Sandwich-Free Lunch Ideas for Kids & Adults

Sandwiches are one of the easiest lunches you can put together in a short amount of time. However, there are so many different sandwich free lunch ideas for kids and adults to explore. Today we are sharing three different recipe ideas that work great as meals for both you and your children!

Sandwich Free Lunch Idea: Fruit & Vegetable Salad

Our first sandwich free lunch recipe is a fruit and vegetable salad paired with a source of protein. To make this fruit salad all you will need is cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, chopped mango, avocado, cilantro, mint, chopped onions (optional), lemon, salt, and pepper, and oil and vinegar. Be sure to rinse and chop everything before tossing it all together. First, add in your tomatoes and cucumber, then throw in the chopped onions along with chopped cilantro and mint. Then squeeze half of a lemon over the entire dish. Toss this all together. Then add in your slices of avocado and then top it all with a good amount of olive oil and vinegar. Top it all off with a pinch of salt and pepper and mix together!

This salad is very refreshing and is loaded with a lot of fresh and delicious ingredients. Pair this salad with a hard-boiled egg, sliced apples, cheddar cheese cubes, slices of cooked chicken (you can buy this pre-made), and honey bbq popcorn. To go with the fruity flavors of this lunch, we paired this bento box lunch with pineapple-flavored coconut water. Easily store this bento box lunch and drink in our Hampton Lunch Bag.

Sandwich Free Lunch Idea for Kids & Adults: Apple Chicken Salad

For our second bento sandwich free lunch we created an apple chicken salad. Making this salad is simple, but first, you need a few cooked pieces of chicken breast chopped up. You can either buy this already made or you can cook the chicken yourself. Slice a green apple into smaller pieces and slice green and purple grapes in half so it's easier to eat. Then add in dried cranberries, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a dash of poppy seeds. Mix all of your ingredients together until the mayo and mustard are evenly incorporated with everything else.

Along with the salad, we sliced half of a turkey wrap into bite sizes. In the wrap, we included lettuce, a slice of ham, a slice of cheese, provolone cheese, and dried tomato. Then add an assortment of fruit to our bento box, along with sliced cucumbers, and toasted coconut chips for a sweet little crunch! Pack this delicious summertime Bento Box lunch in our Freezable Lunch Bag.

Sandwich Free Lunch Recipe: Pesto Pasta Spinach Salad

Our last Bento Box sandwich free lunch recipe is a pesto pasta spinach salad. This salad is fairly easy to make with only a few ingredients! To make this salad, you first want to start by cooking your favorite kind of pasta. Make sure your noodles have been cooled before you assemble the pasta salad. Once they are cool, in a bowl add your noodles and a handful of fresh spinach leaves. Then add sliced cherry tomatoes to the mixture along with a handful of pine nuts. The last step is to mix in your favorite pesto sauce. Add in however much pesto you desire and then mix it all together! This salad is savory and filled with nutrition-packed ingredients.

For the other components of this lunch, we sliced string cheese in half and rolled it up in a slice of turkey. The toothpick helps hold it together and will make it easier to bite into! We then added some fresh strawberries along with a scoop of homemade guacamole with tortilla chips that are perfect for dipping! We then took this bento lunch in our Freezable Lunch Bag along with a refreshing tea and lemonade drink!

Share with us below if you enjoyed these sandwich free lunch ideas and bento box recipes! Check out more adult lunch recipes and kid-friendly recipes here! Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. We have a variety of lunch bags, food containers, and more for you to enjoy your sandwich free lunch in.