Lunchbox Ideas

Lunchbox Ideas

One of the things to consider when relocating—especially from Italy to another country—is the shift in food habits. In Italy, it’s perfectly normal to take a lunch break at a bar or trattoria, order a quick, light, and relatively affordable meal, and then head back to work. Schools, on the other hand, typically offer a hot, balanced lunch prepared under the guidance of nutritionists, often as a mandatory service.

School Lunches

My daughter’s school has a cafeteria setup straight out of an American movie—students line up with trays and pick their food. A meal costs around $2, but unfortunately, the quality doesn’t go much beyond that. This was the pre-COVID menu, when there was still some variety.

Currently, the menu has been drastically reduced. Until last year, meals were free for all students, with no income verification required. This year, families must either pay or apply for exemption again.

For us Italians, this kind of food isn’t something we’d choose to eat daily. That’s why many Italian parents prefer to prepare lunch at home and pack it in thermoses or containers. Unfortunately, public schools here don’t offer refrigeration or reheating options for home-packed meals.

The Lunchbox Culture

One thing that immediately struck me here is how common it is to see people carrying lunchboxes to work. Every morning, for example, I see a woman walking toward the house where she presumably works, thermal lunch bag in hand. We do the same—whether heading to work or school, we bring food from home. In Italy, this isn’t as widespread, especially outside major cities where people often go home for lunch.

At my husband’s office, there’s a dedicated kitchen area with a microwave, fridge, freezer, and sandwich press. All his coworkers bring their meals from home. Some even use a service that delivers frozen meals complete with vegetables, proteins, and carbs—ready to heat in the microwave. It’s been a real mindset shift for us, considering that in Italy, those who eat at work usually rely on bars or trattorias offering fixed-price lunch specials.

On the bright side, my daughter is spared the poor-quality school meals served in Italy—those outsourced to companies that cook everything in a central facility and deliver overcooked, dry food to every school in the district. On the flip side, I now have to prepare something she likes every morning—something portable and that still looks decent after a few hours.

Since many of us are in the same boat, there are Facebook groups and Instagram hashtags dedicated to lunchbox ideas. Some are inspired by Asian bento culture, with beautifully arranged boxes of rice, vegetables, meat, eggs, and sausages. Others, like the group of Italian moms abroad that I follow, share simple, practical meals that can be packed and transported for the whole family.

Packing lunch every day can be both a blessing and a challenge. Whether you're prepping meals for school, work, or weekend outings, the lunchbox becomes a little container of comfort, nutrition, and sometimes… negotiation. From picky eaters to limited storage options, from creative wraps to freezer-friendly hacks, navigating the world of packed lunches is a journey full of trial, error, and occasional triumph.

I've seen many people struggling with the school or work meals, so i decide to introduce the Batch Cooking service in my offer: a selection of pre-prepared ingredients that can be mixed and matched to create healthy, varied meals for work or school. I usually prepare a variety of carbs (rice, farro, couscous, pasta, etc.), proteins, vegetables, legumes, and two or three dressings to tie everything together.

Here are a few of my creations—each with its own style and vibe:

Lunchbox Strategies That Work for Us

In our case, you’ll notice we use lots of small, separate containers—each food item must remain completely isolated from the others, or my little one will have a meltdown. That’s why we can’t use those beautiful multi-compartment lunchboxes you see everywhere. Fruit juice or meatball oil leaking into other foods? Catastrophic. We all have our quirks, and honestly, I find separate containers easier to clean and cheaper to replace.

Connecting with other parents has been incredibly helpful. Some mornings, inspiration is in short supply and creativity even less so.

Lunchbox Tips

Here are a few tricks I use that might come in handy—whether you're packing lunch for school, work, or even planning a picnic. Of course, everything depends on the tastes of your lunchbox recipient. For example, my daughter doesn’t like crackers, Goldfish, or raw veggies, so I rarely include those.

Essential accessories:

• A thermos sized to match the appetite

• Leak-proof containers

• Ice packs

• An insulated lunch bag to hold everything

When it comes to food, I try to plan a weekly menu—at least for my daughter. My husband is more flexible, and I can often rely on leftovers for him, but she’s pickier.

My number one rule: make the freezer your best friend. Small leftovers, roast slices, frozen shrimp, raw meatballs, veggie portions—everything can be repurposed for a quick morning lunchbox.
One of my favorite hacks is leftover roast chicken. You can use it in wraps, toss it with salad and dressing, or mix it with peppers and onions for fajitas: I’ll admit, sometimes I buy extra just to have leftovers to work with.

Freezer staples I always keep on hand:

• Boneless chicken thighs

• Shrimp

• Crab cakes

• Roast chicken

• Fish or salmon fillets (raw or cooked)

• Blanched broccoli

• Grilled mixed vegetables

• Pre-formed meatballs

• Leftover ribs, pulled pork, roast beef (sometimes store-bought just for this)

• Sous vide chicken breast (marinated, vacuum-sealed, slow-cooked, then frozen)

Fridge essentials:

• Cheeses like queso blanco, primosale, mozzarella

• Pre-washed salad

• Zucchini

• Snack-size baby carrots

• Hummus

• Roast beef

• Smoked salmon

• Eggs

Carbs I rotate through:

• Quinoa

• Farro

• Couscous

• Bulgur

• Basmati rice

• Wheat tortillas

• Pasta

• Empanada dough sheets
  

Once you’ve got veggies, protein, and a carb, you’re basically done! Just mix and match!

My daughter’s lunchbox rotation includes:

• Pasta with cherry tomatoes, basil, and diced ham or burrata

• Oven-baked meatballs with raw carrots

• Store-bought sushi

• Stir-fried rice with peppers, ribs, and veggies

• Ricotta and spinach pie

• Sous vide chicken with teriyaki sauce

• Fried chicken cubes

• Boiled shrimp with lemon

• Baked zucchini and onion frittata

For my husband, I mix and match veggies, carbs, and proteins like:

• Salad with roast beef, roast chicken, grilled salmon, or fried chicken cubes plus tortilla or wonton strips

• Quinoa with broccoli and crab cakes, grilled chicken, or scrambled eggs

• Bulgur or couscous with stuffed peppers, roast chicken, or grilled fish

• Farro with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella, mixed fish, grilled veggies, and chicken

• Grilled veggie terrine with bread and queso blanco

• White rice with Asian-style stir fry (veggies and chicken, fish, or beef), chicken curry, fish curry, or beef stroganoff

• Wheat tortilla with dressed salad and chicken fajitas, smoked salmon, roast beef, or fried chicken.
  

I’ll share one of my go-to “recipes”—though it’s more of a shortcut than a real recipe—for a quick meal, especially when fresh bread isn’t available.

7 Wrap Ideas for Your Lunchbox

Basic Ingredients:

• Burrito-size tortillas

• Mixed ready-to-eat salad greens

• Sliced avocado (optional, if you like it)

Toss the salad in a bowl with a spoonful of mayonnaise or sour cream—this step is key to avoiding a dry, bland wrap. Depending on your filling, you can add other sauces, as suggested below.

1. Smoked Salmon Wrap Spread cream cheese on the tortilla, add the dressed salad, and a small spoonful of mustard-dill sauce (like the one from IKEA). Roll tightly and wrap in foil.

2. Fried Chicken Wrap Cover the tortilla with the dressed salad. If you like, mix in a teaspoon of ketchup. Lay down pieces of fried chicken along the length and roll it up.

3. Roast Beef & Cheese Wrap Place sliced cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, gouda) on the tortilla. Add the dressed salad and a touch of mustard or horseradish. Caramelized onions are a great addition if you enjoy them. Roll tightly and wrap in foil.

4. Grilled Bacon & Cheddar Wrap Grill the bacon and let it drain on paper towels. Layer sliced cheese, bacon, and dressed salad on the tortilla, then roll it up.

5. Grilled Chicken & Peppers Wrap Start with a bit of salad on the tortilla, add a drizzle of BBQ sauce if you like, then top with grilled chicken strips and roasted vegetables. If your chicken is already cooked in BBQ sauce, you can skip the salad.

6. Grilled Veggies & Crumbled Feta Wrap You can skip the salad here if you prefer. Dice the grilled veggies, mix with crumbled feta, and optionally add some flaked tuna. Fill your wrap and roll.

7. Egg Burrito Heat a little oil in a pan and pour in two beaten eggs. Before they set, top with mushrooms, sliced ham, grilled veggies, and cheese. Place the tortilla on top. Once the eggs are cooked, flip the tortilla and roll it up. Let it cool before packing it in the lunchbox.

You can also fill your wraps with combos like mozzarella and cherry tomatoes, tuna with salad and tomatoes, or feta with curry-seasoned chicken.

Hope these tasty ideas help you expand your lunchbox game! 🙂