It’s that time of year again. Love is in the air and Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! My favorite way to make this holiday special for my kids is packing them a super cute Valentine’s themed lunch. From adorable heart-shaped sandwiches to nutrient-packed snacks that will keep them fueled for the day, we’ve got you covered. These school lunches are 100% cupid approved and will have your little ones feeling a little extra love this year!
1. Waffle Heart Valentine’s Lunch
This lunch is bursting with naturally red, white and pink food plus a super cute waffle heart sandwich! Here’s what’s inside:
- Waffle Heart Sandwich: I make these cute Waffle Heart Sandwiches all the time when Valentine’s Day is around the corner. Adding them to a school lunch is extra special.
- Yogurt Stuffed Raspberries: Add a little bit of greek yogurt inside a raspberry and then top with Valentine’s themed dye free sprinkles.
- Red Bell Pepper Hearts: Use a mini heart shaped cookie cutter to make adorable red bell pepper hearts.
- Tomato Heart Skewers: Cut cherry tomatoes in half diagonally and skewer them onto a bamboo stick in a heart shape. Then, add a small piece of mozzarella cheese. Repeat until the skewer is full. The tomato hearts work best with cherry tomatoes that are more oblong shaped!
2. Valentine’s “Heart-a-Palooza” School Lunch
This school lunch is heart shaped everything and super easy to make! Theres’s a fun video below showing everything but here’s a list of what’s inside:
- Raspberry Pancake Heart Sandwiches: Use a cookie cutter to make heart shaped pancakes. Layer greek yogurt, raspberries and honey on one pancake heart and top with another pancake heart to make a sandwich.
- Red Pepper Hearts: Use a mini heart shaped cookie cutter to make adorable red bed pepper hearts.
- Fruity Heart Sticks: Remove the stems of strawberries in a fashion that makes them look like a heart (see video below for example). Next, using a mini heart shaped cookie cutter make banana hearts. Finally, alternate skewering the heart shaped strawberries and heart shaped bananas onto a stick.
- Salami Heart Crackers: Cut out heart shapes from pieces of salami. Layer the salami on top of heart shaped lavash crackers. I found these crackers at my grocery store, but if you aren’t sure if yours carries them you can make these tortilla chips in heart shapes on your own!
- Dye-Free XO Gummies: I usually get these cute XOs at Trader Joes, but any cute Valentine’s themed treat will work perfect.
3. Red and Pink Valentine’s School Lunch
This lunch as some extra protein packed recipes in it and each is just as cute as the last! See the video below for more step by steps, but here’s what’s inside!
- Red Beet Hummus with Heart-Shaped Crackers: You can keep this red beet hummus ready to go in the refrigerator for a few days to save you a step. To make the crackers, use a small cookie cutter to cut the heart shapes from tortillas and pita bread, then toast in a 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes, until crisp.
- Nut-Free Strawberry Energy Bites: The step by step recipe for these energy bites is at the bottom of this post or in the video. They’re so delicious, super cute for Valentine’s Day and healthy!
- Pepperoni Hearts: Keeping with the red and pink theme, use a mini heart shaped cookie cutter to make pepperoni hearts!
- Raspberries and Pomegranate Seeds: Luckily, tons of fresh fruit is naturally red so it makes a cute Valentine’s lunch even easier. Add raspberries and pomegranate seeds to one compartment of your kids lunch box for some balance.
- Yogurt Covered Raisins and Dye-Free Chocolate Candies: I always like to include something extra special in the center, smallest compartment of my kids bento lunch box. For this one I added yogurt covered raisins and dye free chocolate coated candies.
Gear to Make Cute Valentine’s School Lunch
Now that you’ve got all the cute ideas for an adorable Valentine’s school lunch, here’s all the gear you need to pull them off!
Whether you’re making Waffle Heart Sandwiches or Red Beet Hummus, you’re kids will definitely be feeling the love with these super cute Valentine’s Day School Lunch Ideas! Let me know in the comments what you’re making and tag me on social media with your creations!
Nut-Free Strawberry Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Instructions
- Place the first 4 ingredients in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil.
- Process the mixture on high, it will take some time, be patient until it becomes a paste and forms a ball.
- If the mixture looks dry add the second spoon of coconut oil. It depends a little on how much oil is released from the sunflower seeds.
- Use a small scooper or spoon to portion into balls. Make sure you’re working the dough so it activates the coconut.
Where did you get your bento boxes? I love the sizes of the sections!
I love this idea. Where did you buy the heart shape cut outs?