret. There are countless recipes to fall back on. Rather than relying on packaged, processed, highly refined foods (the kind that children tend to love), work a few of these easy and tasty meals into your weekly repertoire and know that you are sending your children to school with a lunch that will fuel them through their day.

Meatballs are delicious whether they are hot or cold. This recipe comes together in a flash, so you can effortlessly send your child to school with a nutritious packed lunch. Meatballs are a great place to hide vegetables from the wary and suspicious eyes of a child. Simple throw a few of your favorites into the food processor and add the resulting mash to the meatballs before you shape them for a sneaky meatball that's loaded with healthy vegetables.

For the All–in-One Meatball recipe, click here.

Who doesn't crave something sweet after lunch? For a sweet treat you won't feel guilty for packing, try these apple wedges. Peanut butter and apples go fabulously together, and who could possibly complain about a drizzle of chocolate on top!?

For the Apple Wedge Dessert recipe, click here.

Like apple wedges, banana "sushi" is a great, healthy dessert to pack in any lunch. The Nutella in this recipe can be substituted with any other favorite spread — try peanut butter and jelly for a new twist on a childhood classic.

For the Banana Sushi recipe, click here.

Send your child to school with former President Obama's favorite's tuna salad sandwich. If it powered Obama through two terms, surely it can power your kid through their afternoon math test

For the Barack Obama's Tuna Salad recipe, click here.

Create these versatile flatbreads in 15 minutes for an easy, delicious, and satiating school lunch.

For the Barbecue Chicken Naan Pizza Bites recipe, click here.

Let your child cherish the taste of s'mores without sending them into a sugar coma with these caramel apple treats.

For the Caramel Apple Pie S'mores recipe, click here.

For a breakfast on the go or a satisfying afternoon snack, these muffins, full of healthy chia seeds, are the brain food your children need.

For the Chia Cornbread Muffins recipe, click here.

Sweet things don't have to be terrible for the body. These breakfast bars, chock full of naturally sweet dried fruit, are delicious — and vegan to boot.

For the Cranberry Strawberry Breakfast Bars recipe, click here.

These bars are full of wonderfully fueling ingredients. Make a batch of these on the weekend and send you kid to school with a lunchbox full of energy.

For the Crispy Kale Bars recipe, click here.

A thermos full of tomato soup is just perfect for lunch on a chilly day. Pack a small cheese sandwich alongside this soup for a joyful dipping experience.

For the Early Girl Tomato Soup recipe, click here.

For a healthy snack that is much more interesting than potato chips, make this fresh trail mix. A blend of fresh fruit, nuts, and chocolate will satisfy any kind of sweet craving that might strike after lunch.

For the Fresh Grape Trail Mix recipe, click here.

These classic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have a sneaky but healthy secret. Add a few sprinklings of chia seeds into the sandwich for a healthy lunchtime brain boosting addition.

For the Healthy Seeds Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich recipe, click here.

To feed a crowd, make this giant stuffed sandwich and serve everyone a slice, perfect if you are making packed lunches for the whole family.

For the Italian Deli-Stuffed Loaf recipe, click here.

This sandwich incorporates colorful vegetables, light protein, and condiments of your choice. Make it ahead of time for the optimum pressed panini-like texture.

For the Italian Ham and Cheese Pressed Sandwich recipe, click here.

Hide vegetables in these child-approved mac and cheese cupcakes. All the fun flavor of a favorite comfort food with all the ease of a hand-held snack.

For the Mac and Cheese Lunchbox Muffins recipe, click here.

A quesadilla is always a popular lunchbox inclusion. This one pairs mango with milky provolone cheese to please your child's taste buds no end.

For the Mango Tango Tortillas recipe, click here.

Small pizzas for small hands. These mini pizzas will go down well and can be topped with favorite toppings for an effortless lunchbox item that takes little time to prepare.

For the Mini Naan Cheese, Tomato, and Kale Pizza recipe, click here.

For a fun take on a traditional PB&J, make these spiral roll-ups that kids will love.

For the Peanut Butter and Jelly Spirals recipe, click here.

Kids will love this cool and creamy noodle salad. Fill it with their favorite veggies and watch this recipe become a lunchbox staple.

For the Peanut Butter Veggie Pasta Salad recipe, click here.

Make these little sweet bites as an occasional sweet treat. They are so simple to make that you can even make them with your child on the weekend — get them involved in the process and excited about cooking!

For the Peanutty Pie Crust Clusters recipe, click here.

Pesto is a wonderful way to inject flavor and green goodness into a pasta salad. You can easily sub in your household's most loved veggies for this colorful and wholesome lunch time dish.

For the Pesto Pasta Salad With Zucchini, Eggplant, and Snap Peas recipe, click here.

Pasta salads are sustaining and delicious, a perfect way to fuel an afternoon of classes.

For the Picnic Pasta Salad recipe, click here.

Not everyone loves trail mix, but if you hide it in cookies, your kids will benefit from the healthy fats, vitamins and antioxidants of dried fruits and nuts without even realizing it.

For the Trail Mix Cookies recipe, click here.

These turkey pinwheels are made of just four healthy ingredients and can be made in advance for a tasty component in a well-balanced lunch box.

For the Turkey Pinwheels recipe, click here.

Wholesome bananas and antioxidant-packed blueberries along with whole-wheat flour and a minimal amount of brown sugar make these muffins a great sweet cake to include in a healthy packed lunch.

For the Wholesome Banana Blueberry Muffins recipe, click here.