My nephews headed back to school this week, as many other kids have done or are prepping to in the coming weeks. For me, it brings back memories of new clothes, Trapper Keepers, and lunchboxes stuffed with mom’s homemade sandwiches.

I remember shopping for back-to-school supplies in early August with my mom, begging her for, say, a new pair of L.A. Gear sneakers and a black trapeze skirt from Contempo Casuals (Google it, my under-30 readers), because I saw the combo on a girl leaving homeroom in my September issue of Seventeen magazine and I wanted to look just as cool as that curly haired model in the magazine. Luckily, I had a friend who was a manager there and could hook a mallrat up!

When I was younger, in grade school, clothes weren’t how you expressed your individuality—lunchboxes were. Somewhere between first and third grades, I remember carrying a red tin Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox, a Holly Hobbie blue tin box, and then I graduated up to a soft purple pack that kept sandwiches and fruit cool throughout the day. When I made my own lunch from 8th grade on, I simply used a brown bag.

“I had an Ewoks lunchbox,” E said proudly when I asked him about his childhood lunch tote. Right. That Star Wars obsession.
“Did you have the matching Thermos?” I asked.
“Of course.”

Anyway, the kids have to eat. And you need some sandwich ideas. Thinking back to what I liked as a young’n—I loved mom’s chipped beef, corned beef on rye with mustard, and a good sugar-packed Fluffernutter—I picked five of 300’s best options for back-to-school sandwiches for your kid’s lunch boxes, no matter what color they are or what superhero is on the front.

• Sandwich #214, the turkey and cheddar with apple butter will give some sweet flavor to the average turkey and cheese sandwich.
• Sandwich #180, the ham and pineapple on a pretzel rollpacks protein and fruit in a sweet but healthy sandwich. If I were a kid, I’d rather have this version of a ham sandwich than the boring one on plain ol’ white bread with mayo. I used to trade my ham sandwiches with the kid who sat behind me in 2nd grade. Sorry, mom.
• Sandwich #143, the chicken sandwich with tarragon, green apple and red onion with kale, is your basic chicken salad cranked up a notch. High school kids will particularly enjoy this. Will keep them full through their extracurriculars, too.
• Sandwich #212 is one of my favorite sandwiches, and it involves peanut butter (without the marshmallow fluff. So, I am recommending it once again—peanut butter, pear, banana and chia seed wrap. Keep your high energy third graders in motion with this one for either lunch or an after school snack.
• For the mature grade school palate, there’s this—sandwich #283, the beet hummus and roasted pepper sandwich. Now, any kid would want to at least try something that’s purple. If the little one responds favorably, then pack this in their lunchbox. I guarantee most kids at the cafeteria would be so jealous that your kid gets to eat purple foods. Or, other kids might be weirded out. But those troublemakers are probably eating bologna with stale Chee-toes. Which one would you rather see your child eat? Right.

(photo above from Stitch It To The Man)

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