Easy Vegan Back to School Lunch Ideas | DIY Lunchables | Mushroom Tofu Lettuce Wraps | Mexican Haystacks
In my last post I covered some Easy Vegan Breakfast Ideas to get your day off to a good start, and make that make to school transition as easy as possible! It seems only natural that I would follow it up with a video full of Easy Vegan Lunch Ideas to fuel you and keep you going during your studies. These lunches are based off of what I would have loved to eat as a kid, and I think you’ll agree they aren’t your typical boring white Wonder Bread sandwich.
My first Easy Vegan Back to School Lunch Idea is a take on the ever popular kid favorite, the Lunchable. The beauty of the Lunchable is that is easy to pack, easy to eat, and about as well rounded as any store bought lunch for kids could get. But these my friends, step it up a notch— they’re a healthy vegan alternative you can feel good about sending your kids to school with. No weirdo ingredients, just good, wholesome food that also happens to be a delight to eat! I use a lot of vegan pre-made products, because they are quick and delicious, and make prepping these bad boys easy as pie. Add celery sticks, hummus, orange slices, and a sweet dessert to make sure your kid (or you) are getting a well rounded meal. Plus dessert is a super important part of any meal. This DIY Lunchable packs conveniently in a bento-style container.
The second Back to School Easy Vegan Lunch Idea is a super simple Mexican inspired combination that anyone, adult or child, would be more than satisfied to find packed in their lunchbox. The prep work for this is a snap. Just take a few cans of your favourite beans, heat them up in small sauce pot and spice them with taco seasoning. This high protein bean medley, together with a quick and easy pico de gallo inspired salad using kale or romaine, is a hearty but fresh, delicious meal. For an additional snack add some carrot sticks and of course fruit ir a sweet treat for dessert. The last part of this lunch, and without question a crucial one for convenience, is to top it all off with some tortilla chips. You can use these to scoop up the lovely bean mixture, or crumble them on top and eat with a fork.
My last lunch idea is a low cost high end approach. It’s a bit more on the fancy side of things. To create this lunch simply crumble up some tofu and chopped mushrooms into a frying pan, add you favorite spices and cook them down. Next, just put those into a lettuce wrap and top them with some carrots and green onions. What you will end up with is a PF Chang’s style tofu lettuce wrap, that was super easy to put together but gives your packed lunch a high end feel.
There you have it, 3 easy back to school lunch ideas that will keep you or your student satisfied and healthy. All of these ideas are easily customized to fit your flavour profile, so experiment and see what combos you can come up with!
If you have any easy lunch ideas for back to school you want to share please feel free to leave them in the comment section below.
- Your favourite crackers (8-10)
- Your favourite vegan cheese slices, cut into squares (8-10)
- Slices of your favourite veggie sausage, cut into thick slices ( you want about 8-10 slices)
- Carrot sticks
- Celery sticks
- Hummus
- Orange slices or your favourite fruit of choice
- Some sort of snack/dessert
- Using a bento-style bunch box or individual containers (or even cupcake liners) separate all food items and place into lunch box.
- Now your kid, or you (a big kid) can stack and play with your lunch while you eat it!
Check out How I build each one by watching the quick instructional video below! If you liked the video don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more easy and delicious vegan tips!
- 1 can organic black beans (make sure the can has a BPA-free lining)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 3 Tbsp taco seasoning (make sure the seasoning is mild, if it's for kids)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- optional add ins: corn, chopped mushrooms, tomatoes
- salt to taste
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 green onion,thinly sliced
- Handful of kale, chopped into very thin strips
- juice of half a lime
- handful of corn chips, in a small zip lock bag per lunch
- Optional: Guacamole
- apple slices for dessert
- In a medium saucepan, combine beans, onion, taco seasoning, garlic, and other vegetables/add ons if using, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Season with cilantro, and salt.
- Simmer for 10 mins.
- Place kale and lime juice into a medium-size salad bowl and massage for 3-5 minutes.
- add in remaining ingredients and mix until well mixed.
- Using a bento-style bunch box or individual containers separate all food items and place into lunch box.
- Now your kid, or you (a big kid) can stack their lunch and enjoy!
- Boston or romaine lettuce washed & dried & cut into wrap appropriate sizes
- 8 ounces mushrooms of your choosing ( I like cremini), finely chopped
- 1 package firm tofu (do not use silken)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (omit for kids or if sensitive to spice)
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil for cooking
- 1-2 Green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 Carrot, ribboned using a vegetable peeler, or grated
- Trail mix or granola for dessert/snack
- Press the tofu to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
- Heat coconut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add in onions, and garlic and cook until fragrant (about 3 minutes).
- Add in mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes until they begin to wilt and brown slightly.
- Crumble in the tofu, breaking it into very small pieces as it cooks. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add in the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and read pepper flakes if using and continue cooking until any remaining tofu liquid cooks off and the tofu starts to turn golden brown.
- Pour the sesame oil over the top of mixture and stir to coat. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Using a bento-style bunch box or individual containers (or even cupcake liners) separate all food items and place into lunch box.
- Now your kid, or you (a big kid) can stack and play with their lunch while they eat it!
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