 "Pin It")
Guest post from Brigette Shevy
If you’re looking for simple, lunch box-friendly, kid-approved sandwiches that require minimal prep time, this list is for you! Many of these sandwiches can be made in advance and frozen… and ALL of them can be eaten cold or at room temperature.
While there are many great sandwich ideas that involve peanut butter, I have purposely chosen to keep this list peanut-butter free (which wasn’t as easy to do as it sounds!).
Feel free to mix and match fillings with different types of bread. I’ve listed ones that pair well together, but the possibilities are endless. (Of course, a wet filling on absorbent bread can end up a soggy mess by lunchtime, so you do want to think through things like that!)
1. Fruit Pizza Bagel
 |
Mix cream cheese with honey and spread on both sides of a split bagel (mini bagels work great for kids!). Top with small slices of fruit like pineapple, kiwi, grapes, mandarin oranges, or whatever your child will eat (pat the fruit dry with a paper towel if necessary) and sprinkle with shredded coconut. |
2. English Muffin Pizzas
 |
Spread English muffin halves with pizza/tomato/spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with cheese (and top with chopped veggies, optional). Bake or broil (or even microwave if you are really short on time!) until cheese is melted. Serve open-faced. Freezable. |
3. Avocado Veggie Sandwich
 |
Combine mashed avocado with a splash of lemon juice and a dash of salt. Spread on both sides of a hearty roll and top with whatever sliced veggies your child will eat (lettuce, tomato, pickles, cucumbers, etc.).You can also add cheese or deli meat if desired. |
4. Pancake Sandwich
 |
Spread applesauce on a leftover pancake. Sprinkle with cinnamon and chopped nuts (optional).Top with another pancake and cut into wedges. Freezable. |
5. Apple Nut Rice Cake
 |
Mix softened cream cheese with maple syrup, cinnamon and nuts.Spread on a rice cake and top with thinly sliced apple slices and additional chopped nuts. |
6. Pesto Mozzarella Melt
 |
Spread pesto on two pieces of french bread. Top each with sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese and a thin slice of tomato. Broil until cheese is melted.Serve open-faced if desired. You can also cook these in a skillet instead of broiling them. |
7. Cheesy Pita Wedges
 |
Fill pita bread halves with cheese and microwave until melted.Cut into wedges to serve. Freezable. |
8. Double Decker Cream Cheese and Jelly
 |
Spread one piece of cinnamon raisin bread with softened cream cheese. Top with another piece of raisin bread. Spread jelly on that piece. Top with another piece of bread.Cut into strips or wedges. Freezable. |
9. Hummus Veggie Bagels
 |
Spread bagel halves with hummus and top with whatever sliced veggie(s) your child will eat (such as colored peppers, sprout, tomato, or shredded carrots).Serve open-faced. |
10. Chocolate Banana Roll-Up
 |
Mix softened cream cheese with cocoa powder, sweetener to taste, and a little milk as necessary.Spread thinly on a tortilla. Top with sliced banana and roll up. |
What is your favorite “creative” sandwich?
Brigette is a full-time wife and mother who is blessed with three amazing bundles of energy (ages 5, 3 and 1). She enjoys music, experimenting in the kitchen, homeschooling her children, finding great deals, long-distance running, and anything chocolate.
A good, quick ‘sandwich’… peanut butter banana roll-up. Take a flour tortilla and spread your desired amount of peanut butter on it, take a peeled banana and roll it up inside. Yummy and satisfies your hunger!
Ooop – I see it was already mentioned!! Ha! See… it is that good. 😉
On the sandwiches that have fruit or broiled cheese I have found it is best to pack the “wet” ingredients in a seperate bag and let the kids load it up at school. Our thirteen year old calls it MYO (make your own).
I know you chose not to use peanut butter for this post, but peanut butter spread on a tortilla and then wrapped around a banana is wonderful. I actually like to make them and put them in the fridge to get them cold before I eat it. Quick, nutritious and delicious.
I love this post. Can’t wait to try some (all) of the suggestions.
These ideas are so cool!!
Thanks!!!
Love this list!
I’m so glad! 🙂
Apple- peanut butter sandwich. Core an apple. Slice it into medium slices. Top each slice with a little peanut butter and put together. Cute. Delicious. Special. And Healthy!
I love apples and pb together! Fun “sandwich” idea. 🙂
We do this and add a bit of granola on top of the pb Adding in mini chocolate chips makes it a special treat.
I recently bought a mini waffle maker. It uses only 1 1/2 tsp of batter for each waffle, so they are mini. My granddaughter has been taking them in her lunches at school with various fillings. I use them for the kids at home with ham & cheese, or PB & banana. Or add a drop of chocolate fudge, PB & banana. We did that for snack one day. Today I experimented with chocolate waffle batter. It was fantastic. I can see my granddaughter with her mini chocolate waffles with something inside for lunch tomorrow!
Ooh, a mini waffle maker sounds fun! My kids would love that. 🙂 I’ll have to add that to my wish list!
I love your ideas!
Aww… Thanks!
No PB allowed here, so we do many other sandwich options. Personally I like a turkey with cranberry bagel sandwich, but also loved toasted sourdough with pesto, turkey, cheese, tomatoes. We do a lot of quesadillas for lunchboxes, too…dd doesn’t mind them cold. Mixing up the bread part of the sandwich — tortillas, hamburger or hot dog buns, bagels, pitas — all help keep the sandwich interesting, too.
Yum! Your ideas are making me hungry!
Those are some great ideas. Do you know if the bananas would turn brown by lunchtime? I’ve never made a sandwich with bananas that I didn’t eat right away.
I usually make the roll-ups up shortly before we eat them, so I can’t say for sure. Since the banana is covered in chocolate and wrapped in a tortilla, that will keep it “preserved” for a while – just keep it chilled and you should be fine.:)
I’m always looking for new lunch idea. I’ll be referring back to your list soon I am sure!
Below are 3 creative varieties of “sandwiches” we enjoy:
1. Waffles. I’ve made eggplant, tomato and cheese sandwiches and almond butter and jelly sandwiches using waffles.
2. Homemade dough (from my bread machine). I create hot pockets with sloppy joe meat or ham and broccoli inside.
3. Gluten free. I wrap rice and/or meat in a lettuce or cabbage leaf. Or I make Ham Musibis Eats using nori, rice, and ham.
Sorry, the link for the Ham Musibis was incomplete. Here it is again:
Ham Musibis
These are some great ideas! I’ll have to check out your link. Thanks for sharing!
I love all of these ideas! It is a struggle everyday to come up with creative lunchbox ideas for my daughter. Thanks!
You are very welcome! 🙂