1) Adult cheese and crackers lunch from Project Meal Plan
2) Chickpea salad lunchbox from Sweet Peas and Saffron
3) Egg salad bento box from Celebrating Sweets
4) Energy-boosting breakfast box from Gathering Dreams
5) Chicken pesto pasta skewers lunch box from Project Meal Plan
6) Mediterranean salad with crackers from The Nutritious Kitchen
7) Teriyaki chicken stir fry lunch box from My Food Story
8) Smoked salmon and cream cheese keto roll-ups from The Kitchn
9) Vegan falafel wraps adult lunch box from The Green Loot
10) Sushi sandwich bento box lunch from Cooking Light

I have a friend whose discerning toddler refuses to eat her preschool lunch unless it's in a bento box. I get it; baby carrots are much more appealing when stacked in their little compartment than not. That made me think: when did adult lunchtime stop being fun? When did a soggy sandwich brought from home or a $12 bowl of greens, scarfed down in 10 minutes while scrolling through emails, come to define midday sustenance? Enter adult lunchables.

If you were a kid (or had a kid) in the 90s, you remember the original Lunchables: circles of meat, squares of yellow cheese, and a stack of crackers that you could build into little saturated-fat-heavy towers. This list of ideas and recipes for adult lunchables avoid the wasted plastic and cardboard of the children's product that inspired them and are healthier to boot.

Tips for making your adult lunchables work for you:

1) Invest in a good system. You can go with a bento box (a reusable lunch box with compartments for a main and sides that's common in Japanese cuisine) or use high-quality, food-safe glass or plastic storage containers. If you don't pick something with that comes with compartments, you may need to use multiple containers to keep ingredients separated.

2) Pick fruits and veggies that hold up to travel. Bananas may brown or get mushy, but apples, berries, and mandarin oranges, are good choices; lettuce can wilt, but carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, and cherry tomatoes do well in transit.

3) You don't need to follow a recipe; just keep in mind core food groups. While the recipes below are beautiful, fun, and tasty—I chose them carefully!—don't worry if you're missing a few ingredients. You can make your own adult lunchables with whatever you have at hand. Try for 1-2 proteins (meat, hardboiled eggs, nuts, cheese, peanut butter), a veggie, a fruit, and a carb (crackers, pita, tortilla).

And onto the recommendations!

1) Adult cheese and crackers lunch from Project Meal Plan

Cupcake liners are a great option to keep crackers dry if you don't have a bento box or compartmentalized storage!

https://projectmealplan.com/turn-cheese-crackers-diy-adult-lunchables/

2) Chickpea salad lunchbox from Sweet Peas and Saffron

Make a big batch of protein-packed chickpea salad for the week, swap out your fruits and vegetables each day, and enjoy your very not-boring desk lunch situation.