Waste-Free Vegan Lunch Ideas For Kids (2024)

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Tiffany

Have I got a post for you this morning! I have been planning this one for a while now. Today I am going to share with you how I put to use my daughters Bento Lunch Box by packing her nutritious, colorful, vegan lunches every day of the week! I love this lunch kit because it makes for a completely waster-free lunch and even comes with a stainless steel fork and knife. She also takes her Kleen Kanteen water bottle to school everyday as well.

I hate waste and I especially hate unnecessary waste. It used to really bother me that all of these snack foods come in little packages and that all of these juice boxes, plastic containers and plastic baggies just get thrown away. Then I decided to just STOP BUYING those things and instead making my own snacks. It is much healthier and cheaper and the best part is that there is little to no waste. It still bothers me that people keep buying those things and making so much waste, but I know that I can only make changes in my own life and that in doing so, I can help raise awareness through my blog.

My kids mostly snack on fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, dried fruit and whatever I may bake. We buy our nuts and dried fruit in bulk and reuse the bags that we purchase them in next time we go to the store. I also never buy anything that contains sugar or white flour, but instead make my own crackers, cookies, granola bars, muffins and even bread.

When I pack a lunch for my daughter, I always make sure to include fresh fruits and/or veggies for her snack and usually some home-baked bread, cookie or muffin. Her lunches usually consist of leftovers from our dinner the night before, which is always a nutritious vegan meal or some whole grains (like her favorite couscous) and vegetables.

I make an effort to waste as little as possible and the food I purchase either doesn’t come in a package (like fruits and veggies), comes in recyclable packaging (like canned beans or a jar of applesauce) or we buy in bulk (like nuts and grains) and reuse the plastic bags until they are no good. That is what I have chosen to live by. Also, whenever I go to the store I bring our own reusable bags. Never forget to BYOB! Keep them by the front door or in your car so that they are in a convenient location and you won’t forget them on your way to the store. All of these things are things that we can do to help the planet. And this is so important because we only get this one and I want my children (and yours) to grow up on a clean and healthy one. 🙂

So without further ado, here are10 Waste-Free Vegan Lunch Ideas to keep your child and our planet happy and healthy! Some of the recipes from her lunches can be found on my recipes page and I have included a blue link for the ones that are.

Lunch #1

Banana
Cherry Jam Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread
Mary’s Organic Crackers
Baby Carrots

Lunch # 2

Leftover Spaghetti and Lentil Balls with Homemade Italian Onion and Garlic Tomato Sauce
Honeydew Melon
Carrots and Cauliflower with Catalina Dressing to Dip

Lunch #3