Like me, my kids like to eat pretty much the same things for lunch every day. Call us boring, but I guess we just know what we like. Now here’s the thing. I have the book 100 Days of Real Food and while I sometimes wish I was the mom who was baking her own bread and whole wheat pumpkin muffins on Sundays to use for the week or that I planned ahead well enough to make “Mini Lunch-Box Quiches”, there just doesn’t seem to be time for that. As I talk about in my “Real Food for the Real World” post, I make certain compromises because there simply isn’t enough time in the day. Eating a “real food” diet doesn’t have to mean spending your whole life in the kitchen baking everything from scratch and slaving away making creative recipes. I have to “keep it real.” Eating clean is really about keeping it simple, right?

So here are a few of my go-to kids lunch that my kids actually eat.

Whole Wheat Bagel Thin with Cream Cheese, Fruit, Veggie, Nuts

(Add a hard-boiled egg for more protein)

Turkey Sandwich, Cottage Cheese, Fruit, Veggie

(Applegate Turkey on 100% Whole Wheat Bread with Mustard)

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich, Mini Mozzarella Balls, Fruit, Veggie

(I use fresh ground peanut butter and Smuckers Fruit & Honey Fruit Spread)

Turkey & Cheese Roll-Up, Fruit, Veggies, Chips

(I use whole wheat tortillas, Applegate Turkey, Chickpea or “Beanito” Chips)